Leading people who are crazy about Italy, giving them insights into language and culture, and helping them overcome learning doldrums, and frustrations.
I’m Melissa, but people know me as Studentessa Matta – The crazy student – because every day I dive head first into the Italian language and use it wherever I am, whether in Italy or at home.
I want to show you how to improve your Italian and help you become more conversant.
My goal is to inspire you to learn the language and introduce you to a slice of Italy you might not know about by either traveling with me, conversing with me, or reading posts and novels in which I write about Italy.
Follow along with me, and let yourself go a little “matta” and find out how quickly you can overcome your anxiety and frustration with traditional methods as I help you to build your own unforgettable language learning experience.
Chat Italiano! Conversation Practice.
NEW: One-on-One Italian Coaching/Tutoring
Chat with me in Italian OR
Sign up for One-On-One Italian Coaching/Tutoring Session
I’ve heard it so many times before, “I can read and understand Italian, but when I speak, I get tongue-tied!” Sound familiar? With Chat Italiano, you can regularly practice Italian with me, supplementing online or evening language classes.
Looking for a language coach to practice your Italian skills? Do you need help understanding Italian grammar? Now you can schedule a One-on-One Italian Coaching/Tutoring session to receive personalized help and get answers to language questions.
Chat or Tutoring Session: 30 min / $25
Andiamo in Italia
Travel with me to Learn in Italy
The 2022 Matta Andiamo in Italia! Italian Language programs are now available to sign up! Next year THREE programs are available: Arezzo (June 12-24), Lucca (Aug 25-Sept 3), Ascoli (Sept 11-23).
Join Melissa and her Italian School Partners in Italy to learn Italian. Perfect for couples or individuals. Open to all language levels. During the mornings, we study at a partner school in classes perfect for your language level. In the afternoons we go on adventures and excursions. We sink our hands into pasta dough, raise our wine glasses, laugh, dance, and chat the evenings away in Italian with teachers and Italian friends. You will travel with like-minded individuals and make memories and friends to last a lifetime. Andiamo in Italia!
Price (without airfare): $4,150
At Home in Italy
Ready to take your language skills to Italy and live and study in the home of your Italian teacher?
At Home in Italy is the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in language and culture for one or two individuals in a city that interests you and at a time that fits your travel schedule. Homestays combine formal study with everyday family activities.
Make new friends and experience a different side of Italy few tourists see, and return home closer to being bilingual than when you left.
Price Variable based on Season, Location, Teacher. Price range per week: $1000 to $1,500
Matta Youtube & Podcast
Listen and follow along with the Italian audio with transcripts found on the Matta blog.
Read the award winning Dual Language Italian Blog
The Matta Blog features articles that focus on Italian culture & language learning tips.
Travel to Italy in the pages of Melissa’s novels set in Florence, Arezzo, Montepulciano & Sicilia
It’s a fun way to immerse in Italian culture and learn the language too! Waking Isabella has been translated into Italian. All books are available on Amazon in Print, ebook, and Audiobook.
Price: 16.99
Join the “Matta” Leggiamo Italian Language Book Club!
What a NOVEL idea! Che idea fantastica! Practice your reading comprehension, auditory listening skills, and conversation abilities. The goal of the Matta Book Club is to have fun, laugh, and learn together!
Two Book Club Enrollment Options:
Option 1: Group Book Club Up to 5 People
Eight Week Course, 1-hour Weekly Meetings
Price $200
Option 2: One-on-One Individual Book Club
Eight Week Course, 1-hour Weekly Meetings
Price $400
Experience Italy the Matta Way!
The Matta Andiamo In Italia! Italian Language Immersion Programs
Arezzo Spring: June 12 – 24, 2022
Lucca Fall: Aug 25 – Sept 3, 2022
Arezzo Fall: Giostra/Joust Weekend
Sept 3 – 5, 2022
Ascoli Fall: Sept 11 – 23, 2022
Sign up now! Spots are limited.
Latest from the Blog – Dive into Italy and Italian
From the Multi-Award Winning Blog about Culture & Italian Language
Cultura Italiana Arezzo is back in session! New 2022 courses online starting now!
Cultura Italiana Arezzo torna in sessione! Nuovi corsi 2022 online a partire da ora! Sei pronto per riprendere gli studi di italiano? Ho molti suggerimenti per te! Are you ready to resume your Italian studies? I have lots of suggestions for you! Il nuovo anno è ormai in pieno svolgimento. Sei pronto per riprendere gli…
Read More Cultura Italiana Arezzo is back in session! New 2022 courses online starting now!
