Much as I would love to do this, I haven't yet. A friend has been several times to the Scuola Leonardo in Siena and likes it very much.

I forgot to say, she's about 70 and didn't feel out of place.

I highly recommend Saena Iulia in Siena. class groups are limited to 6 students a d the teachers are very good.

tarquin - do you know it is that your friend particularly likes about it?

cruiseluv - i just looked at it, thanks. I think it must be connected on some way with the one at Orbotello as they do joint courses there in the summer. i agree it looks good and the class sizes are small - only 2-6.

have you been yourself?

Annhig, yes I spent one week there in July 2009(unfortunately too little time!) Would love to go back. they're very good at placing you at your right level.

thanks, cruiseluv .

i've sent them an e-mail.

meanwhile may I ask you a few questions?

did you do just the group lessons or did you do some private lessons too? how did that work out with the other activities?

did you stay in a hotel or with a family?

thanks for any help you can give me!

i love siena so it would be no hardship to spend a week there.

I was in Siena with my husband and stayed at a B&B called Villa Elda located just outside the walls ?It took around 10mims to walk to the school which is located right in the center of town. I didn't take private lessons . they offered an optional day trip during the week, we went to Massa Maritima. your email will probably be answered by Giorgia. she 's great at giving all sorts of details and useful information. If you're considering staying at an apt or with a family she would be the one to help you with that. she can also provide you with name and emails of students that have used different housing options So you can get their opinion.

The teachers were very warm and competent. Our group had a main teacher and another one that taught one period. Mid morning we would have a coffee break at a cafe next door and the teachers would come with us and we would keep talking in Italian.





If I ever return by myself I would probably look into a B&B I saw in town called Antica Residenza Cicogna.

Any q's just ask!

thanks, cruiseluv.

what was it that you liked about the antica residenza?

i have been thinking that it would be better to stay with a family so as to be able to continue the learning outside the schools, though i probably wouldn't do that if i weren't going to be by myself.

Oh, giant sigh. annhig, I am so happy for you and mighty jealous at the same time.

Please report back about your experience. Sigh.

I had considered staying there, so while in Siena I walked by it and liked it's location and the looks of it. it gets good reviews in TA.
I agree that staying with a family could add to the experience, but it's also a risk. Some of the people that I met at the school were staying with families and were very happy with their arrangements.

There have been several reports on Fodor's about Il Sasso in Montepulciano, but it's a bit further from Pisa airport.

http://www.ilsasso.com/eng/

Apart from the fact that her Italian improved each time, not sure what she liked especially. She stayed in a B&B - I would too, a not good family stay could be excruciating and I'm past the age of sharing a bathroom with strangers.

Tarquin, I agree. The bathroom sharing issue would be a deal breaker for me!

ciao again,

thanks for your interest and replies. yes, i am lucky aren't I?

I'm now inundated with replies from various language schools, and am having trouble sorting the wheat from the chaff.

one or two are pushing me towards entirely private lessons, which even if combined with cultural activities with other students, sounds a bit lonely. others just offer what I hope I will be forgiven for describing as "bog standard" group lessons which i suspect are mainly aimed at the younger end of the market, not withstanding Tarquin's friends experiences.

the ones i like the best at the moment are the one in Orbetello and the one in Chianti, as both offer what look like a nice mixture of language study in fairly small groups, and cookery, wine, culture, and quite a lot in the evening as well, which would be nice for me as a solo traveller. there is however one big difference - the Orbetello one is about €600 for the week, the one in Chianti is €1,500!!

i hadn't thought about bathroom sharing - thanks for mentioning it.

as I'm not going to be having dinner with any family I stay with as that is mainly covered by the course, it's not so vital, so i might opt for B&B.

back to the drawing board!!

annhig, do you mind if I interrupt with some questions for cruiseluv?

(Okay, I'll take that as a yes.)

cruiseluv, at what level Italian were you and your husband when you took this course? And what was the average age of the other students?

Best of luck, Ann. Sounds like this will be a great experience.

Leely, I would say I was at a high intermediate level(my husband didn't take classes). our group of 4 students was the most advanced at that particular time. The other two ladies in my group were young women , in their 20's. There was a German man a who appeared to be like me , in his 50's. other students I came in contact with a seemed to be in their 20's or 30's. I attended the school in the summer, and from what I understand, at that time of the year they get mostly young people.

leely - of course I don't mind, especially when you ask a question that I should have asked!

from the on-line tests I have taken, i think that I am at what they would class as a higher elementary/lower intermediate level.

