What can a piece of wood become?
What can a word become?
What can a story make us imagine?

 

For our Settimana della Lingua Italiana nel Mondo, we explored Lingua Geniale through Pinocchio, one of Italy’s most beloved stories. In 2026, we also celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Carlo Collodi, whose words continue to create characters, images and worlds in the imagination of children around the world.

Our journey began with wood — the material from which Pinocchio is born. The children touched, observed, listened and experimented, exploring textures, sounds, marks and possibilities. They built, printed, sculpted and transformed, asking:

 

“What could this become?”

 

From there, the story opened into many languages. Through storytelling, digital exploration, music, movement, drawing, construction and dramatic play, the children explored how ideas can be built, connected and transformed.

 

A word became a sound.
A sound became a movement.
A movement became an image.
An image became a story.
And a story became a world.

 

Inspired by the 100 Languages, Italian became more than a language to learn — it became a material to explore, play with and create through. A language to listen to, shape, build with, move through and make our own. Through Pinocchio, the children also encountered Italian literature, craftsmanship, theatre and storytelling traditions, discovering how language is deeply connected to culture and the many ways we express who we are.

 

✨ Dal legno alla parola. Dalla parola alla storia.
???????? Una lingua geniale per creare, immaginare e raccontare.