Testimonials

I highly recommend Tranquilla as your go-to Italian teacher. She has a full grasp of English which enables her to teach her native Italian language easily and effortlessly. Generally, all lessons are held in Italian, but Tranquilla can translate more difficult concepts fluently. She conveys new terms and grammar in a clear, easy to grasp manner and engages her pupils in conversation, even at beginning levels. I have studied privately with Tranquilla for a number of years and, thanks to her, I can now speak and understand Italian with confidence. She encourages me to read books and newspapers in Italian and to watch movies and television shows in Italian, reminding me that even if I don’t understand everything, just hearing and familiarizing myself with the sound of the language will help me improve. Take my advice and sign up for lessons with Tranquilla! —Lorraine Capparell, Palo Alto, CA, September 26.

In the past five years, I have had the opportunity to experience two homestays in Italy with Italian teachers.  Each of the teachers, completely unsolicited, said to me, “You must have a really good Italian teacher in the U.S.  I haven’t ever experienced a student arriving here with such a solid grasp of grammar and working knowledge of the language.”  There are a number of teachers in the San Francisco Bay Area who are teaching Italian; however, few have the educational and practical background to teach the language in a comprehensiveand logical way.  Over the years, as I have worked with Tranquilla, my grasp of the language has continued to steadily improve.  Under her thoughtful and thorough guidance, I’ve gained a tremendous amount of confidence in my ability to speak, write and read la bella lingua.  – Barbara Powell, Palo Alto, CA, September 2018.

A few years ago, I retired from the U.S. Department of State after a 32-year career as a professional U.S. Diplomat (i.e. Foreign Service Officer).  Over the years, I studied three foreign languages (including Italian) from the ground up at the State Department’s “Foreign Service Institute” in Arlington, VA.  So I have more than a little experience with high-caliber language instruction in a professional setting.  When I moved back to Palo Alto (my home town), I wanted to resuscitate by Italian, which had grown quite rusty and buried under successive layers of German and Turkish.  Happily, I located Tranquilla about three years ago and quickly saw that she was a highly-qualified professional instructor, whose skills are equal to the best teachers at the Foreign Service Institute.  My case was a rather complicated one, but Tranquilla quickly identified my strengths and weaknesses, and developed a program to address the latter.  What I particularly admire about Tranquilla is that she combines high linguistic standards with a very friendly and supportive teaching atmosphere.  Your mistakes will be identified, but always in an encouraging, constructive manner.  She cares about her students, and wants to help you do your best.  If you really want to learn and study Italian, at any level, I cannot recommend Tranquilla D’Andrea highly enough.  – Scott Kilner, Palo Alto (October 2018)