"Il Sasso" - School of Italian in Tuscany

Il Sasso, the Italian language school in Montepulciano, Italy, is located in a historic building in a walled Tuscan hill town. Classes are offered for every level from beginners to advanced Italian speakers, and special classes are available for business Italian, etc. Instruction is available either in small groups or one-on-one. Cultural activities, cooking lessons, and hikes in the countryside are also offered as a reinforcing what students learn in the classroom. Instructors all have university degrees, and they take a personal interest in their students' progress. Evaluation: ****** Location description Montepulciano is the highest of the hill towns in Tuscany. The historic center is still surrounded by its 14th century walls. The views of the Tuscan countryside with its vineyards and olive groves is absolutely breathtaking! (If I go to heaven when I die, this is what it will look like!) Students have the advantage of living in a small town where they soon feel they are a part of the community and at the same time they are only 2 hours away (by public transportation) from both Florence and Rome. Other cultural and historic centers like Siena and Pienza are even closer. There are good restaurants in all price ranges, and of course there are plenty of opportunities to taste the local Vino Nobile. If I could give this a higher rating than 6, I would do so. Evaluation: ****** Housing description Students have the option of either living with a local family or having a private apartment. Hotels can also be arranged at a reasonable cost for shorter stays. Apartments are all located in the historic center of the town, and many have fabulous views. (Even if your view is just across the terra cotta rooftops, you are still in Tuscany and in a hill town at that!) Apartments are comfortable and are equipped a kitchen with plates, cutlery, glassware, etc. Linens are also furnished. No apartment is very far from Il Sasso's classrooms. It is only 1.1 kilometers from the main gate in the city's 14th century wall to Piazza Grande at the top of the hill, and Il Sasso is about half-way up. Evaluation: ****** Life-at-school description Classes begin with an assessment of the student's level of proficiency, allowing them to be placed in a class at the right level. Formal instruction generally takes place in the mornings with afternoons free for sightseeing, visiting the weekly market, or whatever the student enjoys. Students are encouraged to use only Italian even outside of class, and friendly Poliziani (local citizens) will offer plenty of encouragement even if you don't get it right the first time. The Sasso staff go out of their way to make sure each student's stay is a success whether that means suggesting a restaurant for the evening or arranging a dental appointment. I've often seen Heike Wilms, who keeps the Il Sasso office humming, carry on three conversations in three different languages at once! By the time your two week course is done, you feel that you have become one of the Poliziani. Evaluation: ****** Overall description A historic town in beautiful surroundings. You will feel at home very quickly. The Il Sasso staff and instructors are very supportive. Did I mention that the food and wine are fabulous? I can't think of a better way to learn Italian. Evaluation: ******

Six years ago, I spent a marvellous time at Montepulciano - for two weeks. As I'm only a Beginner of Italian, I had in the beginning trouble communicating. But in those two weeks, I learned more, than in half a year of evening classes. And my Italian Family was great - not to mention even that great kitchen - as they cooked every day something splendid for me. And as it was fall - we enjoyed the macaroni backed in the oven - together with a local glass of wine.. come and enjoy it too...

I came to Il Sasso because it was recommended to me by 3 different people who all said that it was great. This is my second school in Italy and I have really enjoyed the experience here. The 'welcome' drinks ensure you meet others very quickly and students are very well looked after throughout the course. There is always someone to help with problems in life outside the school which is important when you are a stranger and don't yet speak Italian. The heavy focus on speaking Italian even while learning grammar was hard for me, but the teachers ensured it was also a lot of fun. And Montepulciano has been a truly wonderful town to explore and to practise my new language skills in the excellent restaurants, bars and shops. For me, talking with the 'locals' has been one of the best experiences, - they have been so patient and friendly.

As an American who came to Il Sasso with his family, I can say without hesitation that it is a wonderful school offering a wonderful experience to learners of all abilities. The classes were small, the teachers were youthful and vibrant, and there was an air of festivity about the learning experience. My son, who was fourteen at the time, had as good a time as my wife and I, and did not feel out of place or out of his element. What I enjoyed most was the mix of students. We were the only Americans in our classes. There were Irish, Germans, Japanese, Norwegian, and many other nationalities, ranging in age from teenagers to adults in their seventies. From the first moment the classes were conducted in Italian, and despite our lack of any other common language, we soon all became good friends and colleagues. There was much laughter, and that, to me, is always a very good sign. I have to make special note of the quality of the teachers. They were young and full of fun, yet very competent. No one felt intimidated and everyone felt welcomed and encouraged. I would highly recommend Il Sasso to anyone who wishes to study Italian away from the rush and hustle of a large city. The whole experience was magic. You will leave enriched, relaxed, and full of good memories of the Italian language and culture.

