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Manuela Talana

When she was twenty, Manuela, founder and owner of STUDIOLINGA, born in Sardinia, exchanged the sunny island to live and work in the Netherlands for the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Amsterdam, where she worked with dedication, motivation and passion for over eleven years. She loves to travel far away but often also goes back to her isle of birth, to relax and enjoy seeing friends and family again. Her elaborate know-how, developed during her previous work, has caused her to start her own language school, together with the indispensable contributions of the instructors who, together with her, make learning Italian language and culture a form of art. 

Instructors and Guest Instructors

Francesca Branca

Francesca was born in Cagliari in 1979, and already as a child she dreamed about travelling everywhere, learning new languages and cultures while teaching Italian. She graduated in Foreign Languages and Cultures and has continued her studies in England and Spain, where she took several courses for instructors LT2. After that, she gained her Masters in Italian didactics from the University of Perugia. Rich in extensive theoretical baggage, she started travelling again and after working for a number of language schools throughout Italy she arrived in the Netherlands in 2007. She worked with dedication for several language schools in Amsterdam and at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, where she was responsible for group, individual and business courses. Her passion to teach and the contacts with students ensure Francesca continues to thrive in doing her work with plenty of transmittable energy.

Clelia Capua

Clelia was born in Calabria, in Southern Italy. A graduate in Linguistics and Philosophy, she became a specialist in art history and finished a study in restoring paintings. She combined both skill sets whilst working in Rome, restoring paintings and teaching art history at various art academies. After that, she focused more on organizing and writing about art exhibitions, a passion that still exists. The love for her husband drove her to Amsterdam, where she lives since 2001 – ready for new challenges. After several years of teaching at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, she became head of didactics for the courses at STUDIOLINGUA. Clelia keeps herself up-to-date on courses for teachers in Italian as second language and has finished two important courses for instructors: the ILIM and a second degree Masters on design of education in Italian language and culture for foreigners, at the University Ca’ Foscari of Venice. She is licensed to teach courses for instructors together with this university and in addition also has the Ditals 1 certificate (at the University of Siena) and the Dilit certificate from the International House in Rome. When talking about the Netherlands and Italy, she says: “the food and the climate are incomparable, but I sincerely love living in Amsterdam and would never want to leave it :)…”

Pierfrancesco Gava

Pierfrancesco is from Marche, close to the Adriatic coast. He studied Linguistics and Philosphy in Florence with art history as specialization. In 1997, he left Italy and came to Amsterdam to write his dissertation on Jacobus van Looy and his contacts with Italian artists (published in the magazine ‘Jong Holland’). As of 2001, he works for the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Amsterdam as instructor in Italian language; in the same function he worked at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Madrid in 2003, where he also took several courses in becoming an instructor (Dilit). In 2007, he was accepted at the Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, where he will graduate in 2010. 

More info on www.pierfrancescogava.com

Sergio Troiano

Sergio has worked in telecommunications for twenty years, both in IT and in PR. Next to his job, he studied literature and art history at the University of Pavia. He took courses in learning to restore paintings and statues at the Civica Scuola Cova in Milan and worked on various projects in that field. Complementary to these activities, he started to dedicate himself to Italian culture and to the Italian wine culture, resulting in obtaining the official diploma from the Italian Society of Sommeliers – for which he organized many courses in Italian vinology. He teaches the heritage of wines, but also the history of wine culture and about the areas where the wines are produced. During his time at university, he developed a special interest for antique books, which brought him to take a three year course in restoring books at the Graphic Lyceum Utrecht. At this moment, he fully gives himself at the Italian language and culture – as part of STUDIOLINGUA

Fabiola Caloia

Fabiola was born in the green hills of Campania and was raised in Torino, where her parents worked in the educational system. Her interest in literature drove her to study modern linguistics, with focus on philology, at the University of Siena, where she eventually graduated cum laude. After that, she conducted a teaching study, in which she gained a lot of experience of class work, teaching Latin and Italian. Love lead her to Amsterdam, where she further developed her teaching skills with Masters in psycho-pedagogy and Italian didactics for non-natives. Her passion for the Classics and for poetry became concrete with the publication of her boek La presenza dei classici nella poesia di Elio Andriuoli, published by Le Mani, Genua. Fabiola works with a lot of enthusiasm, passion and curiosity in the STUDIOLINGUA team.

