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Oh no, not another grammar lesson! Learning italian in Venice - a TR.

Oh no, not another grammar lesson! Learning italian in Venice - a TR.

Old Feb 16th, 2015, 02:07 AM
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Oh no, not another grammar lesson! Learning italian in Venice - a TR.

As I write, the title to this trip report is still in the balance - “Not another week at a language school?” or “A week in Venice? - lucky you” or possibly “You’re going to Venice to do what?” but you of course will be able to see what I chose in the end. Why the problem? Well, truth be told, not many people think that spending a week in a language school is going to be much fun, even in Venice. Having done this before [this would be my 4th week at an Italian language school] I knew better but there is still a perception [which I hope to dispel] that time spent in a classroom is time wasted. Learning a language can be fun? Well, yes it can.

Those who have read previous TRs may remember courtesy of the college where I attend Italian evening classes, I was able to go to Rome [two years ago] and Sorrento [last year] so I was thrilled last September to learn that this year, the venue of the trip was going to be Venice, one of my favourite places. The format would be the same as before - a smaller group of “adult learners” joining a larger group of 16-18 year olds who are studying italian as part of their AS/A2 exam programmes, with lessons at the language school in the morning, and excursions in the afternoon. We all have the same teacher, [DT] an Italian who has lived in the UK for quite a long time, but still knows her way round Italy, and is very experienced at running these types of trips, but travelling with a group of teenagers brings a number of challenges, as well as joys, as can be imagined. This time, the group, all girls, gelled very well, so the problems were relatively few, thank goodness [no lads sneaking out at 2am to get drunk, as happened at least once in Rome!]

To keep the costs down, accommodation was going to be in private houses on a bed only basis and because there are no flights anymore to Venice from Bristol [our “local” airport, though even that is a 3 hour drive away from Cornwall] a minibus would transport us to Gatwick for our mid-morning flight but that had worked out quite well last year, so though travelling through the night is always a bit of a trial, I had no real concerns about it. [how wrong could I be?]

Anyway, that’s the background….let the trip begin!
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Old Feb 16th, 2015, 02:08 AM
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sorry about the clunky title, BTW - this was due to the restrictions on the title length.
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Old Feb 16th, 2015, 03:54 AM
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Looking forward to following along. Thanks for writing.
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Old Feb 16th, 2015, 04:14 AM
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Hi ANNHIG,

Good for you - continuing your study of Italian!

"... but travelling with a group of teenagers brings a number of challenges, as well as joys, as can be imagined." I can't wait to hear about it.

BTW, how is the weather in Venice at this time of year? Do you need boots? Will follow along...
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Old Feb 16th, 2015, 05:25 AM
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Another report from annoying -- I'm in.
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Old Feb 16th, 2015, 05:36 AM
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Welcome back from Italy. I will follow along.
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Old Feb 16th, 2015, 05:55 AM
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Well, I was hooked by the title! I'm in for the duration! Andiamo, annhig!
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Old Feb 16th, 2015, 06:56 AM
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Settling in with anticipation.
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Old Feb 16th, 2015, 07:20 AM
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Nice to have you all along.

ellenem - thank you particularly for your endorsement - I'm going to assume that that was the autocorrect!
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Old Feb 16th, 2015, 07:37 AM
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My Italian class is often the highlight of my week, and my week attending a course in Rome last year was one of the best vacations I've taken. I completely agree that language learning is fun! I'm really looking forward to this.
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Old Feb 16th, 2015, 07:56 AM
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Day 1 postponed.

i thought that perhaps rather than launching straightaway into a day by day account of my doings in Venice, I should spend a little time talking about language schools, so that those who just want to know about that, and don’t want to read about my travels, won’t have to plough through the entire trip.

This being the fourth Italian language school I’ve attended, I think that I’ve got a reasonable idea of what to look for, so if you will forgive me, I’ll set out my thoughts here:

1. Look for a school that has a reasonable number of students so that there a
re sufficient classes to cover all levels. There are few more frustrating things than being in the wrong class, whether it’s too hard or too easy. Class size is less important than getting the right level. In retrospect, the first school I attended in southern Tuscany was too small; I was lucky that the other 3 people were about the same level as I was but a class of 4 got a bit boring.

2. Look at the other activities offered by the school. Most offer private classes, excursions, cooking and other classes, etc. The school in Rome didn’t offer much by way of other activities and also didn’t have enough students to cover all levels sufficiently.

3.If you decide that you don’t want to join in with the school’s extra curricular activities, what else is there for you to do? Rome, Venice, and even Sorrento have a lot of things that you can do in the afternoons and evenings, which makes for a richer experience and offers more opportunities to practice your Italian on the unsuspecting locals.

4. Try to find reviews on-line or search here for recommendations.

5. If it doesn’t come up to scratch, tell them why you are unhappy. There was a recent thread where someone was attending a school in Florence which was unsatisfactory; she complained and after a little pressure, they moved her to a different class which was a lot better.

