Teaching Her Language to the World

This article is a transcript of our podcast that can be found on our http://www.essenceofitaly.net/ podcast page.

Carolyn: I spent some time in the beautiful, historical city of Lecce, located in the heel of the Italian boot, in the region of Apulia. Here I met Mariella Capano, who teaches Italian to foreigners at the Apulia Domus School of Italian Language and Culture.

Originally from Brindisi, Mariella spent some time living in Germany and working as a translator. When a friend asked Mariella to create a lesson teaching Italian, she enjoyed it so much that she’s been teaching Italian ever since.

For Mariella, teaching her language is a way to bring the people of the world closer together.

Your students are from all over the world, right? Tell me some of the countries your students are from.

Mariella: Australia, America, Brazil, Germany, Serbia, many, many countries.

Carolyn: Mariella understands that learning a language is also learning the culture.

Mariella: Well, the differences between cultures, I think it’s the most important thing when you study a foreign language. Foreign language is not grammar, but it’s culture, it’s tradition. Teaching Italian is not only a job, but it’s also the communication of my origins.

Carolyn: Teaching her language to foreigners allows Mariella to learn the cultures of her students, as well.

Mariella: I learn everything; slang, I learn tradition. For example, what does the color violet mean?

In Italy, it represents a very bad color because it represents death, it represents bad luck. For example, if you go to the theater in a violet T-shirt, you are not allowed to go in.
But on the contrary, in Great Britain, violet is a very nice color because it is the color of the king, it represents the king. And there are so many things that you can learn from other people.

Carolyn: Mariella speaks only Italian in the classroom, immersing her students in the sounds and visual associations of the language.

Mariella: Italian in particular because it’s a very musical language and I think it’s easier to learn it, because you learn the sounds. And to learn the sounds, it’s easier than to learn than vocabulary.

Carolyn: I had the pleasure of being Mariella’s student, in a class with 4 others from different countries. Mariella always found ways to make the classroom experience more interesting. We didn’t just repeat lessons from a book, but she also taught through music, color, drawing and discussions of current events in Italy and America. Although we all struggled to express ourselves, it was a tremendous learning experience. Here, Mariella explains some her teaching techniques.

I try to use music because your mind is relaxed. To speak to the people and say to them, OK, now draw what you feel at this moment. You can see that each person draws with pastel colors, or they draw the sea, or the mountains, because the music helps your brain to work in a relaxing situation.

You have to listen to what they say, to let them explain. This is a method to let the people speak, to express themselves.

Carolyn: Mariella uses these techniques to allow the students to get more out of each class.

Mariella: If you study for 2 hours only grammar, grammar and grammar, your brain is tired and at the end of the lesson you remember only half of the lesson.

Carolyn: Mariella loves teaching her language and sharing the Southern Italian culture and history with the world.

Mariella: It’s very important to know the history because here you can see the monuments, you can see the history of human beings. The character of the people of South Italy, it’s very important to know them. When they see foreign people they try to help them. It’s not important if they don’t speak English or German, they try to speak with their hands, and to help them.

Here in south Italy, because there are so many things to see, to visit, to appreciate.

Carolyn: To learn Italian with Mariella or any of the other talented teachers at the Apulia Domus School in Lecce, check out their website http://www.apuliadomus.com/.

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Spending Quality Time in Lecce

This article also appears on our Italian Journal page.

The landscape of Lecce is mostly flat and dry, dotted with cactus plants taller than the average Italian. This can be a jolt to the system if you expect all of Italy to look like Tuscany; it doesn't. Although a small country, Italy offers a wide variety of landscape. Due to the drier southern climate, you won't see expanses of lush greenery, but it has other charms. Herbs grow wild along the sides of the road. If you're cooking, it's fun to pull over and pick fresh rosemary to add to your lunch or dinner. Luckily, there's an oasis of greenery in Lecce's public park.