Christian De Vito

Christian (Rome, 1976) moved to Firenze when he was just nineteen, to study linguistics and philosophy. After that, he continued his academic career in Pisa, where he focused on history at the Scuola Normale Superiore. He has broad experience as a teacher of Italian language and culture and as author of monographies and articles on European social history. In addition, he is active in several groups promoting social and civil rights. Because of his love life, he has been living in Amersfoort since June 2009. He already loved riding the seven hills around Rome (and some others, too), now he rides his bike through Amsterdam to visit his friends of STUDIOLINGUA. 

Rossella Di Girolamo
Rossella was born in Napels in 1980 and has always had one big career dream: to teach! She graduated in classical languages with focus on archaeology, after which she taught Italian at the University of Siena, where she received her further credentials to teach Italian to foreigners (Ditals). In 2008, she exchanged her beloved Napels for the Netherlands, where she got the opportunity to simultaneously teach and do an internship, first at the University of Leiden and now at STUDIOLINGUA. Special characteristics: passion to teach and love for la bella Italia!

Paola La Serra
Paola was born in Brescia in the 1981. She is a philosophy and a human sciences docent and she has got a philosophy teaching Master Degree  (SSIS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Brescia/Milan). Paola has lived in “the City of Angels” (Los Angeles, CA) where she has taught Italian culture and language, then she moved to Amsterdam to keep going her job with passion. Actually she’s working at ESI (Ente Suola Italiana in Olanda) in two important international schools and works with STUDIOLINGUA as an Italian docent in “Teatro in corso” and in the children after school course.

Dora Gatti
Dora has dedicated herself for many years to the study of ancient history, a passion that has allowed her to travel and be in contact with different cultures and languages. Interested in intercultural communication, in 2000 she begins collaborating with an organisation that works with migrants and that operates a language school. Here she discovers her passion for teaching Italian, to which she dedicates herself following courses in glottodidactics and taking diplomas and certificates in language teaching to foreigners. Since 2003 she teaches in two schools in Rome, city that she leaves in January of 2011 to move to Holland, beloved birthplace of her partner and her daughter. Dora works now at STUDIOLINGUA as teacher Italian language and culture.

Nicca Vignotto
Nicca was born in Venice and there she also graduated at the Università di Ca 'Foscari cum laude in Foreign Languages and Literature. She spent part of her studies at the Universidad de Salamanca and the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, with studies about Spanish language and literature. Love brought her from Madrid to the Netherlands in 1996, where she now enjoy living with her husband and two children. In Amsterdam, she worked for more than 10 years at the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade (ICE). In addition to her regular activities, Nicca has always taught Italian, but in 2006 she decided to focus on it specifically. She followed different courses and trainings for teachers in Venice (Laboratorio ITALS) and  currently she is studying to obtain the certification DITALS, the Master Teaching Italian as a Foreign Language, at the University of Siena. With great enthusiasm makes since February 2012 active part of the STUDIOLINGUA teachers team.

Corrina Manara

Corrina was born in Maastricht and grew up bilingual. Her passion for languages and theater brings her to study theater in Brussels,  get a degree in theater directing at the Theatre School in Amsterdam and then as an interpreter of Italian and Dutch at the school for interpreters and translators ITV Utrecht. She performs several times in the Netherlands, Macedonia, Albania, Indonesia and Portugal. Since 2003 she teaches theater at the school TIN Dutch for pupils at elementary, middle and high schools. She works as an interpreter in all sectors. For STUDIOLINGUA Corrina has created a course where the theater becomes a teaching method for learning a foreign language.

