Italian lessons online
with Demian Buscatti

I’ve been learning Italian with Demian for 5 years. Even though we have already completed level C2, I’m not planning to stop, because every time I learn something new—from cool colloquial phrases you usually won’t find in textbooks to subtle grammar nuances. Moreover, Demian and I prepared for CILS C1, which I successfully passed on the first try. I wholeheartedly recommend lessons with Demian!

For 10 years now we have been studying Italian with the native speaker Demian Buscatti. We study twice a week for an hour and a half, and we consider those days and hours the most interesting of the workweek. The first two years we mastered grammar and built vocabulary. Lessons are methodically organized: exercises, reading, listening, and watching films. Demian doesn’t use just one textbook—he is constantly preparing, using different learning materials. By the third year there was a qualitative leap: quantity turned into quality, and now we truly enjoy it because we can speak freely with Demian on many topics. Demian is not only a great methodologist—he is exceptionally intellectually developed. There are almost no topics he doesn’t understand. Each lesson starts with discussing the latest world news. He keeps up with any events, whether they happened long ago or yesterday. Demian loves Russia, knows Russian history, and that is very appealing. It’s amazing how an Italian feels and knows the history of our country—and even more amazing how well he knows modern Russian political life. Like any Italian, he loves sports, and sports is one of our favorite lesson topics. Thanks to our teacher we have learned a lot about Italy—its history, literature, music, sports, films, daily life, and cuisine. Therefore each lesson is not just reinforcing language knowledge and moving forward, but also constant learning of new information and new knowledge. The longer we study with Demian, the clearer it becomes that learning a language is not a short, finite period—it’s an endless process that brings pleasure simply from being able to express our thoughts and understand others in a foreign language. We are very, very satisfied with our teacher. We could talk about him for a long time. We especially want to highlight his human qualities: he is kind, friendly, welcoming, and positive!

My acquaintance with Italy began many years ago with an unusual trip during which I was lucky to travel around the north of the country, immerse myself in its flavor, and, in the end, live with an Italian family. It was love at first sight—and it seems mutual. Over the years, coming to Italy and speaking English, I began to notice that English words were being forgotten, while Italian speech was getting deep inside me. Recently I started learning Italian in a group. It turned out to be more difficult than I expected, but how interesting it is! And how subtly, through the language, you start to understand the culture, people’s character traits, and the beauty of Italians’ taste for life! More than a year ago our teacher moved from Russia to Italy and in-person classes ended, but we remain friends! A friend recommended personal online lessons with Demian. The lessons turned out to be lively, interesting, and very effective! Many thanks to Demian for his cheerfulness and for the native-speaker nuances he generously shares during the lessons! And already this year, visiting Italy, I felt “like one of them”! It’s great to speak the same language with people—fantastically pleasant when they compliment you and assume you live in Italy because you express yourself quite well! And for me it was also important that lessons are very easy-going and at the same time productive.

Good afternoon, dear students of Demian! Now I’ll have to add a spoonful of tar to this sweet barrel of honey of reviews about lessons with Mr. Buscatti. I once studied with him in person, in a group, in Moscow. It was very useful, but then I moved to Italy, then to Sochi… And then I faced the question of keeping the language in working shape. Skype lessons with a native speaker. At the end of December 2022 I chose Demian for two reasons: I had a good opinion of his professional skills and the payment method was convenient. Demian pays taxes in our country. Respect! Everything is legal and transparent—no sotto banco! And the third reason: he got his qualification at the coolest language school in Italy, Dilit. That’s my school—I studied there twice and I have something to compare with—top-level teaching. That’s for students. I can imagine how demanding they are with teachers! So, I needed conversation practice—about Italian music and art, literature and life in different regions, traditions and history. But what does Demian do? He “tricks” me! We keep studying grammar all the time. In a year with him I mastered all congiuntivo tenses and can even use them; sequence of tenses and many other nuances that aren’t in my textbooks (Demian always finds some advanced textbooks! And sends exercises). In short, if before Demian I could speak like Italians, now I can speak like educated Italians. And the boundaries expand—I can read completely different books now. Bravo, Maestro! No one has ever “tricked” me like that. And of course I recommend him to everyone: easily, cheerfully, and interestingly you will master any language difficulties and get lots of pleasure!

I’ve been learning Italian for 2.5 years, and 2 of those years with Demian (both in a group and individually) with at least one lesson per week. At this point I can keep up almost any conversation with a native speaker. I still feel a lack of vocabulary, but there are no issues specifically with speaking skills. Demian’s method differs quite a lot from what school and university education offers, and for me it definitely suits better. I really appreciate the lack of bluntness and authoritarianism in teaching—i.e., you can ask to go over some interesting question that doesn’t fit the syllabus or prepared materials at all, or simply spend an entire lesson discussing some interesting topic (without grammar and exercises). Another big plus is Demian’s excellent Russian: in difficult situations you can always get a thorough explanation in your native language, although he will always explain in Italian first. Overall I’m happy with everything and always recommend Demian to my friends who want to learn real, living conversational Italian.

I’ve been studying with Demian for more than 2 years. I like that we can discuss complex topics in Russian. Problems with native speakers are often related to the fact that they can’t explain rules clearly and simply, and they often speak with a dialect. Demian speaks Italian and Russian perfectly and has a professional linguistic background that allows him to teach properly. In addition, he can convey information in a simple and understandable way. I like the online format, which makes it possible not to interrupt learning in different life situations. You can always discuss timing options with Demian if my work schedule changes. In lessons we manage to cover everything: listening, reading, grammar, speaking. Demian provides all materials—there’s no need to look for books and resources. Now Demian is helping me prepare for the B1 level exam, taking into account the requirements. He has experience preparing for such exams and has a program we are following. Lessons are very dynamic. I’d also like to note Demian’s personal qualities and positivity. During lessons we can hold interesting dialogues in Italian and time flies by unnoticed.

