Meet Our Instructors

Instructor

Eleonora Baldini

I’m Eleonora, and I come from Roma. I have a bachelor’s degree in Tourism Management at University “La Sapienza” of Rome, with  a strong passion for languages. I won an Erasmus Scholarship 3 years ago to study in Madrid for six months. During Covid, I’ve planned my new adventure to Canada, now I've been living in Vancouver for almost 2 years. I have keeped  studying in my field and I took a College Diploma in Travel and Tourism Business Management  at Canadian Tourism College in Vancouver. 

I love teaching, and discovering the world. I consider myself patient, comprehensive and passionate. During my long student experience I learned a lot and I would like to transmit my knowledge to my students and keep learning with them.

Instructor

Paola Marchegiani

I was born in Pescara (Abruzzo), but I spent most of my life in Bologna. I obtained a bachelor’s degree in Biological Science from the University of L’Aquila. I started my career teaching Science, but I changed to work in the IT field. When I moved to Calgary, I got a Teaching Assistant Certificate for Early Childhood in Alberta. So, I rediscovered my passion for teaching and since then I started teaching Italian to students at the Calgary Italian School and to private students, both in person and remotely. I recently joined the Dante Alighieri Society of BC as a teacher. This is another great opportunity to promote the beauty and richness of our language.

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Instructor

Costanza Demaria

I’m Costanza, I’m from Turin, Piedmont and I’m an anthropologist with a background in social and development studies. I worked for over 5 years in reception projects dedicated to the protection and integration of asylum seekers and refugees in Turin and in the management of international cooperation projects in Italy and Portugal. I then embarked on a path that led me to become a professional teacher of Italian as a second and foreign language, a field for which I have discovered a real passion. After getting the CEDILS certificate I moved to Montreal, Quebec where I currently live and work as a language teacher, while I plan to further improve my knowledge in second language education and adult education. 

Book Club Coordinator and Instructor

Serena Piccoli

Serena Piccoli, poet, playwright, translator, photographer and teacher of English and Italian.

Born in Padova in 1974, she has lived in the USA, South Africa and England.

She loves traveling around Italy and eating Italian food with family and friends.

At the Dante Alighieri Society of British

Columbia she works in administration, coordinates

both our Book Clubs (the Advanced and the Intermediate Book club appointments), and she holds our Advanced Plus course. 

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Instructor

Marzio Pelù

I was born and raised in Massa, a beautiful little town in Tuscany. Italian is my mother tongue. I have a bachelor's and master's degree in Humanities: I graduated at the University of Pisa, where I studied Ancient Greek and Latin. I'm a professional journalist: I worked for twenty-five years at the newspaper "La Nazione" in Italy and then I moved to Toronto where I currently work at Corriere Canadese, the Italian community daily newspaper, and at the Canadian multilingual news agency CNMNG.

About teaching, as long as I stayed in Italy I taught my native language to foreign inmates in prisons in my province and I also taught journalism in elementary, middle and high schools. I'm an independent musician too: I write songs, I rearrange international pop-rock classics and Italian oldies and sometimes you can find me downtown Toronto playing my music.​​​​

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Instructor

Nadia Taha

Ciao 😊
I'm Nadia, hailing from the picturesque Sanremo (La città dei Fiori – the city of flowers). I hold a bachelor’s degree in Italian Language and Literature from the University of Pisa, as well as a master’s degree in Humanistic Coaching and Neuro-Linguistic Programming from Pegaso University.

As a polyglot, I fluently speak Italian (my mother tongue), English, French, and Egyptian. At the age of 24, I embarked on a journey to Egypt, where I worked in various Italian companies and began
teaching Italian to adults. Later, at 36, I decided to embrace a new chapter and moved to Canada, where I currently reside in Ottawa.

My professional journey includes contributions to the Federal government of Canada and teaching Italian at the Italian Canadian Youth Formation Center, dedicated to serving the Italian Community
of Ottawa-Gatineau.

Beyond my professional pursuits, my passions include exploring Italy, immersing myself in the Italian culture, indulging in Italian cuisine (both cooking and eating), and savoring the sounds of Italian music!