Italian

Meet the Faculty

Tiziana Balestra
Instructor
Tiziana Salvato Balestra was born in one of the most ancient cities of Italy, Chieti, located in the Abruzzo region, around 200 kilometers northeast of Rome. Professor Balestra received her doctoral degree (laurea) in Italian language and literature at the University of Rome "La Sapienza." She also earned her Italian teaching credentials by successfully passing a state-mandated exam. In Italy, she taught Italian language and literature, history, geography, Latin, and English for three years. In 2000, Professor Balestra moved to the United States, and two years later she joined the faculty at College of San Mateo, where she has taught Italian at all levels. Professor Balestra is very enthusiastic about sharing the language, culture, and way of life of her native country. She is excited about teaching and looks forward to meeting her students. She knows Italy well and enjoys imparting her extensive knowledge of her beautiful homeland to students.

Barbara Baraff
Instructor
A former Italian consular officer, Barbara Baraff returned to school to become a language teacher and received her Ph.D. in Italian from the UC Berkeley. Since 1988, Professor Baraff has taught Italian at all levels at City College of San Francisco and at UC Berkeley, where she was named Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor, a campus-wide award. In 2001, she was nominated to Who's Who Among America's Teachers. She has also been the faculty leader for the San Francisco State University summer program in Florence, Italy, and director of the Italian summer workshop at UC Berkeley. She began teaching at College of San Mateo in 2006. Professor Baraff's Italian classroom is a supportive environment, where students feel at ease, free of the fear of making a mistake, and motivated to speak. Her goal is to create the illusion that one is a foreign student somewhere in Italy and to transmit the joy that knowing another language and culture can bring with passion, consideration, and humor.

Guy Marra
Instructor
A native of Italy, Guy Marra has studied at City College of San Francisco, San Francisco State University, and the University of San Francisco. He holds degrees in Italian and International Relations and a bilingual/bicultural certificate in Spanish. A former president of the Northern Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Italian, Professor Marra has offered Italian courses in the Bay Area, at Skyline College, San Francisco State University, the University of San Francisco, and South San Francisco High School, and abroad in Peru and Argentina. From 1972 to 1979, he was principal of the School of Italian Language and Culture of South San Francisco. He has also taught Spanish, English as a second language, and world history. He has been an adjunct professor of Italian at College of San Mateo since 1991. Professor Marra loves teaching. He looks forward to meeting his students every semester and sharing with them one of the world's most beautiful languages as well as the culture and way of life of Italy.

Leda Mussio
Instructor
Born and raised in Florence, Italy, Leda Mussio was assistant professor at the University of Florence for 10 years, where she also received her doctoral degree (laurea). In 1968, Professor Mussio moved to California to assume the position of senior lecturer in Italian at Stanford University, where she taught courses in Italian language, civilization, and cinema until her retirement in 1997. From 1979 to 1987, she was also a resident fellow of the Italian House at Stanford, where she developed the house program, including lectures and other cultural events. From 1976 to 1982, she created and coordinated a weekly Italian film series open to students, faculty, and the general public. After retiring from Stanford University, Professor Mussio began teaching Italian at Cañada College and College of San Mateo. She still considers herself a "fiorentina" and has spent almost every vacation in her native city, where for several summers she also taught in the Stanford-in-Florence program.