We’re small, but powerful.
Meet your Instructors
Valentina Medda
Maestrale Director and Instructor
Valentina was born and raised on the beautiful island of Sardinia. She holds an honors degree in Japanese language and cultural studies from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. She earned an honors master’s degree in Italian Language and Literature Teaching Methodology from the International University of Siena. She’s been teaching Italian classes at all levels since 2006 and absolutely loves her job! She is a certified CELI examiner and teaches preparation courses for Italian citizenship applicants preparing for Italian language certification exams.
She lives in Marin County, California, with her husband, son, and their beloved senior rescue dog, Roscoe, who insists on attending all of her Zoom classes, quietly listening and assessing her students’ progress. Roscoe is definitely at a C1 level by now.
In her spare time, she enjoys both Italian and international literature, long walks and jogs, great food, and a spritz or two with close friends, whenever possible.
Barbara Gautero
Maestrale Instructor
With a master’s degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Torino, Barbara began her career teaching English to high school students in Italy, all while helping out in her family’s bookstore. She studied several foreign languages—English, French, German, and a touch of Spanish—an experience that sharpened her skills, deepened her understanding of how people learn and the unique challenges students experience when learning new languages.
In 2004, she crossed the ocean to San Francisco and jumped straight into teaching Italian. She now has over 20 years of experience as an Italian language teacher in many schools of the Bay Area to adults, teenagers and children. Over the years, she has completed different professional development courses and continues to thrive on sharing her passion for linguistics, literature, cinema, history and politics.
When she is not teaching, Barbara is reading and reading and reading…
Simona Barello
Maestrale Instructor
Originally from Turin, Simona studied Russian and German Language and Literature at the Università di Torino before continuing her education in Paris, Boston, and New York, where she earned a Ph.D. in Film History and Cinema Studies from New York University.
She has taught for many years in Europe with American universities running study-abroad programs, including NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, the Sorbonne University in Paris, Iowa State University, Cornell University, the Rhode Island School of Design, and Washington State University in Rome.
Teaching is one of Simona’s greatest joys — she loves discovering the world anew through the eyes and experiences of her students. Alongside teaching, she has worked as a freelance translator since 1994, a role that keeps her creativity sharp.
When she’s not teaching, you’ll likely find Simona traveling, reading, walking her dog, spending time with friends and family, enjoying music, theatre, and cinema — and savoring gelato!