Italian Exchange Program Comes Full Circle

On April 7^th, seven students from the Liceo Muratori San Carlo in Modena, Italy, along with two teachers, Enza Savino, and Isabella Rossi, arrived at Loyola to complete a cultural and linguistic exchange established with our school for students studying Italian. Anticipated by a four-year virtual collaboration between the two high schools, the traveling project began in May 2023 with Loyola students embarking on an 18-day trip to Italy, accompanied by Dr. Rossana Barbera and Mr. Vincenzo Paniccia. This included a two-week stay in Modena, during which our students were hosted by Modenese families, and attended regular classes at the Liceo Muratori San Carlo. They also toured Venice, Florence, Bologna, Verona, and Rome.

The recent visit by members of the Muratori San Carlo community closed the circle on this fruitful exchange program. The seven Italian students (two boys and five girls) were generously hosted by Loyola families and students (Henry Craig, Diego Marin Jarve, Ewan Sokoloski, Gabe Pimentel, James and Will Ballard, Will Nicusanti, and Colin Murn) and were enthusiastically welcomed by our faculty, staff, and student body. In addition to regularly attending classes, they visited Washington DC and Philadelphia. Before arriving in Baltimore, the Italian students had already spent two and a half days in New York.

Equipped with excellent English skills, the seven high school students from Modena (Maria Cristina Riccardi, Mariasole Carpenito, Alfredo Tinti, Ludovica Zuccolo, Giacomo Bizziocchi, Martina della Lucia, and Federica Bernini) genuinely enjoyed their time with us. To capture their observations and reflections, they shared these sentiments with us.