We attended the course organised by Jane and her friend and colleague, Debora Chellini-Giomi, based in Lido di Jesolo in 2010. Our goal was to improve our spoken and conversational Italian beyond what we had achieved in our weekly classroom efforts. We succeeded and both of us noticed a vast change by the end of the week. The small size of the class helped to include everyone and exclude no one. Additionally, the mixed abilities of the students helped to bring everybody along, particularly encouraging for the less-experienced in the class. The aim of the course – to improve one’s use of the spoken language and to experience something of everyday Italy – is well balanced between classroom-style lessons and time spent in the Italian environment. Trips to Venice and the islands of Murano and Burano were organised to enhance the experience of learning and to set it into a cultural context.
The course itself is designed with the students in mind and to allow them to maximise the enjoyment of learning the language whilst acknowledging also that it is a holiday. As a way of improving one’s knowledge and use of the language, it is highly recommended.
In June 2009 I also attended a five day course in Castiglioncello which improved my conversation and comprehension skills far beyond expectation.
Jane has been teaching us Italian for almost three years and we have just completed her 5 day language course in the Veneto region. It really is one of the best and most pleasurable ways to learn, being totally immersed into the Italian language and way of life. With Jane’s connections we also had the benefit of an additional tutor with whom Jane insisted and encouraged the use of Italian at all times. A most valuable, productive and enjoyable learning experience, as are all her lessons.
I thoroughly enjoyed our linguistic trip to Florence where we had the opportunity of seeing sites associated with Dante Alighieri. The trip was also valuable to us because Jane was so disciplined in making us speak only in Italian to each other, which, somehow, felt natural in the appropriate setting of the country. We realised we learned quite a lot in the year to be able to sustain the conversation in the course of 3 days!
For the last three summers Jane and her teacher friend Debora Chellini-Giomi have organised a short course in Tuscany. I have attended all three courses and have found them well organised, instructive, and interesting. A great way to improve your spoken Italian. I recommend these courses.