I can see that in May, it is unlikely that there would be too many students there are they wil presumably all still be at college.

I am still leaning towards Orbetello though, as it provides virtually everything that I was aiming at doing.

they don't use any B&Bs there, but they do use this hotel with B&B at €60 per night:

http://www.hotelsoleorbetello.it/hotel.htm

that compares with about €30per night for a family stay.


i think I will e-mail them ref bathrooms and staying with a family!

annhig - I've been back to Siena 3 times to Saena Iulia. I really liked it, but cannot compare it to anything else.

Many people did the 4 hour morning group sessions (max 6 people) and then did one or two hours one to one tuition in the afternoons.

I have always stayed in apartments organised by the school (about €250 per week, but may have gone up in the last couple of years) , and they have been good.

Thanks for that, willit.

can i ask how long you stayed each time and how much you felt you improved?

that's two votes for Saena Iulia then.

i have gone back to my first choice to ask if the homestay families offer private bathrooms.

Hi annhig
The first two times I went for a fortnight each, the third time for a month (The last two weeks of one leave year, the first two of the next).

The first time, I think my progress bordered on the astronomical. I had been trying to learn the language at night classes for several years, but was always reticent to speak. At the language school, you have no choice - the groups are big enough so you don't feel too self confident, but not big enough to hide.

The month was possibly too long - I thought by the end of week three that I was in information overload mode.

I do want to go again - I felt I learnt huge amounts, and I fell in love with Siena itself - very probably my favourite city on Earth. The teachers were great, the location very central, the weekly "outings" to other parts of the region always enjoyable.

While I am happy to discuss anything further on this forum (for the benefit of all) , if you want any other info including photos of the apartments in which I stayed, then feel free to Email me williamsunderscoretjathotmaildotcom

The idea of spending a few weeks in Italy learning Italian is very appealing. Anyone with information/experience with the Università per Stranieri in either Perugia or Siena and comparison with the programs already mentioned?

Annhig,Bon voyage, you may want to check slowtrav.com message board. That's where I learned a lot about various language programs. I recall a thread posted by somebody attending Universita per Stranieri in Perugia.

Molte grazie, cruiseluv.

Hi annhig

We did a course in Florence about 14 months ago now. (http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/two-weeks-learning-italian-in-florence-a-language-school-review.cfm)

I am now studying French (2 hours once a week) in Sydney and find myself making comparisons learning like this versus the 2 weeks x 4 hours a day + homework. I really think the "total immersion" is the way to go. While it can be difficult at the time, the benefits are enormous. I also realise now just how well structured our course was. My current course seems to jump all over the place, and I am not sure what the structure is, or if there is even one. Reflecting back, I also think the concept of splitting the course 2 hours grammar and 2 hours conversation is an excellent way to learn!

Good luck with the planning and choices ...... I am so envious of you. We still talk about our wonderful time in Florence! (And our experience could not have been too bad as my elder daughter has just booked a language school in Lyon for the end of this year .... so we are planning another great trip).

Annhig,

Just to add to your dilemma...

I had an opportunity just about 2 years ago to spend a week alone Italy, to study the language.

At the time, I would say I was a high-level beginner, or very low level intermediate.
I looked at many of the same places as you, and ended up with Welcome Tuscany.
I opted to stay in Florence, as opposed to going out to Chianti for the week.
My private teacher met me each morning, at my hotel, and we spent the morning (3-4 hours),
walking around Florence, talking of art, history, politics , family, whatever came up.
My language skills improved more in that week than I had hoped for.
I took the bus out to their home one day in Chianti and passed the day with a cooking class and spending time with her family.
I spent the other afternoons by myself, sightseeing and talking only in Italian.
Admittedly, it got very lonely.

It was a memorable week, a great experience,I learned a lot...but if I have the opportunity to do it again, I would opt for class with more interaction with other students.

I am currently working online via Skype with a teacher from Genova and it has been fantastic!
I take 2 lessons per week, for 30-45 minutes and it has really helped with fluency.

aahhg - now i have italian language school overload.

too much information.

PRLCH - how did the search engine miss your thread? how did I miss your thread at the time - I've been thinking about do this ever since I started studying seriously.

