What a great school! Before attending this intensive course, I had completed only a few months of ... 続きを読む
What a great school! Before attending this intensive course, I had completed only a few months of Italian on Duolingo, so I worried that I might feel overwhelmed. However, the school placed me in a class at exactly the right level, alongside students who were equally as committed to learning.
Our teacher, Sebastiano, took a thoughtful and well-balanced approach, making sure each of us had opportunities to speak, listen, write, and practice grammar and vocabulary in real time. He explained concepts in a way that made learning enjoyable, and we laughed at ourselves a LOT (in a good way). He was also incredibly patient with all of our questions, and created a great community vibe among all of the students.
I also loved the field trips offered by the school (I attended the Museo Egizio, Museo Reale, Torino Città, Villa Della Regina, and Art Nouveau/Crocetta tours). The guide, Giulia, spoke exclusively in Italian at a pace that was accessible to beginners while still offering information that was interesting for more advanced learners. Aperitivo hours were fun, too, and gave us a chance to chat with other students from all over the world.
The school is right in Piazza San Carlo and easily accessible by public transportation. Torino itself is also an excellent city for language immersion; I had many opportunities to practice Italian with local shop owners and restaurant staff as there are not as many tourists here! I definitely felt more confident as the weeks went on with basic interactions.
I have already decided to continue studying Italian with Sebastiano via Zoom, and I plan to return next year for another round of group classes and immersion. My goal is to get to at least a B2 level so that I can converse with natives on more in-depth topics.
Thank you to everyone at the school for making this such a memorable and rewarding experience!