Patient, full of ideas and a great leader, Elio founded CIS in 1979 when as a young teacher creating his own materials, he saw an opportunity. CIS quickly became a successful language school and publishing company. The first language course that he co-wrote, Avanti!, changed the way languages are taught and how language textbooks are designed. In 2020 Elio launched Lingopont, a new groundbreaking publishing company with high ambitions. Elio’s passion for languages represents not only communication, but also cultural richness, new friendships, personal development and fun times. These are all things that he instills in our school. His hobbies include traveling, Opera, reading, playing golf, and watching sports . Lucio Battisti is his favourite Italian singer and Il Postino is one of the best Italian movies he recommends.

Reliable, smiling and enthusiastic. She joined the CIS team in 2022 and she’s been always passionate about teaching Italian grammar and culture, fashion and food. She has an obsession with authentic Italian gelato and her hobbies include travelling and going to yoga and pilates classes. Stella loves strolling at the beach or in the parks and she likes watching Italian movies starring Claudio Santamaria. Subsonica is her favourite Italian music band. She believes that “everything happens for a reason”. Born in Milan

Creative, empathetic, and passionate. Her motto is: "Replace fear of the unknown with curiosity." Asia has been at CIS since the end of 2024. She loves teaching because it exposes her to diversity, allowing her to connect with people from different backgrounds and perspectives. She finds teaching deeply fulfilling in a dynamic environment, where she helps others thrive while also growing and learning alongside them, all within a space that fosters authenticity. She likes to read, and is passionate about art in all its forms, especially the poetry of Alda Merini. She finds her raw and poignant words inspiring, and to be a true reflection of the beauty and depth of Italian culture.

Passionate, curious, and with a research background in Australia, Cristiano joined the CIS team in 2022. He believes that learning a language requires cultural immersion, spontaneous connections, and authentic communication. A traveller at heart, Cristiano has used his skills in European languages to connect with people from dozens of countries. Some of his favourite Italian novels include “Timira” by Wu Ming 2 & Antar Mohamed and “La dismissione” by Ermanno Rea, whereas Italian filmmakers he usually recommends are Pier Paolo Pasolini, Michelangelo Antonioni and Claudio Caligari. He loves indulging his passion for urban photography while listening to old school Italian rap. Born and raised in Napoli. 

Welcoming, patient and witty. Lorenzo joined the CIS team in 2024. He loves to stimulate his creativity and the creativity of students in the classroom, and he believes that learning, to be true, must be an obligatory consequence of free experimentation. When he is not busy teaching, he plays with his folk trio, walks around and, if the weather is good enough, pretends to know how to play soccer. His motto is a Latin phrase from the poet Ovid: "numquam quaerenti defuit orbis," he who seeks the world will always find it. His favourite poets are Giovanni Raboni and Guido Gozzano, and his favourite songwriter is Luigi Tenco. 

Smart, friendly and adventurous, Luca has joined the CIS team in 2023. His passion for cinema and music makes him a creative and lively teacher. Learning a language means much more than being familiar with grammar rules: it also entails learning in depth about the culture it represents, this is why his lessons are filled with many useful activities for learning how to deal with real-life situations. He loves every movie directed by Sergio Leone or Ettore Scola while Elsa Morante and Niccolò Ammanniti are his favourite italian authors. Nature and fitness lover, Luca enjoys doing outdoor activities, from surfing to hiking. Born in Latina (Lazio). 

Creative, curious and adventurous, Nicole joined the CIS team in 2025. She believes that learning a new language is not just a skill, but a real key to understanding the world and the people around her. She’s very passionate about teaching, as she sees it as a real mission to create a connection between different cultures. She really enjoys sharing unique sayings and traditions from her home region with the class. Her main interests are linguistics, East Asian languages and baking, as well as outdoors and travelling. One of her favourite Italian authors is Giacomo Leopardi, but she also enjoys contemporary literature and fantasy novels, like “Cronache del mondo Emerso” by Licia Troisi. Movie director Federico Fellini holds a special place in her heart because of her student years in Rome. Born in Reggio Emilia (Emilia-Romagna)

Positive, motivated and creative, Francesca has joined the CIS team in 2021 but she has been working as a teacher since 2011. She loves teaching using different techniques to make her classes always fun and dynamic. The phrase that she always keeps in mind is: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”. Carmen Consoli and Brunori Sas are two of her favourite Italian singers while Erri de Luca, Marco Malvaldi and Antonio Tabucchi are her favourite Italian writers. 
She also loves cooking, watching TV series and playing tennis.

From Reggio Calabria

Enthusiastic, passionate and determined. Francesca joined the CIS team in 2024. She has a playful and creative approach to teaching and loves engaging with her students' different characters and life paths to make the learning experience more complete and personal. As a violinist, she believes that communication is the most important part of any language, from the ones we speak on a day-to-day basis to the ones that challenge us to learn a new skill. When she's not teaching or playing violin, she loves hiking, surfing, exploring and spending time with people she loves. Her motto is "l'emozione e il pensiero creano il sentimento, e con il sentimento si muovono le montagne", feelings and thoughts create emotions, and with emotions one can move a mountain. Her favourite Italian songwriter is Fabrizio De André and her favourite Turkish-Italian movie director is Ferzan Özpetek.  

Friendly, enthusiastic and adventurous. Laura has joined the CIS team in 2025. Laura moved to Australia following her passion for archaeology and her curiosity for meeting new people in a multicultural, vibrant city like Melbourne. She loves creating an engaging, teaching environment to stimulate students’ creativity. In her free time, Laura plays volleyball and goes hiking. Her favourite Italian writer is Andrea Camilleri, and among the most recent Italian groups, she likes listening to the Pinguini Tattici Nucleari. Born in Sardinia.

Empathic, patient and dreamer, Simona joined the CIS team in 2025. After spending several years abroad, she brings a strong sense of cultural openness and adaptability into her teaching. She enjoys creating a welcoming and engaging learning environment, where students feel comfortable and motivated. Creative by nature, Simona has a real passion for cooking — which allows her to express herself and connect with others in a different way. She has also worked as a seamstress, reflecting her practical mindset and attention to detail. Born in Brindisi and currently living in Sicily, her favourite Italian artist is Laura Pausini.
The quote that best represents her is: “Carpe diem"

Active, patient and with a good sense of humour, Antonio has over 40 years of experience in education. He loves to engage in the learning of others and experience their enjoyment through learning a language. To Antonio language is not just words and phrases, it’s a reflection of the people, the history, the culture, the food, the music and traditions. “Take as much out of your day as you can but make sure you give as much in return” was his father’s advice, which has stood by Antonio all his life. His favourite Italian singer is Gianni Morandi and his favourite Italian writer is Carlo Levi.

From Basilicata

Friendly, patient, a great communicator and listener, Stefano has joined the CIS team in 2022. His goal is to create enjoyable and interesting learning experiences for curious and passionate students who want to discover Italian from “A” to “ZETA”. Stefano’s interests range is very wide and varied. He cooks and bakes a lot of Italian food and has an obsession with everything Disney. He loves singing Italian songs from all Sanremo Music Festival playlists available with friends and finds solace in fantasy sagas on the page and on the screen. He is an avid reader, adores musicals and plays and goes to the gym most mornings. And much more! Stefano was born in Brescia (Lombardia) and moved to Melbourne 10 years ago.