Discover the Best Italian Classes in Los Angeles
Mastering Italian gives you access to the heart of Italian culture, where you can connect with its warm-hearted people and explore a world of art, history, and culinary delights. Italian is a Romance language descended from Latin and is known for its musicality, elegance, and expressive nature. Around 70 million people worldwide speak Italian, primarily in Italy but also in Switzerland.
When you learn to speak Italian, you enter into a rich world of culture, history, and beauty. Whether you're drawn to Italian opera, the cuisine of Italy, or the art and architecture of Rome, immersing yourself in Italian connects you with this delightful heritage.
Why You Should Learn Italian in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is home to the nation’s fifth-largest Italian American population, with over 310,000 people of Italian descent calling the city home. There is a strong sense of community and Italian tradition thanks to institutions such as the Italian-American Club of San Pedro, Trappeto Club, and Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church. Little Italy of Los Angeles Association brings together authentic Italian-owned businesses in Little Italy and promotes Italian culture through a variety of events.
There are many areas of Los Angeles where you can soak in Italian American culture. Italian Cultural Institute Los Angeles - The Istituto Italiano di Cultura - is an overseas office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation dedicated to the promotion of Italian culture in the United States.
The Italian American Museum of Los Angeles is housed in the historic Italian Hall, constructed in 1908 as a gathering place for the Italian community and the oldest remaining structure from Los Angeles’ Italian enclave. The museum presents the Southern California Italian American experience with an emphasis on Los Angeles. The Getty Villa in nearby Malibu is modeled after the Villa dei Papiri in the ancient city of Herculaneum and houses Greek and Roman antiquities.
Learning to speak Italian opens doors to new friendships, cultural experiences, and opportunities for travel, work, and study abroad. Learning a second language also gives your brain a boost, improving memory, problem-solving, and multitasking skills. It enhances your creativity and may even delay age-related cognitive decline. Taking Italian classes is a fun way to meet people who share your interest in the language and culture. You may find companions for dinner at the trattoria and a flick at il cinema. You’ll feel a sense of mastery when you utter your first full sentence in Italian, and fill your time with a challenging and rewarding new hobby.
In-Person Italian Classes in Los Angeles
You can learn to speak Italian in Los Angeles by taking in-person classes. Enroll in a beginner class, a more advanced class, or private language lessons.
The four-session Beginner Italian by Sara Z. in Los Angeles, California teaches you how to greet in Italian, directions, and how to introduce yourself. You’ll practice a series of exercises and role-playing. Intermediate/Advanced Italian is focused on Italian conversation. Class members discuss various topics depending on the student's needs, such as describing their favorite trips, films, books, and articles. Sara Z. is a native Italian from the Emilia Romagna region. She believes that every student is unique, and she adjusts your Italian language adventure to your life experience and personality. You’ll learn grammar through conversation in order to speak freely and with confidence.
Virtual Italian Classes
Online Italian classes are a great option when you can’t find the class you want in Los Angeles. You save the time and stress of a freeway commute, and you have a whole world of classes to choose from. You may need to order your own materials for a virtual class, and you’ll need to have a web-enabled device or smartphone with a microphone. Make sure you have a quiet space in your home where you won’t be interrupted while you are learning Italian.
Italian - Level 1 from Fluent City is for students who are completely new to Italian. You’ll learn to talk about your friends and hobbies, describe your likes and dislikes, read and write Italian, and learn numbers and gender agreement. You’ll be able to introduce yourself, order a meal, go shopping, and talk about your family and what you do in your free time.
Italian Crash Course from Fluent City teaches you language essentials like how to introduce yourself, order in a restaurant, and request directions. Discussions focus on the authentic terms and phrases that will be most valuable to you in real-world conversations.
Italian 1 Fundamentals from Hyperfluent covers how to introduce yourself in Italian, greetings, describing your friends and family, hobbies, directions, and time. You will be able to read, write, and pronounce in Italian, and talk about your likes and dislikes of food.
Italian Language - Beginner (Online) from Discovery Center is geared to both travelers and language learners with an intensive, full-immersion experience. You’ll explore the language and culture of Italy as you learn basic conversational skills and grammar structure. You’ll have a good foundation to build on for conversational Italian.
Intro to Italian Crash Course from ABC Languages provides a taste of the Italian language. This 90-minute class covers basic vocabulary and phrases like greetings, travel phrases, and pronunciation. The instructor explains key challenge points in the language and introduces you to cultural topics.
Let ABC Languages guide you through your Italian language skills as you advance. From basic Italian conversation skills, vocabulary, and grammar in Italian - Total Beginner to mastering conversation and vocabulary in Italian Intermediate 3, this rolling schedule of group classes will have you carrying on lively conversations in your new language.
Private Group Italian Classes in Los Angeles
Does your team or business want to learn to speak Italian? Maybe you are planning a trip to Italy with family or friends? Choose from classes that offer you an immersive experience of the culture and cuisine of Italy. Coursehorse has live online group classes that they can deliver directly to you in Los Angeles. Take a look at Italian classes for private groups in Los Angeles and other course offerings at Coursehorse.
Italy produces more wine than any other country, and enjoying the variety of wines is one of the pleasures of Italian cuisine. In the Virtual Wine & Cheese Workshop you’ll explore two wines and two kinds of cheese and talk about the unique methods by which each is created. You can get feedback on your own pairing ideas. Learn wine basics like varietals, tasting techniques, region/history, and wine appreciation in Virtual Wine Tasting Workshop. You’ll need to purchase the four chosen wines to taste or have them shipped to you with the all-inclusive Virtual Wine Workshop.
In Virtual Pasta Making you’ll mix and knead a classic pasta dough, hand-shape pappardelle pasta, and create a marinara and pesto sauce from scratch. All ingredients are shipped to each participant, but you’ll need a rolling pin or pasta machine, baking sheet, large pot for cooking pasta, colander or spider strainer, knife, fork, wooden spoon, cutting board, and saucepan.
Learn how to make fresh pizza from scratch from a professional chef in the Virtual Pizza from Scratch Workshop. You’ll need to provide a bowl and wooden spoon or stand mixer with hook attachment; a blender, hand blender, or food processor (or chef’s knife and cutting board); a pizza stone or cookie sheet; a chef’s knife and cutting board; a metal spatula and tongs or pizza peel; and a small saucepan. You can purchase your own ingredients or have them shipped to each participant with the all-inclusive Virtual Pizza from Scratch.
Virtual Gnocchi Making will teach you how to make delicious potato gnocchi from scratch. Instead of the store-bought, dense version of the Italian classic, learn how to make a much fluffier, light version of gnocchi with your own hands. Ingredients are provided but you provide your own 2 tablespoons of olive oil + 1 egg, a baking sheet, a large pot for cooking pasta, a colander or spider strainer, a chef’s knife, a cutting board, a saucepan, and a wooden spoon.
In Virtual Mozzarella Making you will make fresh, silky mozzarella at home. You’ll learn about the right curd, the proper water temperature, the amount of salt to use, and how to pull/fold to make your own mouth-watering ball of this Italian staple. You’ll need to provide your own ingredients or have them shipped to your recipients for an additional $55 per person.
If you don’t see the Italian class you’re looking for, let Coursehorse create a class just for you.
It’s simple - estimate your group size, pay the minimum deposit, and reserve your date. For a $150 fee, you can customize your course by adding a game, using specific questions or a themed game, or adding a second event with all materials included. CourseHorse recommends using the Zoom platform for your class, but they can accommodate Google Meets, Microsoft Teams, and WebEx. Many courses can even come to your office or home space if you’d like.