Willit - that's very kind. my main concern with the schools like the saena iulia and leonardo da vinci is that i may get a bit/very bored in the afternoons, especially if i opted to do the extra private lessons as presumably everyone else will have gone off to see the uffuzi, etc. i have allowed myself 4 nights in Florence at the end of the trip which should give me an opportunity to have a good look round.

Ralstonian - i have heard back from Welcome Tuscany that they could accommodate me in Chianti - i would be the only language student but there would be two others in the afternoon who are interested in cookery/wine, so we would probably do things together then. I agree that this runs the risk of being a somewhat lonely experience.

overall, despite the attractions of siena and the recommendations for the school there, I am really leaning towards the one at Orbetello.

I'll lave a read of your links and keep you posted!

I just had a long reply [in italian] from the school in Orbetello that says [i think, i need to read it again - obviously i need some more italian lessons] that they think that they can arrange for me to stay with a family in a room with a private bathroom, but if I can't, which hotel/B&B do i want to stay in.

so that is good news i think, and has more or less decided me to go wit that option.

also they have been very prompt at answering my queries, which bodes well.

the overall cost should be about €600 which I think is pretty good.

Just an update - as i had hinted in the above posts, in true fodorite fashion I decided to ignore all your excellent advice about siena, and spend a week in Orbetello on the mediterranean coast of Tuscany with this school:

http://www.linguaterramare.com/

the reasons - they are offering a language, cuisine and wine course that not only fits my interests exactly, but will give me something to do every afternoon [and some evenings!] as well as in the mornings when the italian lessons take place, they have been very prompt and friendly in their answers to my questions, and it will be a chance to see somewhere completely new, where hopefully the locals speak little english.

I thought long and hard about staying with a family, but in this i did take your various steers about bathrooms in particular!, and decided to go for a hotel/B&B, not least because it will let my brain relax after all that italian. They have booked me in here:

http://www.hotelsoleorbetello.it/hotel.htm

it looks very nice, has A/C [which i might need in May], a private bathroom! and is only 100 mtrs from the language school building, so they tell me. at €50 per night for B&B it is a little more expensive than the family stay, but not extortionate by any means.

Finally, when i leave Orbetello after my course, I'm going to spend three nights in Florence at this place:

www.residenzacasanuova.it

it is a small B&B just out of the centre which I found through Alistair Sawdays. they again have been very friendly and helpful with all of my enquiries, and for a large single room, with breakfast, private bathroom, fridge, A/C, it is €78per night. they have a lovely looking terrace plus a bar, so if I get lonely, there will be somewhere to go!

so there i am, all booked and set.

I am so looking forward to it, as the last few weeks at work have been VERY stressful. in fact, if I enjoy myself as much as i hope, I may not come back!

thanks everyone for all the help and advice - although it may not seem like it, you were all very helpful in getting me to organise what I was looking for and why. I'll let you know how i get on!

Annhig , your plans sound fantastic. Please come back after your trip and let us know how it went. I will be specially interested in hearing about your experience with the language school. Good luck and enjoy!

Yes, I too am really looking forward to hearing how it all goes, especially the supplementary events. If you do stay on forever, maybe you can set up a refuge for the rest of us.

And so glad to hear of someone using Alastair Sawday to find accommodation, which I push all the time to little effect!

Bookmarking for future reference.

tarquin - I don't know why people don't use AS more. once you have logged on [for free] you get what seem to me to be pretty accurate reviews, and I haven't had a duff one yet. certainly they tend to be at the upper end of the spectrum, but €78 per night in May in florence including breakfast would be hard to beat, I think, outside a hostel.

anyway, it will be my pleasure to report back.

ciao for now!

Annhig, I could not find where you posted a review about your trip. I am planning a trip to italy next year to celebrate my 60s birthday and want to take a language immersion program and cooking class. So I was intrigued by this thread, and your itinerary. Are you glad you went with what you did? Anything you wished you had done differently? Thank you for your time and reply.

