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

We are thrilled to launch our Fall courses with a new textbook! The paper copy includes an interactive e-book which allows you to access all contents, audio files, and exercises with self-correction online.

INSTRUCTOR: Chiara Logli is originally from Bologna (Italy) and holds a Ph.D. in international/cross-cultural education from the University of Hawaii and East-West Center. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor and Institutional Assessment Specialist for the Honolulu Community College. In the past, she worked for the University of California Berkeley's International House, University of California Santa Barbara's Multicultural Center, Arts Council for Monterey County, and USAID in Indonesia. She also received the Peace Fellowship from Rotary International in Thailand and collaborated with UNICEF, UNDP, as well as International Baccalaureate Schools. She started teaching Italian language when she was 23 years old and never stopped, including for the Dante Alighieri Society in Santa Cruz and the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco. In her free time, she dances hula with Halau Kaulakahi, loves the ocean, and enjoys traveling by boat around small islands or by foot on high mountains.

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 (4:30-6pm): For students who have no or minimal grasp of the Italian language—we’ll cover up to chapter 10.
• Intermediate Level 2 (6-7:30pm): For students who have mastered all grammar and vocabulary of Level 1—we’ll cover chapters 11-20.
• Advanced Level 3 (7:30-9pm): For students who have mastered all grammar and vocabulary of Level 2—we’ll cover from chapter 21 to the end of the book but mainly focus on conversation.

DATES: Eight Tuesdays. Pizza party optional on November 19.

BOOK: “Italian grammar in practice” with interactive ebook by Susanna Nocchi (2022, English edition). You can find it at Alma Edizioni, Libreria Pino, and other websites.

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, except if it cannot deliver the program, for instance in the case of insufficient enrollment.

QUESTIONS: Please contact info@friendsofitalyhawaii.org.

Friends of Italy Hawaii celebrates the Week of the Italian Language in the World held annually in October worldwide. Hawaii joins the diplomatic-consular network and the Italian Cultural Institutes to celebrate Italian by hosting an open house of its language program. All are welcome to join Professoressa Chiara Logli on an informal and fun adventure to experience the most beautiful language in the world. Free and open to the public by RSVP only.

LEVELS:  All levels of language learners are welcome including those who are simply curious. However, the textbook is not required to attend this free class.

• Beginner Level 1 (4:30-6pm): For students who have no or minimal grasp of the Italian language—we’ll cover up to chapter 10.
• Intermediate Level 2 (6-7:30pm): For students who have mastered all grammar and vocabulary of Level 1—we’ll cover chapters 11-20.
• Advanced Level 3 (7:30-9pm): For students who have mastered all grammar and vocabulary of Level 2—we’ll cover from chapter 21 to the end of the book but mainly focus on conversation.

BOOK: “Italian grammar in practice” with interactive ebook by Susanna Nocchi (2022, English edition). You can find it at Alma Edizioni, Libreria Pino, and other websites.

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

NOTE: 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, except if it cannot deliver the program, for instance in the case of insufficient enrollment.

QUESTIONS:  Contact info@friendsofitalyhawaii.org

INSTRUCTOR: Chiara Logli is originally from Bologna (Italy) and holds a Ph.D. in international/cross-cultural education from the University of Hawaii and East-West Center. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor and Institutional Assessment Specialist for the Honolulu Community College. In the past, she worked for the University of California Berkeley's International House, University of California Santa Barbara's Multicultural Center, Arts Council for Monterey County, and USAID in Indonesia. She also received the Peace Fellowship from Rotary International in Thailand and collaborated with UNICEF, UNDP, as well as International Baccalaureate Schools. She started teaching Italian language when she was 23 years old and never stopped, including for the Dante Alighieri Society in Santa Cruz and the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco. In her free time, she dances hula with Halau Kaulakahi, loves the ocean, and enjoys traveling by boat around small islands or by foot on high mountains.

Join our Caffe' Letterario for a discussion of award winning Dacia Maraini's latest novel “Chiara di Assisi: Elogio della disobbedienza” (In Praise of Disobedience: Clare of Assisi). You can read the Italian original edition or the English translation by Jane Tylus. You must have read the book to participate.

Novel: An author receives a mysterious e-mail begging her to tell the story of Clare of Assisi, the thirteenth-century Italian saint. At first annoyed by the request, the author begins to research Saint Clare and becomes captivated by her life. We too are transported into the strange and beautiful world of medieval Italy, witnessing the daily rituals of convent life. At the center of that life is Saint Clare, a subversive and compelling figure full of contradictions: a physically disabled woman who travels widely in her imagination, someone unforgivingly harsh to herself yet infinitely generous to the women she supervises, a practitioner of self-abnegation who nevertheless knows her own worth. A visionary who liberated herself from the chains of materialism and patriarchy, Saint Clare here becomes an inspirational figure for a new generation of readers. 

Author: Dacia Maraini is one of Italy’s most prominent contemporary authors. Her books have been translated into twenty-two languages and she has won the most prestigious Italian literature awards: the Formentor Prize for L'età del malessere (1963); the Premio Fregene for Isolina (1985); the Premio Campiello and Book of the Year Award for La lunga vita di Marianna Ucrìa (1990); and the Premio Strega for Buio (1999). In 2013, the documentary I Was Born Travelling about her life portrayed the story of her imprisonment in a concentration camp in Japan, to the legendary journeys around the world with her partner Alberto Moravia, her close friends Pier Paolo Pasolini and opera singer Maria Callas.

Location: In person in Honolulu. Registered guests will receive an email with address prior to the event. 

RSVP: A week prior to program.

Note: 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, except if it cannot deliver the program, for instance in the case of insufficient enrollment.

Questions: Email us at info@friendsofitalyhawaii.org.