A love of Italian: School of Italian Language and Culture in South City offers programs for children, adults

“We are kind of a peculiar school — between a school and an association,” Pagani said. “There’s a strong community feel.”

More adults tend to attend the nonprofit school than when it first started too. At one time there were five classes of children and two adult classes. Now there are about six classes of adults and two classes of children, Pagani said. During the ’70s, there were lots of Italians coming over from Italy who wanted their children to know the language. Pagani himself came to the United States in 1962 and all of his children were the first students of the school in 1970. The school has served more than 6,100 students since its inception.

Now, the school’s classes, held at the South San Francisco Adult School, include beginning, intermediate and advanced conversation, along with literature courses taught by eight permanent teachers and two or three substitute teachers. There are classes year round, but the program doesn’t run during the summer since the majority of teachers head back to Italy to see family during that time, Pagani said.

“As you go on, and as the language becomes more difficult, you lose some of the students — the ones just interested in a vacation of Italy,” he said. “Some of the students have been coming to us for the last 10 years.”

Pagani said he enjoys working with the young students, including the break time when he gives the children chocolate and his wife makes focaccia for them as well. He’s generally know as the “man with the chocolate” at the school, he said.

“It’s a pleasure to be there,” he said.

In a way, Italian is the modern European classical language, similar to Greek and Latin, Pagani said.

“Italian is probably the closest language to Latin,” he said. “It’s something you don’t find in any other language right now, plus the sound is very good.”

The winter/spring semester classes take place at 825 Southwood Drive in South City 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Classes run from Jan. 10 to April 25. Tuition is $225 per student, including teaching material, which includes the book the school developed.

For more information and for registration forms go to italianclasses.com or call 574-3089 during working hours. The school is open to children older than 6 and adults of all ages.

angela@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 105