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/euro...ool-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/euro...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.