Giulia Gallo
Giulia was born in Vicenza in 1979 into a family of teachers; her favorite hobbies: drawing and exploring houses under construction. During her high school years she developed a passion for art and culture, attended the University of Architecture in Venice and graduated. Cause of love left Italy and moved to Holland where she worked as a designer and travelled as much as she could, fascinated by the different cultures of the world. Meeting Studiolingua, Giulia rediscovers her passion for the Italian language and is now an enthusiastic and devoted teacher, combining language, culture and Italian architecture.

Wilfred Ploeg

After finishing his Gymnasium in Apeldoorn, he studied Pedagogies at the Free University in Amsterdam, where he graduated in Orthopedagogies in 1978. For years he worked as a teacher in psychology, psychopathology, general and personality building and philosophy. At the same time, he studied Italian, because of his tremendous passion for languages. Ever since he is a teacher in Italian, and in 1991 he graduated as translator / interpreter. Gaining ever more interest in the culture behind the language, he is convinced that humans are not just formed by their character (psychology) and the way they are raised (pedagogies), but also by the culture they belong to. In 2009 his book ‘Je mag altijd ruilen’ (‘You can always switch’) was published, on seeing the Dutch through the eyes of foreigners (Pearson-Education, Amsterdam). More info on www.wilfredploeg.nl

Jonathan Oudendijk
Although as a child Jonathan dreamt of becoming a doctor, in time he undertook Greek and Latin  studies. Afterwards, thanks to his Theological studies and his first inspiring visit to Italy he decided to start studying Italian at the Universiteit van Amsterdam. During his studies  he fell in love with the Bel Paese and with its many faces and nuances, developing a special interest in Dante Alighieri. After his final dissertation on Dante and the Catholic Church and during his Master in Italian at the University College London he decided to approach the study of Dante from a new perspective: he analyzed Dante and the Queer Theory and graduated on Dante and Virtual Reality. 

Sophie Josephus Jitta
Sophie Josephus Jitta was born in 1946 degree in Italian language and literature (Universities of Amsterdam and Leiden). She started her career as a teacher in the early seventies at Dante Alighieri and the Rijksacademie der Beeldende Kunsten and got her teaching certificate in 1982 (University of Amsterdam). She has taught Italian for 15 years at the Conservatory Alkmaar and for almost 25 at the University of Amsterdam. Since her jobs ware all part-time she had ample opportunity to engage in other activities such as working as a commercial and legal interpreter and (sworn) translator, writing and presenting radio lessons for the educational network Teleac and reviewing books used by teachers of Italian in the Netherlands. She has also translated entries for Van Dale dictionary. Now she works as a private teacher and as a (sworn) translator and does voluntary work as well, for instance for elderly Italian workers living in Amsterdam who have difficulties in understanding written Dutch.

Stefano Giani

Stefani is art historian and born in Milan. There, he graduated cum laude with a dissertation on the sixteenth century painter Lorenzo Lotto from Venice. Stefano has years of experience in conducting scientific research and giving lectures and courses in art history. His publications were printed in Arte Lombarda and Venezia Cinquecento, but also in the Dutch Incontri, while the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo, the National Gallery of Arts in Washinton, the Van Gogh Museum, the Vrije Academi voor Kunsthistorisch Onderwijs in Amsterdam and the Volksuniversiteit in Amstelveen all belong to the impressive list of institutions Stefano has worked with or for. 

Gandolfo Cascio

Gandolfo Cascio was born in Germany, raised in Sicily and lives in the Netherlands. He is a university professor, translator of literature and poet. He teaches Italian literature and translating at the University of Utrecht. In his research, he mainly focuses on sixteenth and twentieth century poetry, specified to poets also involved in a ‘second craft’, artisans like Michelangelo, De Pisis, Carlo Levi, translators like Montale, Caproni, Morante and film directors like Pasolini. His poems are published in several magazines and anthologies, and got positive feedback from a.o. Gesualdo Bufalino, Biancamaria Frabotta, Elio Pecora, Claudio Magris, Valerio Magrelli and Arthur Japin.