‘If You Want to Study Seriously and Experience a Truly International Academic Environment, HSE Is the Right Place’

Alessandro Locatelli

Photo courtesy of Alessandro Locatelli

Alessandro Locatelli, from Florence, Italy, is a third-year student of the Bachelor's in Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication at the HSE School of Foreign Languages. In his interview with the HSE News Service, he reflects on why it’s important to integrate a cultural dimension into language learning, what makes HSE lecturers special, and how curiosity motivated his decision to study in Russia.

— Why did you decide to come to Moscow to study, and why did you choose HSE University?

— It all started with an almost irrational curiosity.

As a child, Russia felt like a hidden world to me: its history, its culture, its landscapes—practically unknown to the average European

And it was precisely this silence surrounding such an enormous country that fascinated me: what lies beneath the surface? What is life like for these people? What does their language sound like?

I began studying Russian on my own, with nothing but grammar books, and after a few years I realised that books were not enough. I had to actually live in Russia to discover it.

I chose HSE for its academic reputation and the quality of its teaching—and I was not disappointed. Quite the opposite

— Are there any professors or lecturers whose classes you particularly like?

— Among all the faculty, I feel I must particularly mention Profs Maria Yashina and Aleksandra Nagornaya. What makes their classes special is not only their expertise, but the rare passion they bring to teaching. You can sense it in every explanation, in every story or detail they choose to share. What also strikes me is their genuine care for their students. In my experience, it is rare to find a talented professor who shows equal warmth toward the people they teach—that is why they are special.

— How is your Russian language learning progressing?

— Learning Russian has not been easy for me. I started studying it with grammar books, without any course or teacher.

Four years of full immersion in Moscow, daily conversations with native speakers, mistakes and corrections have brought me to a level where I can now read academic articles and follow complex lectures entirely in Russian

The biggest challenge is, without doubt, the declensions. In Italian they simply do not exist, and my mind still struggles to feel them as natural. It is at least satisfying when they come out right.

— Do you participate in university events, clubs, student organisations, or cultural activities?

— I take part in the Italian club at my university, and I must say that it gives me great satisfaction.

There is something special about watching Russian students fall in love with your language, your culture, and your history

Being a point of reference for them fills me with pride and reminds me of how powerful cultural exchange can be.

Photo courtesy of Alessandro Locatelli

— Have you taken part in any student conferences, seminars, or academic events?

— I have had the opportunity to participate in two academic conferences. At the international UNESCO conference in Tula, I presented a paper on the uneven recognition of UNESCO heritage sites. This is a topic close to my heart, because the spotlight tends to fall on the same well-known places, leaving equally extraordinary heritage in the shadows.

At my faculty's LED Conference, I presented a paper on integrating the cultural dimension into language learning. The central argument is that a language can never truly be learned without understanding the culture that inhabits it.

— Are you involved in any volunteer activities, either at the university or outside it?

— In my first year in Moscow, I took part in the Dari Edu volunteer project, which involved delivering food to families and elderly people in financial hardship. It was a simple, concrete, and deeply human experience. Arriving at someone's home, leaving something useful, and seeing a smile reminds you that solidarity does not need to be grand to be real.

— What do you like to do in your free time?

— In my free time I dedicate myself to work—whether that means research, teaching Italian, or translation. When longer breaks from studying come around, I travel. I travel to the cities of Russia that are least talked about in Italy and across Europe—be it St Petersburg, Arkhangelsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Grozny, or Vladikavkaz.

Every city has its own history, its own people, its own traditions, and a piece of Russia that no book can truly convey

— What are your favourite places in Moscow?

— Moscow is a city that overwhelms you, in the best possible sense. Hundreds of ancient churches, museums dedicated to the Great Patriotic War, modern art galleries—it would take years to see them all. But what I would recommend to international students is to use Moscow as a base: explore it thoroughly, and then explore Russia itself—the Caucasus, Karelia, the Urals.

— Would you recommend studying at HSE University to other young people from abroad?

— Definitely, I would recommend it without hesitation. If you want to study seriously and experience a truly international academic environment, this is the right place.

Visit the website to learn more about the Bachelor's in Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication. Applications to bachelor’s programmes at HSE University are open until August 3.