I teach online and in person between Ede and Amsterdam. This site, the Ti app and the graded reader series are mine, built one at a time, to answer problems I kept seeing in lessons.
I started as a pastime, and then it became my work. What kept me here is not the grammar: it is that I like talking to people, listening to them and understanding where they come from.
An hour of lesson is not only an hour of language. It is an exchange, personal, professional and cultural, and both of us grow in it: by the end I have learned something too, and I do not say that to be polite.
That is why in class I speak little and let you speak. Grammar arrives when it is needed, and when it is needed we do it properly; but the time goes on your life and your world, because that is what you will want to talk about in Italian with the people around you, not prepositions.
I work mostly with adults: people moving to Italy, people preparing the B1 certificate for citizenship, people who need it for work, and people who simply enjoy it.
Around the lessons I have built three things, each from a concrete problem. The Ti app, because seven days pass between one lesson and the next and a language does not wait. Twenty-five graded readers, because my students kept stopping on page three of a real novel. A free level test, because almost nobody guesses their own level and almost everybody builds a study plan on that guess.
Teaching Italian to people who live in Italy and teaching it to people who study it from abroad are two different jobs, and they have two names: L2 and LS. I studied one master for each.
The ITALS master at Ca’ Foscari (2023/2024) I took on the LS track, the one for Italian taught abroad: that is the situation of my students in the Netherlands. The Giustino Fortunato master (2022/2023) is on Italian as L2, for people who have the language around them all day, and it is built on the communicative approach: not transferring rules, but building the ability to use the language. I do not list them to fill a line. They are why this site cites the Common European Framework in full rather than by initials, why Nation’s 98% threshold sits behind the graded readers, and why the level test measures four separate skills instead of handing you one letter. The full record is just below.
A lesson with me is not a coursebook turned page by page. We start from what you need to be able to do in Italian over the next few weeks, and choose what to study from there. Grammar arrives when it lets you say something, not before.
The first lesson is a free trial and it serves us both: you find out whether the approach suits you, I find out where you actually stand. I do not ask for a commitment before that.
Three theses, and they are not a list of titles: they are where I tested the ideas I now use in lessons. If one of them interests you I am happy to send it, or to talk about it: write to me and say which.
How to teach culture without reducing it to trivia. It lines up Bennett’s scale of intercultural sensitivity, Balboni’s model of communicative competence and the culture-shock curves of Oberg and Kim, and then puts them to work: a learning unit built on Italian songs and adverts in which Dutch learners compare stereotypes about Italy with their own.
ITALS Master, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, 25th cycle, LS track, 2023/2024. Supervisor: Michele Blandino.
What actually changes when a language lesson moves online. It starts from Krashen’s input hypothesis and the affective filter, that is from the fact that anxiety and embarrassment block learning before any grammatical difficulty does, and works out how to build a learning unit that holds up at a distance.
First-level master in teaching Italian as a second language, Università Giustino Fortunato, 2022/2023. Supervisor: Aurelio Liguori.
Why a language becomes everybody’s language, and why it later stops. A hundred and eighteen pages on Latin as the language of empire and knowledge, on the French of diplomacy, on Italian, which had cultural prestige without spread, and on today’s English. The chapter on Italian is why I teach with the history of the language next to the grammar.
Master’s degree thesis in Languages for International Communication, Università Mercatorum, 2024/2025. Supervisor: Emanuela Ammendola.
38 students from all over the world learn Italian with Alessio. Genuine student reviews, collected on Preply, Apprentus and italki.
“My first class with Alessio has been fantastic. He's got a super good energy, he's understanding and he uses modern tools and technologies to make the class very interactive. After our first class I signed up for more classes with him.”
“I am very glad to have my lessons with Alessio. I highly recommend him as the lessons are well structured and conversational, but he is also patient with me while I am speaking a mix of languages and fluid with the lesson if my needs go a certain direction. Overall he's been great and I feel like in weeks I have come on greatly. Very happy :)”
“Alessio is a very responsible teacher, always well prepared for all lessons, but also very flexible when a change of topic is needed. He refers not only to grammar and vocabulary, but also to culture and topics of interest to the students. Lessons are led in a comfortable and stress-free atmosphere. I highly recommend choosing Alessio as a teacher. Progress in learning Italian language is evident and in a short period of time.”
“Classes with Alessio are pure pleasure. Conducted dynamically, sometimes in the form of fun, they pass too quickly. Professional approach combined with a sense of humor - fantastic. I recommend classes with Alessio.”
“We are very happy with Alessio. My daughter and I have been taking lessons for a month now and it is a time during the week that we both look forward to immensely. Alessio is patient and knowledgeable, knows how to present challenging material in a fun way and helps us gain confidence in expressing ourselves in Italian. For anyone looking for a good teacher, look no further, Alessio is your guy!”
“I've been taking lessons with Alessio for a while now, and I can highly recommend him! Unlike many Italki teachers, whose classes often lack structure, Alessio is very well-organized: he prepares each class carefully and always adapts it to my own interests. Before each class, he assigns a writing exercise that helps me prepare for class and improve my writing skills. During the lessons, Alessio always encourages me to speak. I feel far more confident expressing myself in Italian now. Grazie, Alessio, per il tuo lavoro! Alla prossima lezione!”
“Learning Italian with Alessio has been an amazing experience! He is incredibly organized, always comes prepared with well-structured lessons, and provides excellent materials that make learning both effective and fun. Each session is dynamic and engaging. I never even notice how time flies! He explains grammars in a simple, clear way and always encourages me to speak with confidence. Thanks to his guidance, I've made great progress and truly enjoy learning Italian. I highly recommend him to anyone looking for a top-notch tutor!”
“Perfect lesson, well structured and interesting. I really enjoyed it!”
“Super happy with Alessio and I would definitely recommend him to teach you Italian. Fun and interactive. Not just a text book! Lessons are tailored to your needs.”
Write to me with the form below: I answer myself, usually the same day.
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