It's a large space filled with palm trees, gardens, benches and a majestic gazebo with a gleaming, tiled dome. Open every day until sunset, it's where everyone brings kids, dogs and books to wile away the afternoon. Outside of the park, the houses and modern buildings tend to be low with flat roofs (except in the historic center, described below). This creates somewhat of a "barracks" feel as you look around.

Lecce is located just about dead center of the heel of the Italian boot; a peninsula within a peninsula. Consequently, there is easy access to beaches on the eastern coast of the heel (Adriatic Sea) and the western coast of the heel (Ionian Sea). On any given day, you can choose your coast depending upon which way the wind is blowing. I'm not kidding. When the wind is blowing due east, go to the Adriatic. When it blows to the west, go to the Ionian coast. When you have so much sandy, clear beachfront at your disposal, you can afford to be picky. The arid landscape changes dramatically as you head out of town toward the beaches. Believe me, what this area might lack in verdant hillsides it makes up for in stunning seascapes. The land gives way to a seemingly endless expanse of crystal blue sky and sea. You can reach a nearby beach, Torre di Chianca, by bus from several stops in Lecce. In August, the height of tourist season, this beach is full of playful people and structures brimming with food, cafes, changing rooms, rafts and various water toys. However, if you go off-season (I was there in October), you'll only hear the sound of the waves and seabirds. The structures remain on the beach, but they are empty and brightly painted in a style heavy with Greek and Arab influences. The sand is soft and the water is clean, clear and warm, even in October.

The historic center of Lecce (centro storico) is why the town is called The Florence of the South. Filled with churches constructed in Baroque style, it's easy to lose yourself and your way in the labyrinth of narrow streets. Eventually you'll reach the Piazza del Duomo, the architectural centerpiece of town. Splendid in daylight, it's especially beguiling at night. Indirect lighting installed throughout the Piazza illuminates the statuary, creating an ethereal atmosphere. Lecce is all about walking, and this is a great place to catch your breath.

The historic center is also the place to go for entertainment. Restaurants, bars, movie theaters and gelato abound. A great place for a light meal or tasty snack is Sybarite, whose doors open onto the Piazza del Duomo. It's open all day and well into the night. The atmosphere is casual, the service is friendly and the food, delicious and imaginative.

Another "don't miss" is Liberrima located at Corte dei Cicala, 1. Although it calls itself a bookstore, it is so much more. In addition to multi-language books ranging from the classics to art and travel, it offers books on tape, videos, DVDs and music CDs. I especially like the local music selection that lets me hear musicians and styles that are hard to find elsewhere. Just outside the front door is the Liberrima Cafe, where umbrelled tables lend a party atmosphere to the piazza. Films are sometimes shown against one wall of the piazza, so you can sip your drink and laugh along with Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, to name a few.

After you've eaten your fill, bought some books and seen a silent film, what to do next? Like so many other Italian cities, in Lecce you can walk out of anyplace directly onto an excavation of subterranean Roman structures. Now that's entertainment.

The historic center has great shopping. In addition to Italian clothes, shoes and artwork, you can find African and Indonesian jewelry and furniture. A famous local craft is Cartapesta. This is a centuries-old technique of fashioning lifelike figures out of straw and paper mache. The figures are then painted so skillfully that they seem to be carved out of stone. The artisans in Lecce excel in religious and nativity statues, many of them life-size.

The best designer shopping by far is just outside the historic center at Piazza Mazzini. Max Mara, Missoni and Valle Verde are at your disposal, just to name a few. The Piazza is also home to a small park with an imposing white stone fountain in the center. Perched throughout the fountain's structure are whimsical, impish figures that peek at you from under the streams of water and seem to be having great fun. At night the fountain is lit with a golden glow, adding a new dimension to its architecture.

As expected, Saturday night is party night in Lecce. Around midnight, everyone drives into the historic center, creating bumper to bumper traffic seldom seen outside of New York City. Eventually, everyone arrives and miraculously finds parking. Then it's off on foot to the bar of your choice. We chose Route 66, a noisy, crowded place with music videos playing from multiple screens, but no dancing. It's a place to sit, smoke, drink and speak loudly to the person next to you.

