The Italian department offer students the opportunity to achieve high competence in written and spoken Italian, in understanding Italian literature and culture, and in applying this knowledge to the study of other disciplines.

Our Department

Our department is a place where students and faculty can create and sustain a community in which all feel welcome and have a sense of belonging; where differences are honored and where each one of us can respectfully engage with and learn from each other. We look forward to welcoming you in our community and to sharing our knowledge, enthusiasm, and passion.

Student holds an Italian dictionary.

Curriculum

Our courses cover a wide range of topics, from food to family, from cinema to identity, and in all of them, we try to include a diversity of contributors. We aim to present Italy as it is today, listening to new and previously underrepresented groups through their writings and their own voices. Our extracurricular activities, organized by or in collaboration with the Casa Italiana and the Circolo Italiano, are also the place where we want to introduce you to both traditional and innovative cultural Italian experiences. Our guest speakers come from diverse backgrounds, as much as possible, and will share their experiences and knowledge with you in Italian and in English. 

The other integral components of Italian at Middlebury are the Italian School (summer on the Middlebury College campus), and the C. V. Starr-Middlebury College School in Italy—junior year or semester—where students can take courses in our magnificent Sede in Florence (in the Renaissance Palazzo Giugni), as well as at the University of Florence, or can direct-enroll in our new programs at the University of Ferrara or the University of Rome (for students who prefer immersion into the Italian university system). These rich programs encourage students to deepen and broaden their study of Italian literature, cinema, history, art history, political science, and other selected disciplines.

Italian coffee hour.

Opportunities for Students

Practicing your language skills is an integral part of the Italian curriculum, both for language and cultural development. Students have numerous opportunities to do this, both on campus and abroad.

Summer Italian School

Middlebury Language Schools provide time-tested fully immersive experiences in which students can increase language proficiency, build cultural fluency, and experience Italian language and culture 24/7 using the Language Pledge®—a promise to read, write, listen, and speak only in your language of study.

Middlebury Italian School

Study Abroad

Middlebury’s Schools Abroad in Italy hosts sites in Florence and Rome, offering a wide range of environments for academic and cultural immersion. Many students choose to study abroad for a semester or full year.

Middlebury Schools Abroad

Campus Activities

The Italian House and Italian Language Tables are great opportunities to improve or maintain your language skills. Living at the house entails signing a language pledge similar to that of Middlebury’s summer school. The residents often host fun events and activities, like movie nights, Italian dinners, and lectures. And the tables happen weekly in the dining halls.

Italian House and Tables

Meet the Faculty

Office Hours

Explore the Major

Requirements

Opportunities for Students

Resources