I hope that wasn’t too boring for those who are just along for the ride.
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Old Feb 16th, 2015, 08:21 AM
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on for the ride.
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Old Feb 16th, 2015, 08:44 AM
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I'm joining you. One of these days I'll take the plunge.
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Old Feb 16th, 2015, 09:26 AM
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Day 1 - Hello Venice.

Our trip actually started the day before Day 1; since they have stopped flights to Venice from Bristol, we had to get for Gatwick for our 9am Easyjet flight so at 11.30 pm the 16 of us were stood around waiting for the minibus to drive us the 275 miles there. The fact that it was late did not bode well and we soon discovered that the journey was not to be a comfortable one - the seats were as hard as any I’ve known and the 5 hour trip was awful; in fact the worst bit was when we had to wait at some services while the driver had his compulsory pause, knowing that we were going to have to get back on.

Still, all things shall pass, and eventually we got to the airport and started the tedious process of checking in a group of 16. For some reason we were first of all told that we could book in together, then we were sent somewhere else to book in separately, and finally they sent us back to where we had started off. What with this and the need to shepherd 10 teenagers through check-in, passport and security, we were desperate for rather more than a cup of tea while we were waiting for the flight.

Surely the best thing that you can say about a flight is that it was unremarkable and we actually landed early, which was a nice surprise. Even better our luggage arrived with us, and in what seemed like no time we had escaped from the airport building and were boarding the ATVO bus from just outside the airport building. While DT was buying the bus tickets from the biglietteria next to the exit from customs I took the opportunity to buy a 7 day vaporetto pass [€60]; I was pretty certain that I’d be using them a lot during the week as I knew that I was going to be staying on the other side of the Grand canal from the school right next to a vaporetto stop and at €7 a trip, I was reasonably confident that I’d get my money’s worth.

The advantage of the ATVO bus is that unlike the one run by the local ACTV transport company, there is a luggage compartment underneath and it doesn’t stop between the airport and the Piazzale Rome, which makes it comfortable and quick; IME the no 5 ACTV bus is neither of these and is still the same price as the ATVO bus - it is no longer included in a vaporetto pass as it was last time I went to Venice. But you still have to remember to “convalidere” your ticket before you board the bus - there are machines by the bus stop and on the bus so there is no excuse. [but there is a big fine if you are caught without a validated ticket].

The journey went past in less time than it took to write that paragraph, but even in that time it became obvious that the dire weather that Venice had been experiencing had passed over and there were blue skies over the lagoon as we drove over the long bridge which links the mainland to Venice. Yes it was cold, but to answer one of the questions above, we only needed boots to keep warm not to stop our feet getting wet, as the acqua alta had subsided almost as we were arriving, and did not recur while we were there. [for those who are interested, it is possible to sign up for free high water forecasts either by SMS or e-mail by filling in and sending off this form: http://portale.comune.venezia.it/maree/iscrizione ]

Once we alighted we were met either by our hosts, or in my case by someone who was going to take me to my accommodation, so we were soon being dispersed all over Venice. The kids were all staying in the area around the school in Dorsoduro but us four adults [or le donne anziane - the old women as we affectionately became known] were staying further afield - me in San Marco near the Sant’Angelo vaporetto stop on the other side of the Grand Canal, another up in Cannaregio, yet another on the Zattere, and the fourth nearby in San Polo, while DT and the other teacher were in an apartment near the P. Roma.

Like all Venetians, the young woman guiding me, who it turned out was a drama student the same age as my DD, walked extremely quickly, and most of the time I had no idea where we were going as we rushed through the streets of Venice. Eventually we got to the Ca’ Rezzonico vaporetto stop [lucky I’d already bought my ticket, I’m not sure what I’d have done otherwise] and as the boat arrived, we jumped on, so I could enjoy the first of the many trips across the Grand Canal that I would take during the week. It was only 2 stops to the other side and suddenly there we were at the door of my venetian home for the next week. She buzzed the button for the apartment where I would be staying and 5 seconds later, we were in.

Beyond the door? Steps. Lots of them. [71 to be precise - I counted them later]. No lift. My escort started charging up them but after several flights she noticed that I was struggling and helped carry my [not very heavy] luggage to the top, which turned out to be not the 3rd floor as advertised, but the 6th. There I was met by my hostess, Roberta, who showed me to my room, [small but perfectly adequate] and round the apartment where she had lived her whole life. There were a few rules like leaving the bathroom door open when it was not in use and shutting it when it was as there was no lock, and shutting the front door quietly, but nothing apart from that, and quite soon we were sitting down having a cup of tea together.

A cup of tea? That doesn’t sound very Italian, does it? Well, I took some tea bags with me in the hope that I might be able to make myself some tea in the mornings, and somehow I ended up making tea for us both in a beautiful teapot that Roberta produced from a cupboard in her sitting room. This, and the shortbread biscuits I had taken for her broke the ice, and we were soon chatting away like old friends. This happy interlude had eventually to be interrupted as our group was supposed to be meeting up at the P. Roma at 5pm so that we could be shown how to get to the language school in Campo San Margherita, so with about 30 mins to go, I made sure that I had my keys to the apartment [and how to use them] and set off, alone, into Venice.