After the bar, there's always a party going on at somebody's apartment. That's a great opportunity to hear someone sing, watch someone else learn how to juggle, and try to find the bathroom. When you've had enough, what to do? Luckily, the answer lies at Leopardi, open 24 hours serving coffee, liquor and pastry. This place is very popular (especially around 3:00 a.m.) and there's always a line to get in. We wait patiently and our reward is cappuccino and flaky delights amid the music and neon. Even as we leave about an hour later, the line outside is just as long and the place is just as lively as when we arrived. It makes you wonder if anyone ever sleeps in this town on a Saturday night.

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Italian Language School in Lecce - Brush Up on Your Italian While You Lounge at the Beach

This article also appears on our Italian Journal page.

Wouldn't it be great to be able to brush up on your Italian language skills for a few hours and spend the rest of the day sunning at the beach? Or drive to the nearby Roman baths, ancient towers and breathtaking seascapes? Or walking among the ancient churches in the city dubbed 'The Florence of the South'? I had the chance to do just that at the Apulia Domus school in Lecce.

Apulia Domus was the first school in Lecce to offer Italian courses to non-Italians. The premise is simple: small classes offer individualized attention with lively, well-trained instructors and a staff that bends over backward to accommodate you. The result is real progress in Italian no matter your level of skill.
As a student, you have some choices for accomodations. You can stay in student housing (my choice), which means you can stay in a single or double room with a shared or private bathroom (make your preference clear when you make your arrangements). The kitchen, dining and TV area are shared with the other students in your section. There's a clothes washer (which really comes in handy) but no dryer. Thankfully, almost every day was sunny so hanging the clothes outside on the line was pretty easy. The room prices are inexpensive and there are not many creature comforts. The beds are comfortable but the rooms are Spartan by American standards. On the other hand, you won't be spending a lot of time in your room.

If you prefer cushier arrangements, there are private apartments available on the campus. You can also arrange your own housing in the center of town at a hotel or bed or breakfast, or ask the school to arrange it for you.

A typical day started with making breakfast in my dorm and a visit to Giardino Ristorante. It's a little cafe in front of the school that serves wonderful pastries and light lunch food. They bake small batches throughout the day so everything is fresh, whether you arrive at 8:00 or 10:30 in the morning. It's a popular and busy place, but they focus on the individual customer. After about 2 days, the barman started brewing my cappuccino as he saw me enter the cafe, and served it with my preference of one packet of cane sugar. I usually also enjoyed cornetti con crema , which were always warm from the oven. The flaky crust was the perfect complement to the velvety cream. If it weren't for class starting, I could have eaten them all morning.

Class started around 10:00 and lasted for 3 hours. The first day we each took a proficiency test to determine our level of comfort with Italian. We were then placed in the appropriate class level. My class had a total of 4 students representing England, Germany, Austria and the US. During my stay, I was lucky enough to experience the teaching styles of 2 instructors. Like all of the teaching staff at Apulia Domus, they are native Italian speakers fluent in English. They kept our interest through a combination of conversation, writing, reading and debating current events. They are attuned not only to the formal rules of grammar but to current changes in Italian and its dialects. Like every language, Italian evolves. Some of the expressions and rules that I learned 5 years ago are obsolete. We left the course ready to speak Italian in a modern, conversational style.

The school also sponsors day trips to surrounding areas such as Bari, Santa Maria di Leuca, Gallipoli and Otranto. One afternoon is set aside for a guided tour of the historic center of Lecce. One evening, staff and students had dinner together at a local restaurant. This place was originally a convent, built deep into a forest long ago to be undetected by enemy invaders. They serve the kind of meals you read about and salivate over but don't know if you can actually eat. Plates continuously circulate the table filled with succulent antipasti, mouth-watering pasta dishes, meat and fish creations, vegetables, homemade bread and wine. All followed by luscious desserts, coffee, grappa and vin santo. The entire process is hours long. And oh yes, you can eat it all.

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