Nicholas Voltaggio, SFS 2025

” To join Georgetown’s Italian Department is to join a passionate community of faculty and
students, collectively invested in researching, studying, and celebrating Italian language and
culture. As a minor in Italian, I had the privilege of forming lasting relationships with faculty and peers in small, discussion-centered class settings. The Department was always an inviting, welcoming space for me – I sometimes even stopped by unannounced to see Professor Benedetti or Professor Cicali, finding them eager to greet me with warm words and a Ferrero Rocher.
I began my studies at Georgetown having completed language courses in middle and high
school, but knew I needed to take my Italian study to the next level in preparation for the SFS proficiency exam. But I realized very quickly that my time in the Italian Department would be about more than passing a test. In my first course, Advanced II with Professor Tosi, I was exposed to authentic cultural sources, nuanced class discussions, and a novel. In my two courses with Professor Benedetti — Writing/Culture and Renaissance Women Writers — I worked through two more books, numerous poems and literary sources, and cutting-edge scholarly material. These courses stretched my reading, speaking, and writing capacities beyond what I ever thought achievable. In Professor Cicali’s cinema course, I had the chance to research and write a 15-page final paper in Italian – a task I would’ve thought impossible when I arrived at Georgetown. My professors consistently encouraged me to do my best work with creative and rigorous assignments, while providing ample support and feedback and without ever creating undue stress.
The faculty engage generously with co-curricular engagement, giving me the chance to engage with guest speakers ranging from authors to academics to a representative of Italy’s financial crimes enforcement unit to former Prime Minister Enrico Letta. I even got to be a part of a winning team representing the Department at Georgetown’s annual “Great Women Writers” celebration, presenting sonnets studied in class. And, of course, the food – Lavazza and Nutella tastings in Professor Melucci’s Business Italian course quickly come to mind.
All this to say that being an Italian minor not only helped bolster my skill and confidence in
communicating in Italian, but welcomed me in a community where I felt cared for and
appreciated as an individual. I felt drawn ever closer to my own Italian heritage and animating Italian-American identity. One more memory that sticks with me: Professor Benedetti surprising me on my birthday with candies, with our small-but-mighty class singing together. That moment encapsulates the Department’s ethos of care and personal investment – in my opinion, its distinguishing mark.”