La Piazza di Carolina

Carolyn Gengo Di Domenico (aka “Carolina”) has been teaching Italian for over 15 years. She grew up in an Italian-American/Canadian family, and fell in love with the Italian culture and language at a very young age. She noticed early on, however, that Italian was not spoken in her home. Her parents came from the immigrant generation that felt they needed to assimilate quickly to American customs by speaking English, which meant that their native language had to be left behind. Carolyn remembers often asking family members to speak Italian so that she could learn, but few agreed. She vowed to one day learn Italian and share it with others.

She finally studied Italian at the University of Denver, (B.A. 1985) and later received an M.A. in Italian from Middlebury College in Florence, (1994). In between she worked in Entertainment Public Relations, and in the Italian Fashion sector. In addition, countless trips to Italy allowed her to immerse herself in Italian language and culture, and customs. Upon her return from Italy in 1995 she was eager to share her passion for all things Italian with others. What followed was ten years of teaching Italian in the New York metropolitan area, including positions with Preston High School, Byram Hills HS, William E. Cottle Elementary School, The Ward Elementary School, Tuckahoe Middle School, Berlitz, New York University, Westchester Community College, and Fordham University, and private instruction. Carolina is a New York State certified Italian Instructor K-12. She is the recipient of the AATI Teachers Grant to the Università of Siena (1998), and the National Endowment for the Humanities Teachers Grant to the University of Oregon She has presented at several conferences on the teaching of Italian, and is an active member of numerous professional clubs and organizations.

Today Carolina considers the opening of La Piazza di Carolina her greatest professional accomplishment. “After the birth of my two daughters, who are being raised bilingually, it seemed natural to me to help other Italian-American families and lovers of Italian do the same – to keep the Italian language alive in their homes through their children.” La Piazza di Carolina, with its bright, inviting classroom, is located in Carolina’s private walkout basement in Crestwood, NY. She teaches Italian to children of all ages and adults, in a full-immersion environment.

Carolyn lives with her husband, Spanish Teacher Donald, and their two daughters, Giuliana 8, and Gabriella 5, in Crestwood, in Westchester County, NY.

Cristina Beccarelli is teaching the Asilo Italiano: Italian pre-school program here at La Piazza di Carolina. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Assumption College in Italian Studies and is a Certified Elementary School Teacher. She is also graduate student at Manhattanville College earning a Master’s Degree in Literacy (Birth-6) and will be a NYS Certified Reading Specialist in 2010. She speaks Italian at home with her parents who come from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, just north of Tuscany. She has a great passion for the Italian language and culture and is thrilled to have the opportunity to share her passion with children.

To receive announcements about La Piazza di Carolina by email, please send an email to cgengo@optonline.net with "subscribe" in the subject line.

La Piazza di Carolina
116 Alta Vista Drive
Crestwood
Yonkers, NY 10710
(914) 793-2629
cgengo@optonline.net