Laura Mantovani
Colleagues, friends and students were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Laura Mantovani, Italian language tutor and subject lead for Italian in the Language Centre. Her passing followed a period of illness but came as a shock to us all, as Laura was planning to return to her passion of teaching in the coming weeks. She leaves behind her husband Jon, who is himself a former Warwick colleague.
Laura had been teaching Italian at Warwick for over two decades. During that time, she taught beginners and intermediate level Italian modules for the Institutional-wide Language Programme as well as Italian for business and a range of levels in the Lifelong Language Learning programme, for which she had been the overall coordinator since September 2021. Her dedication to work, warmth to colleagues and friends, and optimistic attitude to life have inspired many of us. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.
Dr Joanne Lee (co-Head, SMLC)
Laura deeply loved teaching and she was especially eager to share fascinating aspects of Italian culture with students. She liked to use the Italian comic magazine “Topolino” that she would bring to class so her students could enjoy learning Italian using authentic materials. She was also a great lover of cinema, especially science fiction and horror films, and adored 80s and 90s music too.
Laura was one of the first few colleagues that I knew at the Language Centre. It was her cheerful "Ciao" to start and to finish our lively but usually brief conversations that intrigued me to notice this language after staying in this English speaking country for a few years. Her beautiful voice and accent also drove me to her class, hoping to learn more than greetings. She was so kind as to prepare a little recording of phrases for me to take while travelling in Italy. After that, I realised that she had brought the sunshine from the country to wherever she goes. Laura was always there for a chat, for support or for thoughtful advice. I have lots of fun and precious memories of Laura which I will cherish forever in my heart.
Prof. Zhiyan Guo (Head of the Language Centre)
I knew Laura throughout my 15 years at Warwick. She was a wonderful, thoughtful, warm-hearted, gracious colleague, loved by students and staff alike. She touched me greatly with her solicitous words after my own bereavements; may she rest in peace.
Evan Stewart (Director of the Language Centre 2007-2021)
I had the pleasure of being taught by Laura twice, firstly for LL2B2 Italian Beginners Accelerated in 2022/23, and then this academic year for LL2B4 Italian Intermediate Accelerated. Laura was clearly a passionate teacher and it came across in all of our interactions. I am not a natural linguist, but she was always patient and enthusiastic to help, with lots of welcome ideas of how I could improve my Italian skills. Any questions I asked were always given detailed and thoughtful answers, and her expertise in language learning was obvious. Her friendly demeanour and encouragement of animated conversations in class helped me to not only develop my Italian skills, but also my confidence to speak in front of others. The main reason I decided to return to learning Italian and take the intermediate course this year was because of how much I enjoyed Laura’s lessons; I could see how much she enjoyed sharing her love of languages, and her enthusiasm made me feel enthusiastic too. Not only was she a great teacher, but she was also a lovely person. She was always smiling and cheerful, and it was clear that she cared a lot for her students. I was touched that when I wrote to her ahead of joining her intermediate class this year, she remembered everything about me from the beginner course I did almost three years prior, and she was really happy to hear from me again and to see that I was still interested in learning Italian. I hope she knew that it was her that inspired me to continue my language learning journey. She will be greatly missed by all of us who were lucky enough to be taught by her.
Michael Cavaliere
Such a beautiful soul, always with a smile, RIP Laura xxx
Elaine Robinson
I have known Laura for a long time as my friend, colleague and teacher. I was in her classes for a few years and experienced first-hand her professional teaching, patience and dedication. Her classes were always fun, and made the atmosphere that enhanced our learning. I also loved working with Laura, she always went out of her way to help everyone. I remember her helping me many times during Covid when I struggled using the new online technology. Then, when I retired, she also organized a fun Quiz for my leaving party, which was so kind as it must have taken her a considerable amount of time to do; but that was so typical of her. Over the years we became good friends and we enjoyed many lovely times together. Sadly, since Covid I only met Laura virtually but we still had many long WhatsApp calls. I will miss Laura and will always remember her as a very kind, intelligent, interesting and gentle person.
Elisabeth Robery
I was first introduced to Laura by Jon when we were working in the DLMBA many years ago, and we officially became colleagues in 2018. Laura was truly beautiful inside and out. She often made me smile when she searched for the right English word, and she gave the warmest hugs. A passionate and dedicated teacher, she was deeply loved by her students — and she loved them just as much in return. Rest in peace dear Laura, you will be missed.
Carol Rice
Laura was a lovely colleague and her smile lit up not just the Language Centre but the whole School. She will be much missed.
Kate Astbury