Join our membership so you can attend our language courses! All Italy lovers are welcome!

This Spring Course is "Conversazione con Libro di Ricette" (conversation with a cookbook). Sharpen your conversation skills and your reading comprehension with readings from a cookbook, restaurant menu, and activities. Each recipe will inspire a lively discussion, bring up new vocabulary words, and touch on grammatical issues. Each week prior to class, you will review assigned sections and exercises from the textbook Prego!, and prepare some talking points on a selected Italian recipe. We will use the class time to clarify questions, do a couple of exercises and especially read and speak together using the recipe and cultural contents.

INSTRUCTOR, Level 1 & 2: Iolanda Marinelli grew up in Italy where she received her Laurea Magistrale (M.A.) in Foreign Languages and Literatures from the University of Naples “L’Orientale”, and a Teaching Certification in English Secondary Education from Italy Department of Education. In 2006 she made Hawai’i her home. Here she began to teach Italian at Saint Anthony School in 2016, and in 2017 she completed her Hawai'i Certification as Substitute Teacher K-12. She continued to teach Italian and Spanish for the After School Malama Program at Waimanalo Elementary and Intermediate School, and Spanish at Kailua Elementary School. Iolanda also served three terms on the Board of Directors of the Hawai’i Association of Language Teachers as Italian Representative. In 2023 she left the Hawai'i Department of Education and started a new job in Contracts with the Naval Base, Pacific Command. She brings her experience working with children and adds fun to the Italian classes.

INSTRUCTOR, Level 3: Daniela Rocco Minerbi pursued classic studies at the Liceo Classico Berchet, earned a Fifth Year Piano Diploma at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, and obtained her Doctoral Degree in Architecture at the Polytechnical University in Milano. She taught Italian language and culture at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa (UHM) and Kapiolani Community College outreach programs. At UHM, she also taught Painting in Italian and co-taught in Psychology, Architecture, and Peace studies. Daniela has organized peace seminars and is the co-author of the book “Macrohistory and Macrohistorians: Perspectives on Individual, Social, and Civilizational Change” (Galtung et al., 1997). As an artist, she has won prizes and awards, has had art exhibitions, and has been curator of several art shows in both Italy and Hawaii. She loves to perform piano four hands and two pianos. Daniela provides consulting services in Architectural Design.

LEVELS: Sign up for the class that you think fits you best. On the first day of class, you can try other levels and change class if you wish. In addition to your level, you can also audit other levels throughout the whole course (listening only, no talking :-).

• Beginner Level 1 (6-7:30pm): For students who have no or minimal grasp of the Italian language—we’ll cover up to chapter 3 of the book Prego (half chapter per week).
• Intermediate Level 2 (4:30-6pm): For students who have mastered all grammar and vocabulary of Level 1—we’ll cover chapters 4-9 of the book Prego (a chapter per week).
• Advanced Level 3 (6-7:30pm): For students who have mastered all grammar and vocabulary of Level 2—we’ll cover from chapter 10 to the end of the book Prego (a chapter per week) but mainly focus on conversation.

DATES: Every Thursday, April 11- May 30 (8 weeks). Pizza party optional on Tuesday June 4 at Brick Fire Tavern.

BOOK: "Prego!" 6th Edition, available online for $5 and up (make sure to buy the used version, stay away from the expensive new copies). Other editions are fine to use as well, but you may have a hard time finding correspondent pages.

PARKING: First Unitarian Church of Honolulu, 2500 Pali Highway, Honolulu. Abundant free parking on site. 

NOTE: *All students must be members, no guests are allowed, not even for Dual members.* The Friends of Italy Society of Hawaii is not responsible for any liability, cost, and damages which could arise from the programs; and does not provide any refunds, credits, swaps, except if it cannot deliver the program, for instance in the case of insufficient enrollment.

QUESTIONS: Please contact info@friendsofitalyhawaii.org.