Here it is http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/first-catch-your-octopus-10-days-studying-italian-in-tuscany.cfm

jamikins - thanks for linking my TR for ahma.

ahma, as you will see from my TR, i was pretty happy with what I got. Some things might have been better - it was a shame that we only really had one teacher as the other one got sick, and a slightly bigger class might have provided a bit more variety, but OTOH we got a lot of individual attention. The town i went to was an ideal size for a week and i got to see an area of Italy that i didn't know at all, so that was also a plus.

my main advice [and I can't remember if I mention this in my thread, but it's worth emphasising] is to do at least 2 weeks, more if you can manage it. from watching other people, i think that you improve exponentially - ie 2 weeks together = 3 separate weeks. and if you are a beginner, the vast majority of schools will only offer you at least 2 weeks, as you can't learn much in one week.

I also suggest staying with a family so that you get to practice in a more informal environment. I didn't, and I wished that I had.

that said, i am going to Italy for another language course in February, again for just a week, it's being organised by the college where I do italian conversation evening classes mainly for the 17-18 year olds, so it has to fit in with their 1/2 term holiday. and we are going to be staying in a pension, rather than with families. it's not ideal but better than nothing, and it's ROME!

do come back with any questions you may have and I'll try to answer them.

Nice to see this thread about Italian immersion revived. I just wanted to update my own experience, which I just had this past October/Nov 2012.

I attended Il Sasso in Montepulciano. Of the three schools I've attended in Italy (Koine in Lucca, Saena Iulia, in Siena and this), this is my preferred one due to a combination of great teachers and the town of Montepulciano, which I adored! Already planning to go back if I can later this year or 2014.

Hi cruiseluv,

i have heard good things about Il Sasso and they impress me as they periodically send me marketing info, even though I didn't do anything beside make a preliminary enquiry.

what put me off was getting there on public transport - how did you get there? how long was your course?

if you've been to 3 schools, you must be an "old hand" by now!

>>>how did you get there?<<<

You can reach Montepulciano by bus from Siena (112). From Rome or Florence, train to Chiusi and then bus to Montepulciano (T2 or T4).

I was coming from Bologna (started my trip in Milano). As kybourbon above says, train to Chiusi station, from there its about 30 mins to Montepulciano. I splurged on a car transfer arranged with a driver my landlord recommended. Once I finished my classes (unfortunately just one week), I went back to same train station to catch a train to Roma.

annhig, dont let the logistics put you off. Its a great place, imo very special, specially if you , like me, prefer to stay in smaller towns.

annhig, dont let the logistics put you off. Its a great place, imo very special, specially if you , like me, prefer to stay in smaller towns.>>

yes, i prefer smaller places too, but the chance to go to Rome again was too good to pass up, especially as DH isn't too keen on it.

perhaps next time!

we're off on sunday to Rome for the week, staying and studying in the shadow of st. Peter's which is definitely going to be the place to be for the next few weeks. here's the link for the school:

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

and this is where we're staying:

http://www.hotelgravinasanpietro.it/

the plan is for 3 hours lessons in the morning, in groups graded according to ability, and excursions in the afternoons. Half of our group are AS/A level students aged 17-18, and the other half are oldies like me - 3 beginners and 2 more experienced; I am one of the latter and I suspect that we will be included with the youngsters for lessons. whether the school will have other classes going at the same time I don't know.

I'm getting quite excited now!

I cannot wait to read your report!

This sounds REALLY fun (and educational too of course!!)

I know you know Rome fairly well, but do you get Elizabeth Minchilli's blogs on food in Rome? It sounds like Ostiense is the area to go, plus Renato e Luisa near the Largo Argentina.

Looking forward to reading more.

Hi tarquin - I thought I'd signed up for those blogs, but i haven't received anything recently [and i check my junk regularly]. I'll have another go.

as for knowing Rome well, this'll be my third week there and each time I will have stayed in a different part, which makes it interesting as we explore a new area. I'm not sure how much freedom we're going to have - every day is pretty well mapped out, and i don't know what the plans for the evenings will be. I'd definitely like to go back and see some of my old haunts, as well as finding new ones. our teacher, who is italian but not from Rome, may have some ideas too! She is from Ischia, and I have no idea how well she knows Rome.

so I'm not going with any set ideas, but lots of hope!

jmct - I can't wait to write it!

ciao, tutti!

just got back and I can say that even a week of lessons [plus speaking as much italian as I could the rest of the time] has really paid dividends. OK, longer would have been better but it was still very worthwhile.

Trip report [hopefully] coming soon.

Fretta, per favore!

Ciao, yes please, looking forward to your report!