Want to be a part of the "Sweet Life"? Then join the University of Arizona's Italian Club, DOLCE VITA!! 

Dolce Vita is a UA student-run cultural organization that celebrates Italian culture. Our members embrace and spread our love of the Italian heritage through cultural activities. We strive to live the good life (la dolce vita)! 

Join us on Friday, September 16th for our official Welcome Event* 

*details will be sent out at a later date, but please feel free to email our Student Officers or email uadolcevitaclub@gmail.com 

Plans for the Fall Semester (2022) include:

-Welcome Event

-Pizza Night

-Conversation Opportunities

and MORE!

Please feel free to reach out to any of our officers (listed below) if you have any questions.

Student Officers:

President: Helen Hoffart - helenhoffart@arizona.edu

Vice President: Sofia Soliman - sofiasoliman@arizona.edu

Treasurer: Kira McNeill - knightm@arizona.edu

Event Director: Lauren Degner - laurendegner@arizona.edu

Social Media Director: Nicolas Mazziotti - nmazziotti@arizona.edu

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Borbala Gaspar - bgaspar@arizona.edu

New Member Fee: $8

Returning Member Fee: $5

*fees cover food and event costs

Follow our Instagram: @dolcevitaclub_

One professor in the Department of French and Italian has been promoted, demonstrating excellent performance in teaching, service and research.

Dr. Maria Letizia Bellocchio is promoted from Assistant Professor of Practice to Associate Professor of Practice.

Bellocchio arrived at the University of Arizona in 2016, after being Visiting Assistant Professor at Wesleyan University. Her Italian Ph.D. dissertation (University of Siena, 2007) examined the Shakespearean influences on the theatre (prose and opera) and cinema of Luchino Visconti. Her U.S. research (Rutgers University Ph.D., 2014) focused on the history of Italian cinema by concentrating on its depictions of the family, civil society and law. Her current book explores the tension between tradition and innovation in the filmic construction of the politics, practices and symbolic values of the Italian family. Her areas of expertise include Film Studies, 19-20-21 century Italian Literature and Theatre, Intermediality, Italian Family Law.

Students had lots of fun at the final Virtual Cooking Night on Tuesday, May 3rd. Many delicious dishes were prepared and students enjoyed one final activity together before the end of the semester. Read some testimonials below and scroll for pictures of all the yummy recipes that were made!

"I especially liked the freedom we were given, even in break out rooms. We could all chat with one another or just relax and cook together. And the timing was nice. It was a good break from finals."

"I liked chatting with the other Italian students while we prepared our recipes and learned more about Italian cuisine!" 

"It was really fun to try new recipes!"

Fulfill Degree Requirements with Italian summer courses! All classes are FULLY ONLINE with the exception of ITAL 202 (hybrid). In-State tuition for ALL in Summer Session! 

For more information, see summer-winter.arizona.edu

Pre-Session (May 16 - June 4):

ITAL 250D Italian Literature in Translation: The Novel

Topic: Elena Ferrante's Naples: Mafia, Social Climbing, and Female Friendship

5 Week Session I (June 6 - July 7):

ITAL 150B1 Holocaust in France and Italy

ITAL 150C1 Mediterranean Cities: French & Italian Perspectives

ITAL 230 Intro to Italian Culture

ITAL 240 Italian Folklore & Pop Culture

5 Week Session II (July 11 - August 10):

ITAL 102 Elementary Italian II 

ITAL 150B1 Holocaust in France and Italy

ITAL 160B1 Italian Perspectives: Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages

ITAL 202 Intermediate Italian II (hybrid, MW 4-6pm In Person)

ITAL 231 Fashion & Culture in France and Italy

Questions? Reach out to Professor Aileen Feng at aafeng@email.arizona.edu

Still unsure about what you'll be taking for Fall 2022 semester? Consider an Italian course! Our instructors and professors are offering many exciting and interesting courses that will expand your view on Italian culture, history, food, theatre, fashion and more. Start from the beginning with Italian 101 or cross off one of your required GenEds with Italian 160D1 "Food for Thought in Italian Culture". Unsure about what to choose? Reach out to our Undergraduate Advisor, Professor Anne-Marie Engels-Brooks at brooksam@email.arizona.edu or the Director of Italian Studies, Professor Aileen Feng at aafeng@email.arizona.edu. For course descriptions, check out this link. Hopefully, we'll see you next fall! Ciao!

Italian Language Courses:

ITAL 101 Elementary Italian I                                    ITAL 201 Intermediate Italian I

ITAL 102 Elementary Italian II                                  ITAL 202 Intermediate Italian II

Tier 1 GenEd (courses are online):

ITAL 150B1 The Holocaust in France & Italy (7W2)

ITAL 160D1 Food for Thought in Italian Culture (7W1 &7W2)

Tier 2 GenEd (courses are online):

ITAL 230 Introduction to Italian Culture (7W1)                              ITAL 250C Intermediality: Italian Theatre, Opera, & Film (7W2)

ITAL 231 Fashion & Culture in France & Italy (full semester)        ITAL 330B Once Upon a Time in Italian American Cinema (7W1)

ITAL 250A The Italian Middle Ages (7W1)                                      ITAL 330D Empowered Women in Italian Literature & Culture (7W2)

Upper-Division Electives:

In English (online)

ITAL 330C The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly in Italian Cinema (7W2)

In Italian (in person)

ITAL 301 Advanced Italian Conversation through Media

ITAL 310 Italian Encounters: Spoken Italian in Context

ITAL 410 Words and Worlds: Italian Literature and/or Film

All 200-300 level courses count towards the minor & major in Italian!

Please help us congratulate Ashley Spartz on receiving the Donna Swaim Study Abroad Award for Double Majors and the Van de Verde Memorial Scholarship! In her own words:

“I am truly honored and grateful to have been chosen as a recipient for both the Donna Swaim Study Abroad Award for Double Majors and the Van de Verde Memorial Scholarship, and I thank the College of Humanities for allowing me this opportunity. These scholarships will assist me in achieving my goal of studying abroad and will alleviate some of the financial stress that it brings. I will be spending this summer in Orvieto, Italy, studying advanced conversational Italian and learning about the complexity and importance of food and wine in Italian culture. This program will allow me to progress through my education; I am currently a junior completing both a BA in Italian Language and Literature and a BS in Environmental Sciences. I hope my time abroad will allow me to unite these two paths into one, as much of our climate’s future is centered in Europe. These scholarships support my dream to study abroad and will help me grow in many ways as I immerse myself in a different culture, and I know that it will be an experience that will positively impact the rest of my life. I am once again immensely grateful to the College of Humanities for assisting me in my goals, and I will make the most of this opportunity given to me. Grazie mille!” 

Congratulazioni, Ashley!

Please help us to congratulate Federico Fabbri who was awarded the 2022 College of Humanities Outstanding GAT in Teaching award! Congratulazioni, Federico! 

The Dolce Vita Club's first Kick Off event of Spring 2022 in February was a success! Around 30 people attended the event, enjoying the sunshine with a cup of affogato coffee, playing bocce and Italian card games, and chatting with each other. The Dolce Vita Club is looking forward to their next event! In the meantime, if you have any questions about how to become a member or when and where the next upcoming meeting is, please feel free to contact the club officers: Helen Hoffart at helenhoffart@email.arizona.edu or Sofia Soliman at sofiasoliman@email.arizona.edu. Be sure to check out the Dolce Vita Club page on Instagram: dolcevitaclub_ !