Later - Day 1 - part ii - shall we, shan’t we? Finding our way around and our first [and last] meal together.
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Old Feb 16th, 2015, 11:06 AM
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My Italian class is often the highlight of my week, and my week attending a course in Rome last year was one of the best vacations I've taken.>>

where do your italian classes take place, jmct? and which school did you attend in Rome? We spent a week here:

http://www.languageinitaly.com/EN/index.php

it was quite good, but the star of the week was Rome, as you might imagine.
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Old Feb 16th, 2015, 11:20 AM
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Absolutely love this idea - and definitely along for the ride!
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Old Feb 16th, 2015, 11:33 AM
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welcome, LCB.
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Old Feb 16th, 2015, 11:58 AM
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Hello Ann, welcome back!

Are you still in Venice, or are you back home? We've had some lovely weather in the past week in Le Marche, a bit south of Venice.

I can find decent tea in shops here in Italy, but if I want a good cup of tea, I have to make it myself. The Italians have a sort of homeopathic notion of tea. I once saw someone make tea for five people using a single tea bag.
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Old Feb 16th, 2015, 12:48 PM
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Thanks, bvl. No, I'm back, worst luck. if I'd planned a bit better, I could have stayed on for an extra week and come back next weekend instead of this.

You're right about the tea. €3.50 or so for a teabag in some tepid water is not a good deal. So I took my own teabags, and used them to make a mug of tea in the mornings and in the afternoons when I got back. They lasted all week which was a bit of a feat. I showed Roberta how to make it properly but I'm not sure it computes, as you say.
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Old Feb 16th, 2015, 12:49 PM
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Day 1 - part 2 - shall we, shan’t we? Finding our way around and our first [and last] meal together.

Because the Sant’Angelo stop is only served by the line 1 vaporetto it was easy to work out which one I wanted and I quickly pushed my way on past all the Carneval revellers and found a seat inside. Despite the cold I could see from the vaporetto that the crowds were already out partying and the crush around the bottom of the Rialto bridge had to be seen to be believed - there were people in C18 costume, someone with angel wings, even superman. But nothing really detracts from the beauty of Venice, even idiots cavorting about in silly costumes and it was lovely to be sailing up the Grand Canal again.

Arriving at P. Roma I found our group easily enough and we set about finding our way to the Campo San Margherita - easier said than done. It looks easy enough on the map but in the gathering dusk, with a group of girls to keep together, it seemed that every turn we took was a wrong one. Ages later [probably only 45 mins or so,] we stumbled across the campo. Five minutes later we found the school - http://www.istitutovenezia.com/en/ - in the corner out of the way in the next street. By now we were all pretty hungry so we decided to eat in the Campo; we could all make our way home from there and in theory we would know our way back the next morning.

It is so difficult to pick a decent place to eat out of the many choices, even in a relatively small area like the Campo San Margherita - who knows which restaurants are good, bad or indifferent? We started by deciding to avoid those which had menus translated into multiple languages and the ones that employ someone to stand outside and entice people in. That got rid of a few. In the end we decided on this one: Ristorante Ai Sportivi, mainly because there was no-one trying to drag prospective customers inside, though it also had a menu that would cater for most tastes, including some vegetarians. Though Venice is reputed to be expensive, we had to look for cheap places for the girls, and we were lucky with this place as as well as pizzas for about €6 each, they had 2 course menus with salad or chips for €13 as well. Result! I had spaghetti all vongole followed by fritto mist [mainly calamari with some prawns]; others had lasagne or cannelloni followed by a pork cutlet. Along with drinks [wine for the non-teacher adults, water for the rest] for the 16 of us the bill was €184, of which my share was €20 - a good start. It was nice all eating together and getting to know the girls a little - they are all AS level students so they had started learning Italian in September. Unfortunately it didn’t work out for us all to eat together again during the course of the week so this was the only communal meal we had - a shame, because the girls were good fun, and very enthusiastic about the trip. [not always a given, somewhat surprisingly].
After such a long day we were all very tired by about 8pm, so after paying, we all went our separate ways back to our accommodation. The girls were living in pairs so they did at least have company, and several of them lived in the same direction which was good, and though I lived over the other side of the Grand Canal, it was easy to find my way to the Ca’ Rezzonico vaporetto stop, which was the first one I and used that afternoon. The woman who was living in Cannareggio however had a much longer walk, and in the course of the week walked many miles. Though the vaporetti were not as convenient for her as for me, I could help thinking that she could have made her life easier by buying a vaporetto ticket - I think that mine had paid for itself by the end of Tuesday.

I found the apartment building very easily and then started to climb the stairs, which did get easier during the week, albeit not much. letting myself in quietly, I stole into my room and after setting my alarm, slid gratefully into bed.

Tomorrow - lessons begin.
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