Addison Basile 

Interning with the Biblioteca delle donne was an unforgettable experience! I had the
opportunity to learn so much about women’s historical and contemporary role in Italian society
both through events hosted by the library as well as conversations with the wonderful women
who volunteer there.

The library is made up of an inspiring group of women who are dedicated
to improving the lives of local women in any way they can, and it was an honor to get to know
and work with them. They immediately treated me like one of their own, included me in all of the library activities, and spent time helping me with my Italian speaking, reading, and writing every day. I got to work with them to catalogue books, take part in discussions to plan library
programming, and even sit in on Italian lessons for local women from other countries.

Outside of the library, L’Aquila is a beautiful city filled with kind, welcoming people who generously spent hours speaking Italian and sharing parts of Italian culture with me each day. The library and L’Aquila communities made Italy feel like home and left me even more inspired to continue learning and speaking Italian after I left. They also gave me plenty to read! Overall, I am so grateful for this extremely memorable and formative experience in Italy, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is really excited about the Italian language and interested in immersing themselves in a wonderful Italian community.