They say the ghost of Isabella de’ Medici still lives in the villa where she was murdered
Dicono che il fantasma di Isabella de’ Medici viva ancora nella villa dove è stata uccisa Alla ricerca del fantasma di Isabella de Medici nella villa dove è stata uccisa! Isabella è il soggetto del mio secondo romanzo “Waking Isabella”. Era la figlia di Cosimo I Granduca di Toscana e quando Cosimo morì suo fratello,…
Read More They say the ghost of Isabella de’ Medici still lives in the villa where she was murdered
Why are you learning Italian?
Perché stai imparando l’italiano? Mi piacerebbe sapere!lo farebbero sapere anche gli altri! Why are you learning Italian? I’d like to know and others would like to know too! È un nuovo anno e ho deciso di riavviare una rubrica in cui i lettori sono invitati a praticare l’italiano e condividere le loro storie con altri…
Italian Mystery Stories by Sonia Ognibene. Perfect for A2-B1 Students of Italian
Il termine deriva da una serie di romanzi gialli tascabili e gialli a basso costo con copertina gialla che erano popolari in Italia. Giallo or Gialli (plural)is the Italian term referring to mystery fiction and thrillers. The word “giallo” in Italian means “yellow.” The term derives from a series of cheap paperback mystery and crime…
Read More Italian Mystery Stories by Sonia Ognibene. Perfect for A2-B1 Students of Italian
La Befana is about to arrive! Sweets, gifts, and clean houses for everyone!
La Befana sta per arrivare! Dolci, regali e case pulite per tutti! È quasi l’epifania a la bella brutta Befana sta per arrivare. Conosciuta come la “strega buona del Natale,” la Befana è il personaggio magico che presiede la festa dell’Epifania il 6 gennaio. Ogni anno la notte prima lei sale sulla scopa e porta…
Read More La Befana is about to arrive! Sweets, gifts, and clean houses for everyone!
Parole, Parole, Parole: Vocabolario di Dicembre
Le parole e le espressioni di dicembre Words and Expressions to Ponder Durante il mese scorso ogni settimana ho pubblicato una parola o un’espressione combinato con un’immagine sulla pagina di Facebook di Studentessa Matta. Queste sono parole casuali che mi sono imbattuto durante la lettura o che ho sentito nei film che ho trovato utile e…
Notizia! Announcing the “Matta” Leggiamo! Italian Language Book Club
Cari lettori, oggi è il primo giorno di un nuovo anno e sono lieta di annunciare, nel primo post del 2022, l’inizio del Matta Italian Book Club! Dear readers, today is the first day of a new year, and I am pleased to announce, in the first post of 2022, the start of the “Matta”…
Read More Notizia! Announcing the “Matta” Leggiamo! Italian Language Book Club
Where will you go in 2022?
Dove vai nel 2022? È l’ora di festeggiare la fine dell’anno! Dove titroverai e cosa farai questo capodanno?Più importante dove vai quest’anno? It’s time to celebrate the end of another year! Where will you be and what will you do this New Year’s Eve? More Importantly where will you go this coming year!?!? (Let me…
Lucida Mansi—the woman who made a pact with the devil. Her story lives on in Lucca Youtube Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyK20QvRiTI Il mese scorso, abbiamo fatto una gita in bicicletta lungo le mura con Susanna, una delle favolose insegnanti della Lucca Italian School. Mentre andavamo in bici Susanna ci ha raccontato un sacco di storie interessanti sulle maestose mura di Lucca, ma nessuna era più avvincente e inquietante, della storia di Lucida Mansi. When I was in Lucca last…
What They’re Saying
Sheree Isola — 3-time trip participant — talks about her experience in Italy with Melissa!
Bill Bahr — 2-time trip participant — talks about his experience in Italy with Melissa!
Karina Kagramanova, Andiamo in Italia Small Group Language Participant: This was the best trip of my life! From the moment I heard Melissa’s podcast, I felt I found my kindred spirit. An incredible woman with infinite love for Italy and the Italian language. This program was worth every cent I spent and even more. Everything was so thoughtful, not only did we have interesting excursions but also trips to bio farm, cooking lessons, and wine tasting. The excursions, views, and dinners were fabulous!
Daniel Bayer, At Home in Italy Italian Homestay Participant: I had a fabulous time staying with Cristina in Trento in September. The opportunity to be fully immersed in Italian from morning to night took my language abilities to an entirely new level. Cristina was wonderful to be with— very friendly, with a wide range of interests (from art to film to sports), and always helpful and supportive with my clumsy attempts to speak Italian. A bonus was that Trento is a great place to stay. It is a lively city in a beautiful location surrounded by mountains, not overwhelmed by tourists, and close to many attractions from Venice and Verona to the Dolomite mountains and Lake Garda. The experience couldn’t have been better.
