Dilit IH Rome: our first 50 years

Dilit IH Rome: our first 50 years

It's 1959, and in Via Marghera, the 3rd International House in the world is born, after IH Cordoba and IH London. Primarily teaching English, back then there were no cinemas showing movies in their original language, but at the IH on Via Marghera, there was, with a proper screening room. Some embassy staff asked to come to our "cinema," and the first requests for Italian courses or private lessons began: thus, the Italian department was born in 1967. 

It grew, but not as much, not like English, of course. In 1970, it became a proper department with an educational director (first Bruno Giuliani then Giorgio Piva) and a very young secretary (Tiziana Di Dedda). Teachers had to undergo a 2-week training course, and the first textbook "Noi Parliamo Così" (Bruno Giuliani) was published.

From 1972 to 1974, true friendships, exchanges of ideas, and dreams began in the Italian department. Negotiations to acquire the Italian department from Prof. Zappa finally found an agreement, and on May 8, 1974, DILIT-IH Rome was born.

Values of fairness, legality, and quality were the glue for the founders and would remain the cornerstones of DILIT despite crises and dark times.

DILIT expanded and grew; the teacher training department became more established and organized thanks to the arrival of Christopher Humphris and the work done with Rita Luzi. True pioneers and revolutionaries in teaching: training abroad began. Many textbooks were published by DILIT teachers and other publishing houses (Pietro Catizone, Giorgio Piva, Rita Luzi, Christopher Humphris, Luigi Micarelli, Luisa Guerrini, Stefano Urbani  just to name a few). The school became a true laboratory of research and teaching action: an international seminar was established, and the DILIT Bulletin was published for decades, along with a permanent teacher training course.

Over these years, over 5000 teachers have chosen our training courses.

In this half-century, thanks to word of mouth and the valuable work of our agencies, DILIT has welcomed over 80,000 students from all over the world, working with embassies and religious institutes, developing special and professional courses. It has made the dream of a study holiday come true for many, many students of all ages, always prioritizing quality and fairness. We've had the pleasure of living incredible stories with our students and reuniting with many of them year after year. What a life!

Passion, dedication, legality, and fairness have accompanied us this far and are part of us.

Today is truly the time to express all our gratitude and joy for an important milestone. THANK YOU!

Thanks to our agencies that promote us and their valuable work.
Thanks to our students who choose us.
Thanks to the many teachers abroad who know us and follow us.
Thanks to our founding members and all who have taken part in this beautiful adventure, thanks to every single teacher, and every employee who has worked and still works today at DILIT.

Let's toast to the first "50" and to the next decades, hoping for a world of peace and communication and that the conflicts that sadden us so much will be resolved soon. Thank you.

Let's toast with all of you to our next 50.