History of the School

In January 1989, a few weeks after he arrived in Cincinnati, Michele Alonzo went downtown to buy an Italian language newspaper. 

There was a sign taped to the window near that week's edition of La Repubblica.  It said:

Abbiamo Bisogno di Insegnanti d'Italiano. Chiama.
(Italian Language Teachers Needed. Call)

Michele called Federico Bilotti, who founded the School in 1988 with a group of volunteers that wanted to share their language and culture. In those early days there were just three small groups of students that met at Sacred Heart Church in Camp Washington.

When Federico was transferred back to Europe two years later, Michele took over and the school has grown steadily ever since. Students return year after year to improve their skills, make friends, and share the romance of the Italian language.

Asked what has changed at the school in the two decades she’s been teaching language classes, Mariateresa Perrotta had to think for a while. “Other than the location,” she said, “not that much. All the teachers have been here a long time and we try to make it fun and provide realistic tips, not just grammar."

Another instructor, Giuseppe Iavicoli, notes the number of students whose families are of Italian heritage. "They learn the language in order to understand the culture.”

School AMICI is the only language school in Ohio where all teachers are Italian natives.