Refresher course for teachers of Italian as a second/foreign language

What do we mean by "Italian culture"? What does it mean to teach Italian culture? How can we integrate the teaching of culture with language teaching? What is the relationship between “classical” expressions and new forms of cultural expression?

The 2026 edition of the training course for teachers of Italian as a second/foreign language aims to provide an interpretative key and perspective on these and many other questions that teachers ask themselves when preparing a syllabus for an Italian language and culture class.

The course offers a training pathway that aims to provide teachers with knowledge about the different dimensions that represent Italian culture (or rather, Italian cultures) and the skills for their effective use and integration in teaching practice.

The course therefore intends to explore the cultural aspects of teaching Italian language and culture, understood as a dynamic intertwining of tradition, innovation, and plural identity. The proposed approach highlights Italian culture as a stratified system of languages, knowledge, and practices, in which elements of the artistic, literary, and musical heritage coexist with contemporary forms of expression linked to digital media and multicultural society.

Through lectures, workshops, and opportunities for discussion, participants will be guided in developing intercultural and multimodal teaching strategies, capable of integrating the different languages of culture—visual, auditory, narrative, and digital—into the Italian L2/LS classroom.

The course is aimed at teachers of Italian to foreigners, both in Italy and abroad, as well as anyone wishing to update or expand their language-teaching and intercultural skills. It is also open to graduates and professionals in the cultural and linguistic sectors who are interested in developing innovative and integrated teaching approaches to Italian culture.