Students Experience Italian Pizza Tradition

Students and faculty got a taste of Italian culture on October 18, 2016 in an “Italian Day” organized by the Department of Languages and Translation. Italian Language Students under the supervision of Pizza chef Yousef Tamimi and Italian Language professor at Birzeit University Daniela Vignandel learned the art of making Italian pizza.

The event was attended by the Italian consul in Palestine Federico Dimonopoli, director of the External Academic Affairs Office Amir Khalil, and the chairperson of the Department of Languages and Translation Majdi Abu Zahra.

Italian Day is an annual tradition organized by consulates and representatives of Italy around the world.

The theme of this year's event was Italian creativity, especially in food-making. The art of pizza-making is a central element of Italian identity and culture, and a symbol of Italy’s “brand” around the world.

Abu Zuhra said that the university is looking forward to strengthening cooperation with the Italian Consulate by launching a minor program in teaching the Italian language.

"In addition to academic cooperation, the culture of Italy will be featured soon as we are seeking to organize an Italian Movie Week, and a number of musical and artistic performances," he said.

The Department of Languages and Translation has been offering an Introduction to the Italian Language course for two consecutive years.