Leila Cader: Benevuto a Bennington! Learning Italian at Middlebury's Scuola Italiana

Image

During my seven-week Italian immersion program at Middlebury College (held on the Bennington campus), I experienced a transformative blend of academic rigor and cultural exploration. I was enrolled in the intensive Scuola Italiana program, built around Middlebury's famous Language pledge- a full commitment to speaking only Italian in classes, at meals, and even on early morning jogs with friends. Although I had previously studied Latin at Stanford and completed one quarter of Italian there, I had never before encountered language learning at such intensity, especially since I do not speak another language. At first it was quiet- it is difficult to introduce yourself when no one speaks the language- but I soon found my rhythm and made progress far more quickly than I expected. 

My daily schedule combined grammar, conversation, and writing courses in the morning with afternoon seminars on Italian literature, cinema, and contemporary culture. Outside the classroom, activities like cooking classes, theater workshops, and even a mozzarella-making seminar kept us immersed in the language. I had expected the experience to be rigorous but not necessarily enjoyable, yet I was surprised by how fun it was. One memorable moment was celebrating a friend's birthday at a classic local Italian restaurant- Chili's! There and during other moments off-campus, I'm sure we left quite a few locals wondering what we were up to.

Life on the Bennington campus, with its rolling hills and quiet paths, provided a peaceful backdrop for the intensive study. Evenings often ended with long group dinners in Italian, where conversations ranged from Dante to the latest Eurovision entries.

Ultimately, the program not only strengthened my command of Italian but also showed me the joy of forming a community united by a shared passion for language and culture. I left with much greater confidence in my ability to communicate and excitement to continue building on this foundation in future academic and professional pursuits.