In Italian the word for tongue and language, is one and the same: lingua. That’s why, in addition to the week of Intensive Italian and the obligatory Italian classes, the Umbra Institute sponsors the Tandem program. Run by staff member Rachel Bethany and Umbra’s hard-working intern Paola d’Amora, the Tandem program is a sort of mixer where American students and their counterparts from Perugia’s universities get to know each other. The low-pressure environment and activities often lead to friendships that last the whole semester and even beyond – it’s not uncommon for Umbra alumni returning to Perugia to visit the friends they made in Tanbehind Piazza Morlacchi, just around the corner from Umbra. Conversations flowed long past the official end of the event… perhaps tongues were loosened just a bit by the wine and prosecco aperitivo.