Ursuline celebrates Italian Heritage Month with music, language, and history

From ancient Rome to modern Milan, Ursuline spent October celebrating the people, ideas, and artistry that have shaped Italian culture across centuries.

Italian Heritage Month began with a visit from Dr. Alessandro Castellani, director of the Educational Office at the Consulate General of Italy in New York, representing the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI). With a Ph.D. in experimental pedagogy, Dr. Castellani oversees teacher training, cultural diplomacy, and the promotion of the Italian language across schools, universities, and cultural institutions. He was joined by Ms. Simona Rodano, president of the Global EduLanguage Foundation—and known to the Ursuline community as “The Italian Fairy.”

Together, they met with members of the World Languages department and Italian language students to celebrate the importance of global education and recognize Ursuline’s ongoing commitment to promoting Italian language and culture.

Throughout the month, students across all levels of Italian—taught by World Language Chair Mrs. Francesca LaGumina '78, Mrs. Fortunata Delucia, and Dr. Yelena Erez—led morning announcements featuring influential figures from Italian history and contemporary life. Highlights included educator Maria Montessori, fashion innovators Miuccia Prada and Donatella Versace, astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, and screen legend Sophia Loren. Students also reflected on the lives of St. Angela Merici, foundress of the Ursulines, and St. Francis of Assisi, whose examples of faith and service continue to inspire.

Dr. Erez’s AP Latin students extended the celebration to ancient Rome, introducing classmates to women whose voices shaped history—among them Sulpicia, one of the earliest known poets, and Julia Agrippina, a political figure in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Each announcement began with a prayer in Latin, linking the study of language to enduring themes of faith and culture.

Ms. Faustini’s Italian 1 classes (Grades 7–9) decorated traditional Carnevale masks and learned about their cultural origins, displaying their colorful creations on a central table. Seventh graders also crafted masks to decorate the hallway, while Italian 2 students explored the history of Italian Heritage Month and Carnevale traditions, designing posters that celebrated notable Italian women and cultural icons.

On Oct. 24, music faculty members Mrs. Rosemary Clarizio '89 and Mr. Sylvain Falipou-Karkari offered a lively introduction to Italian opera through both lesson and performance. Students learned musical vocabulary—aria, tenore, baritono, and coro—before hearing Clarizio perform “O Mio Babbino Caro” from Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. A duet from Mozart's Don Giovanni followed, illustrating opera's range of emotion and storytelling power.

“Opera was born in Italy,” Clarizio said. “Bringing it to our students connects them directly to the history, passion, and creativity that define the Italian spirit.”

The celebration continued beyond campus as the Italian Club took a field trip to the Bronx to explore the vibrant Italian-American neighborhood of Arthur Avenue. Joined by members of the Fordham Prep Italian Club, students sampled authentic Italian flavors and culture with visits to local favorites, including Borgatti’s Ravioli, Casa Della Mozzarella, Full Moon Pizza, and Mike’s Deli.

Throughout the month, Ursuline students discovered that learning a language is far more than mastering words—it is a window into history, art, and identity. Italian Heritage Month reminded the school community that culture lives through the stories we tell, the songs we sing, and the connections we make across generations and borders.