Born and raised in the province of Reggio Calabria, Italy, Giuseppina Mileti has been living in Cleveland, Ohio since 1978.

 

Giuseppina received her degree in languages at the University of Bari, (Puglia, Italy), and taught English for over 10 years in Italian middle schools and high schools.  After moving to the United States with her husband in 1978, she went on to teach Italian language courses in Cleveland-area schools and colleges.  In 1995, she began teaching at John Carroll University and later became a full-time Adjunct Instructor of Italian language and the Coordinator of the Bishop Anthony M. Pilla Program in Italian American Studies at John Carroll.  She not only taught the Italian language and culture at all levels, but also developed and taught enrichment courses and organized related educational trips to Italy.  Giuseppina worked as the liaison between the Bishop Pilla Program and the Italian American community of Northeast Ohio, by managing and coordinating the Program's lectures, fundraisers, and social events.  She also promoted the Italian language in schools and worked closely with Italian American associations in the Cleveland area, bringing the Italian language to high school curricula.

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Giuseppina also tutored Italian and interpreted for individual students, artists and professionals. Since 1995, she has been the official Italian interpreter for the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, serving as a liaison between doctors and Italian patients, and interpreting for Italian doctors visiting the Clinic.  

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Giuseppina retired from teaching in September 2013.  With over 15 years of group travel expertise, she decided to start her own travel company: La Bella Italia Tours, for group and private tours to Italy.

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Giuseppina is not only a full-time business owner, she's a wife, mother of four and grandmother, and looks forward to sharing her unique native country experiences with everyone who attends her tours.