We study Italian because we want to, not because we need to. Because the music of the language moves us to learn it, to engage in this “impracticality”, to throw some of our precious time to the wind and do something simple for the pleasure of being able to pronounce words like piacere.

–From “Why Study Italian?” on Not Just Another Dolce Vita

When I first began studying Italian five years ago, I did so in secret. My husband and kids knew, but outside of the fortress of my family, I kept the studying to myself.

Why would I do this? I was proud of my Italian heritage, and excited about a long-awaited trip to Italy that was finally on the books. But being a mom of three younger kids at the time, learning Italian felt so…unnecessary. Quirky. Indulgent.

“But is it such a bad thing to live like…