More than 10 years ago I signed up for a trial Italian lesson at a popular language center in Moscow and ended up in Demian’s class. Time flew by, and I immediately decided, “This is my teacher.” Interesting, unusual, engaging, modern. From the first lesson—not a word of Russian, full immersion in the language, culture, and atmosphere of Italy. Thanks to Demian I discovered the world of modern Italian cinema and literature. Lessons are always engaging and active, always filled with interesting discussions, conversations, and impressions. I would also like to mention Demian’s personal qualities! Kind, responsive, sincere, involved—an amazing person! An hour of lessons goes by like a moment. I thank my teacher for the opportunity not only to enjoy my favorite country—especially now, when travel has become rarer and harder—but also to gain new knowledge and develop without leaving home :) Highly recommend!

My name is Evgenia Sitnikova. I work in a bank and I love traveling. I have visited many countries, but I fell in love with Italy the most. It’s a beautiful country with an interesting history, rich culture, wonderful nature, delicious food, excellent wine, and amazing people. After visiting Italy many times, I realized I really wanted to learn its language, but for a long time I couldn’t decide. I was afraid of difficulties, but the desire won. For three years now (once a week for an hour and a half) I have been studying with a wonderful, educated, qualified teacher—Demian Buscatti—who is a native speaker and a true Roman. I’m very happy I met Demian. In our lessons he helped me believe in myself and gave me confidence that I can learn another language and communicate in it. I started from zero and now I can talk about almost any topic. It’s amazing! Lessons are always in Italian, but if difficulties arise, Demian can also explain in Russian (he knows our grammar very well). Lessons are always interesting and informative. We not only learn the language, but also learn many interesting things about the country. I used to try to learn English, but it never worked out. But in Italian I can already speak. Thank you, Demian!!! I highly recommend such a teacher to everyone.

If you truly want to learn to understand Italian culture and speak Italian not only correctly in terms of grammar but also vocabulary—and do it without school-style rote learning, through communication with a very versatile Italian—then Demian will help you! Lessons with him are always interesting! I’m very grateful to Demian for making Italian my favorite language—the one I speak freely.

It’s never too late to start learning a foreign language. I’m 55 and I study Italian with Demian Buscatti with great pleasure. The first year I studied in a group, then switched to individual lessons via Skype. In his lessons we speak only Italian, starting from the very first day—when I didn’t know a single Italian word. In group lessons he uses many interesting techniques, including games, so 135 minutes in the evening without a break (at our request) flew by completely unnoticed! Now we study for 90 minutes, and time flies again. His method is based on practicing spontaneous speaking skills, which helps you feel confident in real situations. At first it was hard for me to adjust because I had a completely different learning system behind me: learned words and dialogues on a topic, practiced grammar patterns, got an “A”—you’re great! But here you learn the material (and even the topic) only during the lesson. You don’t even guess what will be discussed, so at first I was discouraged by the thought that getting an “A” using traditional Soviet methods wasn’t happening. How surprised I was that after 4 months I could communicate quite tolerably with Italians who spoke neither Russian nor English—moreover, not only at markets and small village restaurants, but also at the tax office and other official institutions. Amazing! I like Italian, I like lessons with Demian, and I intend to continue as long as possible.

I’ve been studying Italian with Demian via Skype for about a year now. At first I was skeptical about the idea. Without any experience of this kind of learning, I thought it might be ineffective and inconvenient in various ways. But now, after some time, I can confidently recommend Skype lessons to everyone. It’s a great way to save travel time; lessons take place on convenient days and at convenient times, in a comfortable environment—and most importantly, they are very effective! I’d also like to note the quality of teaching itself. Lessons with Demian are lively and engaging. I feel how my language level has improved. Demian is a very responsible teacher: on the eve of each new lesson, new materials always arrive in my email. And what could be better than learning with a native speaker—especially when the native speaker is a true Roman!

I’ve been studying Italian for more than 13 years. Before learning with Demian—as is often the case—I did group courses and then individual lessons, but practice showed that it’s much less effective than learning with a native speaker who is also a specialist in teaching and a well-rounded person. I have been studying with Demian for 10 years now. Almost immediately after starting, the language barrier fell, and lessons take place in a relaxed atmosphere using communicative methods. Topics are taken from different spheres, which helps expand knowledge of the language and specific vocabulary. The results are huge, and I continue studying with Demian.

Lessons where you learn to speak real, “living” Italian! I quickly got rid of the language barrier and noticed results after just 3–4 lessons, which really surprised me. Demian is not only a native speaker, but also a qualified teacher: clear lesson structure, lots of listening practice, and homework to consolidate everything covered. I sincerely recommend trying and seeing for yourself.

I’ve been taking individual lessons with Demian for about two years. It’s great when a person speaks both languages fluently. He can explain all the subtleties and nuances of both grammar and vocabulary. Lessons are very interesting: there is listening and speaking and reading, and you can always express your own opinion. He always returns to material that I found difficult. I like the atmosphere in our lessons. Demian is very charismatic, friendly, and not snobbish at all. You can talk to him about any topic (in Italian, of course 😁). He teaches real, conversational language, and that’s very valuable. Thank you, Demian🤗