2025 Summer Semester Italian Classes 

ONLINE CLASSES

IN-PERSON CLASSES

Summer In-Person Classes are being taught by Giovanna Leopardi. Classes begin Monday, June 9 and will be held for 6 weeks at St Louis County Library on Lindbergh Blvd. To express your interest in our summer classes, please email Giovanna Leopardi: [email protected] 

Italian For Travelers - A1 Level
Italian Beginning I - A1 Level
Italian Beginning 2 - A2 Level
Intermediate Italian - B1 Level
​Italian Conversation Class - B1 Level

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2025 Spring Semester Italian Classes

ONLINE CLASSES

IN PERSON CLASSES

Italian for Travelers
(In-person class)
~​
A1 Level Beginner Class
Instructor: Michael Cross

SIGN UP FOR THIS CLASS

Italian Conversation
(In-person class)
~
A2 Level Beginner Class
Instructor: Michael Cross

SIGN UP FOR THIS CLASS

Intermediate Italian
​(In-person class)
~
B1 Level Intermediate Class
Instructor: Giovanna Leopardi

SIGN UP FOR THIS CLASS

Advanced Conversation
(In-person class)
~
C1 Level Advanced Class
Instructor: Giovanna Leopardi

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Our Class Offerings

Beginners Italian 1

Aims to provide beginning students with a practical command of the language. Upon completion of this course, students should be able to discuss everyday activities using the present tense. Students can also expect to be able to read and write elementary texts such as a simple letter. Topics include pronunciation, expressions of date and quantity, indefinite and definite articles, and direct object pronouns.

Beginners Italian 2

Students improve their listening skills and conversational ability and begin to communicate more precisely as they learn the past perfect and imperfect tenses. More complex reading selections also provide a basis for conversational and written activities. Topics include expressions of date and quantity, indefinite and definite articles, and direct object nouns and pronouns. Other topics include prepositions and adverbs.

Intermediate Italian 1 & 2

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to discuss topics including health, travel, holidays and business using the present, past and future tenses. The class continues to emphasize the improvement of oral comprehension. Topics introduced include imperfect tense, expressions of time and duration, disjunctive pronouns, comparatives and superlatives, simple future tense, and double object pronouns.

Advanced Italian 1 & 2

Students refine their use of verb tenses and continue to expand their vocabulary. Upon completion of this level, students should be able to understand and participate comfortably in conversations on a wide range of topics. Reading and writing skills are also improved as students gain proficiency with conditional and passive constructions. Among the topics introduced at this level are the tenses of the subjunctive.

Conversational Italian

This course is designed for students who are already proficient in the skills taught in the first levels and who want to increase their conversational abilities. This course provides students with an opportunity to markedly improve their speaking and listening skills. Video and audio tapes, and other resources designed to provide practical opportunities for vocabulary and skill development are selected to match student interests.

Italian for Travelers

Italian for Travelers teaches the basics of the Italian language including pronunciation, greetings, numbers, and useful key phrases that allow you to handle most typical travel situations with confidence. The focus is on valuable travel tips and practical information. Travelers learn important Italian culture, history, art and customs to enrich the travel experience. A must-have course if you're planning to visit Italy.

About Us

​The St Louis Italian Language Program

​​​​The St Louis Italian Language Program is the only Italian language school in the St Louis metropolitan area, focused on educating a growing learning community of adults, teenagers and children. As an ente gestore e promotore della lingua e cultura italiana, our main mission is to include the Italian language in the curricula of St Louis private and public schools and promote our language and culture among families through our courses. Classes are taught using the language immersion method. Our teachers are directly from Italy and/or have obtained advanced degrees in the Italian language.  We look forward to meeting you in class. A presto!

Our online program consists of two 12 week semesters in the Spring and Fall and one 6 week semester in the Summer. Online classes are taught by instructors Giovanna Leopardi and Concetta Gabriele. Our in-person program consists of two 8 week semesters in the Spring and Fall and one 6 week semester in the Summer and are taught by instructor Michael Cross. In-person classes are held at:  6596 Smiley Ave, St Louis, Mo. 63139

Tuition for one online semester (12 weeks) is $140 per person. Spring and Fall classes are held from 7:15PM to 8:45PM CST. ​In-person semesters which consist of 8 weeks are $120 per person or $220 per couple. Cancellation can be accepted with full refund up to seven (7) days prior to the class. For further information, please contact us: [email protected]

2025 Spring Semester Online Classes

​Beginning Italian 1
Thursdays, Feb. 20 - May 22
Instructor - Concetta Gabriele (skype)

Beginning Italian 2
Tuesdays, Feb. 18 - May 20
Instructor - Concetta Gabriele (skype)

Intermediate Italian 1
Wednesdays, Feb 19 - May 21
Instructor - Concetta Gabriele (skype)

Intermediate Italian 2
Wednesdays, Feb 19 - May 21
Instructor - Giovanna Leopardi (zoom)

Advanced Italian 1
Thursdays, Feb 20 - May 22
Instructor - Giovanna Leopardi (zoom)

Advanced Conversation
Mondays, Feb. 17 - May 19
Instructor - Giovanna Leopardi (zoom and/or in-person)

*Please note that our Advanced Conversation class may also meet in person.

Textbook Requirements

Nuovo Espresso 1 
(ISBN 978-88-6182-318-1)
Used for Beginning Italian

​Nuovo Espresso 2 
​(ISBN 978-88-6182-321-1)
​Used for Intermediate & ​Advanced Italian

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Our Italian Professors

GIOVANNA LEOPARDI

A native of Salerno, near the Amalfi coast, Giovanna serves as the President of the St Louis Italian Language Program and teaches the intermediate, advanced, and advanced conversation classes. Giovanna has been a professor of Italian for over 20 years. Having obtained her Master's degree at Saint Louis University, she has taught Italian language classes at various universities and institutions throughout the St Louis area. Giovanna is also fluent in both French and Spanish. 

CONCETTA GABRIELE

A native of Palermo, Sicily, Concetta serves as the Vice-President of the St Louis Italian Language Program and teaches the Beginners 1 and the Beginners 2 classes. Concetta is also an English-Italian interpreter and has enjoyed being a one-on-one tutor of the Italian language for the past 20 years. Concetta obtained her degree from the University of Palermo and resides in St Louis with her husband and family. 

​A language isn't something you learn as much as something you join. - Arika Okrent

​Ms. Giovanna Leopardi, a native of Salerno, a coastal town in the Campania region of Italy, has been a professor of Italian for over 20 years. Having obtained her Masters degree at Saint Louis University, she has taught Italian language classes at various universities and institutions throughout the St Louis area. In 2019, Leopardi founded the St Louis Italian Language Program with several professors of Italian and serves as the program's director.

CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION