Alessio Aletta is a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Toronto. He was born in Avellino, in Sothern Italy. He moved farther South to attend the Superior Graduate School ISUFI at the University of Salento, where he obtained his Bachelor and Master's Degree. In 2018 he started his Ph.D. in the Department of Italian Studies at the University of Toronto. His main areas of academic interests are the works of Luigi Pirandello, literary geography, Italian Modernism, Comics studies. He has taught Italian language at University of Toronto since 2018.
After graduating at the University of Bologna, I completed a Master’s Degree in Teaching Italian as a Foreign Language in my native Palermo in 2011. Since then, I have been teaching in Italy, the UK and now Canada at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura. Languages are my passion and I feel privileged to be able to accompany others on their journey to learn the language they love and so get in touch with the rich and diverse Italian culture.
Gianmarco joined the Istituto in 2019. He is a Ph.D. candidate at the Centre for Comparative Literature, University of Toronto. His research is focused on literature and photography in Italian, English and Latin American literature. He is a Course Instructor at the Department of Italian Studies and a Spanish Teacher Assistant at UofT. Teaching Italian (and languages in general) is one of his greatest passions, together with travelling and cooking.
Born and raised in Italy, Stefania holds a Graduate Degree in Political Science from the University of Florence. In 2006 she worked as an Italian professor assistant for the University of Ottawa, and Carleton University. In 2008 she taught Italian at Brock University. In addition, since 2009, she has been an Italian supply teacher with the York Catholic School Board. Stefania has also worked as an Italian TV host and language consultant for Telelatino. She cultivates a passion for art, music, and theater.
Cristina got a Bachelor degree in Modern Languages and a Master degree in Audiovisual Translation. She worked as translator for dubbing and subtitler in Italy for several years. She’s always been interested in literature, cinema and foreign languages. In 2021 Cristina got the DITALS II Certification in order to teach Italian as a foreign language or second language. In 2021 she taught Italian in a private
school in Rome. In 2022 she moved to Montréal where she worked as Italian teacher. She joined the Istituto in April 2024.
Sylvia Gaspari is a PhD candidate in the Department of Italian Studies at the University of Toronto. Her doctoral thesis focuses on the rhetoric of prayer and invocation in Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. Her literary interests span many centuries and she has translated a variety of Italian texts from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. She is passionate teacher of both literature and the Italian language.
Luca Marchetti graduated in Law at the Università di Torino and worked several years in multinational companies as a Legal Affairs manager. In 2008 he started his new career as a teacher working as an Italian language instructor for the Istituto Italiano di Cultura. In 2011 he received his Bachelor in Education and the certification to teach primary grades in Ontario. The same year he founded a school to teach Italian to children aged Pre-K to grade 6 which later became Accademia dei Ragazzi. He has also taught Latin and Italian at Lycée Français de Toronto.
Cristiana has been teaching Italian in several Universities and institutions in the US and in Canada since 2005. She believes that learning a language has to be engaging, so she adopts a dynamic and inclusive approach in her classes, adapting the contents to the preferences and interests of her students. She encourages students to express themselves in Italian since early levels. Cristiana loves history and literature, especially Italian and Russian novels.
M. Laura Mosco (Laurea cum Laude (Sapienza, Rome), PhD, (UofT)) is an Arts and Humanities Teaching Excellence Award winner, and has been teaching Italian culture and language since 2000. In her courses, she motivates students to make the most of their individual learning styles, and expands their Italian experience beyond the classroom with fun cultural activities. Laura enjoys reading, translating, piano playing, singing, traveling, and yoga.
Angelita Papa is a Ph.D. candidate at Middlebury College in Vermont. She was born and raised in Rome, where she completed a master’s degree in Linguistics. In 2011 she pursued the teaching certification DITALS 2 from the University for Foreigners in Siena . Since then, she has taught in many different settings such as corporate environments, universities, and NGOs, both online and in-person.
Dr. Rende holds a doctorate in Language Teaching and Technology. She has been teaching Italian language and culture since 1994. After teaching at universities in both Canada and the United States, Dr. Rende came to the Istituto in 2004. Integrating multimedia resources with an eclectic teaching methodology, she strives to offer her students an authentic and enjoyable learning experience.
Dr. Rende believes in lifelong learning: at any age one can open the door to a new linguistic and cultural adventure. The bold adventurer succeeds the best. (Ovid)
Letizia has been working as an Italian Teacher at Istituto for ten years. She graduated in Italian Literature at Università degli studi di Firenze and she has been working as a journalist for more than fifteen years, in Italy and in Canada. Currently she is a ABD-PhD candidate and a Course Instructor in the Dept. of Italian Studies at University of Toronto. She is also the mom of two kids.
After graduating with a master's degree in Philosophical Sciences from the University of Milan I've worked in the field of education since 2013. I firmly believe in the importance of promoting Italian heritage all over the world and I love to share my language and upbringing with new students. That's why I've been teaching Italian as a second language for more than 4 years both in Italy and North America.
Teresa Valentini is a recent PhD graduate at the Centre for Comparative Literature at the University of Toronto and the recipient of a two-year Faculty of Arts and Science Postdoctoral Fellowship Award at the University of Toronto. Besides her academic interests in European Modernism and Continental Philosophy, she loves teaching Italian language and literature. She has taught Italian and Italian culture classes both at the University of Toronto and at Brock University, and she has been teaching at Istituto Italiano di Cultura Toronto since 2018.
