Learning Italian
 

I am studying the beautiful language of Italian. Has anyone travelled to Italy to study Italian? If so, where in Italy and what are you comments regarding your course of study, the time involved, other students, the accommodations, etc.?
Grazie a mille.

Well, no, but I've learned a lot of great phrases from a Berlitz tape! Vada diritto. Gire a sinestra. E caldo il te? Coco, perfavore. How am I doing? Piacere! Gracie per il servicio. Le presento mi marito favorito.{that always got a laugh in Italy] Ciao

I did all in all four month-long classes at different levels at a school named "Dante Alighieri" in Firenze, which was very good in those times. That was AGES ago, though, so I don't even know if the school still exists. We had four hours of lessons every day, two hours of grammar and two hours of conversation, in groups of 10-12 students. The techers were Italians, and they didn't allow us any other language than Italian in class. I got really fluent and ended up passing the language exam required from students who want to study at an Italian university.

In general, I'd recommend taking a class that lasts four weeks or longer. The brain needs a week to switch to thinking in Italian, according to my experience, and that's when the process of learning actually begins. So a two-week class is rather short, and a one-week class doesn't make much sense at all.

Four weeks? Wow, how much would that cost?

As much as it was worth. A one-week class is, no matter how high or low the price, a waste of money.

Yes, I did take a personal course in Italian and loved it. It was geared towards my level, which is beginner, but all levels are available. It was in Sorrento.

ciaolaura