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Students, Italian professors, and Italian TA cooking, playing bocce, learning Italian card games, and enjoying authentic Italian meals together in the Casa italiana!

The Romance Language House

The mission of the Romance Language House is to promote foreign language development within the campus community. Through living in an environment in which house members speak at least one Romance Language (Italian, French, Portuguese or Spanish), residents are encouraged to speak and interact in their respective foreign languages. Members of the house also reach out to the college community through planning, organization, and promotion of the house events and through attendance of the weekly foreign language tables. The goal of the Romance Language House is to educate others on foreign languages and diverse cultures through living in a shared environment as well as opening up that environment to the college community as a whole. 

The Casa italiana (Italian House) 

The Casa italiana (Italian House) is a place where students interested in Italian can practice the language in a relaxed, friendly environment, while interacting with students of other Romance Languages and international students. The Italian student assistant from the University of Bologna lives at the Casa Italiana, helping students practice their Italian and organizing social and cultural events with them.

For students who plan to go to Italy during their third year, the Casa italiana is a great opportunity: they will be totally immersed in the culture even before going to Italy. Those returning from Italy will live in a truly international environment, where they will keep practicing their Italian while interacting with students from other countries, as they did during their junior year.

If you are interested in living in the Casa italiana, contact Prof. Luca Lanzilotta.

In the meantime, check out the and student comments below. 

APPLICATION FOR THE 2023-2024 YEAR IS CLOSED. IF INTERESTED, PLEASE CONTACT PROF. LANZILOTTA. THE ONLINE APPLICATION FORM CAN BE FOUND .

WHY LIVE IN THE CASA ITALIANA?

Laura Celedón '19: "Living in the Casa has allowed me to further expand my network of Italian-speaking students and Italian students coming directly from Italy. By attending events, such as playing board-games, making homemade gnocchi, and inviting other Italian students to the house, my knowledge of Italian culture and language has immensely grown and has given me the necessarily tools and prepared me for studying abroad in Italy."

Taylor Stroili '18: "I loved having the opportunity to meet students not only from Italy but from other areas of Europe, as well, and practicing the language in addition to learning new ones was a great experience to have! I loved our group dinners and movie nights which contributed to the sense of community shared by the students that live there."

Natalie McNeill '17: "I loved living in the Italian House because I got to practice my language skills with the Italian OSA, play Italian card games, and cook great food. I also liked being surrounded by other students who are passionate about languages and liked being able to meet the OSAs from other countries. Plus, the house and the bedrooms are beautiful!"

Ashton Fiucci '15: "I love living in the Casa italiana because the house had formed a great sense of community and learning how to cook Italian food and to play Italian games is a lot of fun."

Katie Rusnak '15: "I love living in the Casa italiana because not only do I get to perfect my Italian language skills but I also get to experience a small slice of Italian culture on Dickinson's campus."

Anthony Ienna ’14: “In the Italian house I can live with other students who are also taking Italian. Next year I would like to study in Bologna and the Romance Language House is a great place to practice my language.”

Elena Capaldi ’14: “Speaking Italian in the house will help me improve the language more quickly. Also, I am sure that I will meet other students who love the Italian language and culture and with whom I can study and feel more comfortable in Italian.”

Julia Sanguinetti ’14: “After living in the Italian House for half a semester, I discovered my passion for the Italian Culture. My grandfather was born in Genova but I did not have the chance to learn deeply about Italy from him. However, I am now finding many different opportunities - such as Italian dinners, events and movies - to learn more and more about the Italian lifestyle and culture. By being able to live with other Italian speakers, I also develop and improve my language skills and become able to express all my ideas through this beautiful language. Living in the Italian House is by far one of the most enjoyable parts of my stay at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app.”