Three weeks at Il Sasso were three of the most magical weeks of my life. Leaving behind my little city on the other side of the world, in New Zealand, I packed my bags to embark on what would become the most memorable and priceless experience, within the walls of Montepulciano, Tuscany. An ancient fortress town, nestled in the hills of Tuscany was about as different as you can get from my hometown, but the moment I pulled up to the ancient gateway to the city, saw the medieval flags flying, and smelled the aromas of freshly sliced pizza wafting through the cobbled street, I felt I had come home! Il Sasso itself can be found in the middle of the main street of Montepulciano - perfect for dashing off in breaks to get a perfectly-brewed espresso and some sweet treat! The classes themselves improved my Italian immeasurably. There were no more than 5 students in my class, which means that the teacher can give each person the quality time they need to improve their Italian. And the teachers themselves? All of them were enthusiastic, warm, interesting, and, most importantly for a language teacher, each of them found ways to present the difficult parts of Italian grammar in a way that learning them was fun, and not too daunting! Probably the most rewarding thing about the teachers, though, was that each of them seemed genuinely interested in getting to know you, the student. By the time my course was finished, I felt like I was leaving behind some wonderful friends! Another fascinating aspect of classes at Il Sasso is the fact that your fellow students are from all over the world, so you get to share your own culture and background with them and learn about theirs. Aside from sitting inside a classroom and learning Italian, students at Il Sasso get the opportunity for a far more "hands on" approach to learning about Italian language and culture - the school organises all kinds of trips and excursions outside the classroom - from wine trails, treks through the Tuscan hills, tours on the architecture and history of Montepulciano - and my personal favourite: an Italian cooking class with a real Italian mamma! Throughout my stay, I boarded with an elderly Italian couple in their home (which was only 3 minutes walk from Il Sasso), and so, every day (after classes finished at midday), I arrived home to a mouth-watering, home-cooked Italian lunch! I don't think I've ever eaten better in my life. If you have the opportunity to board with an Italian family, I highly recommend it, because it's a real insight into Italian culture, cuisine and custom. And, of course, you get the chance to practise your Italian with real Italians! Every day in that home, when I threw open the green shutters on my bedroom window, and looked down into the sun-drenched, fresh-aired valley, complete with the magnificient San Biagio church in the distance, I thanked my lucky stars that I'd chosen to do a course at Il Sasso.

The Old Man and the Fee (My Week of Language Lessons) Let's face it. I'm in my 40's now, and much too old to be absorbing a new language. Lucky for me, however, I work for the U.S. government and was recently afforded the opportunity to spend a week in a medieval hill town Montepulciano) trying to improve my Italian skills. In truth, I absorbed a lot - a lot of wine, a lot of the local cuisine, a lot of sun, and as a result, a lot of pounds. But lest you think I wasted the taxpayer's money, let me assure you I also worked. But let's begin at the beginning. The school (Il Sasso) works with a real estate agency and offers to arrange accommodation for its students. I decide to take the family dog with me and therefore choose an "agriturismo" about three kilometers outside of town rather than an in-town apartment so that the dog can have some room to roam (the attraction of the swimming pool didn't hurt). Naturally, the only pictures I can find of the place are from the agency itself and the driving directions are Byzantine. Finally, the third person I asked pointed me in the right direction and I end up at a gate in a wall with no address marker and no sign. Hesitantly, I call the owner, who lets me onto the stunning hillside property filled with olive trees and with a gorgeous view of the countryside to boot. I have arrived. At 8:45 am on Monday, Alberto greets me at the door of the school and shows me to a classroom along with four other newcomers. We all sit down for an "enjoyable" one-hour written exam followed by an oral discussion that will determine our skill level and therefore which class we will enter. I wade my way through the prepositions, articles and verb endings, constantly thinking, "I studied this, I should know this&" and then guessing at the answers. Near the end the exam becomes more difficult and I find myself looking at verbs conjugations like "fossi" and "fu" and wondering whether this class was a good idea. Seeing my classmates in a similar predicament, I don't feel so bad. Later, Alberto returns and we begin the oral discussion. After a break, I am stunned when Alberto motions for me to follow him and we end up in the advanced conversation class. Joining me is Chris, the new Vatican DCM. "Oh great," I think, "now I can't even goof off." Aside from Chris and myself, there are two gentlemen from Switzerland, one from Montreal and a younger German woman. It quickly becomes clear that four of the six are more skilled than I. I hope desperately that I don't embarrass myself and/or hold them back. The pattern for the week includes group classes from 8:45 am until 1:30 pm, then two hours of individual lessons between 2:30 and 4:30 pm. Alberto alternates with Patrizia in the morning sessions, and my individual lessons are with Cinzia, who looks remarkably like Charlotte from "Sex and the City." I try not to eat too much at lunch, lest I become sleepy in front of Cinzia. But by 4:30 each day I am tired - tired of Italian, tired of myself, tired of trying to formulate Italian sentences such as "If I had been born rich I would have played golf all my life and would not have had to worry about learning goofy foreign languages," instead of my usual level of communication, which is "me, nap, now." Speaking of naps, that becomes another part of the week's pattern. I arrive "home" before 5:00 pm, grab a beer from the frig and head to the pool. The dog runs as far as she wants (until she reaches the end of her leash and gets jerked backward like a rag doll) and I fall asleep in the lounge chair, an Italian textbook open on my chest (okay, maybe it was a spy novel, but who's counting?). Sometime in the following couple of hours, I rise, return to my apartment and get ready for dinner. Dinner usually means a short drive into town or into one of the neighboring villages to sample the recommended cuisine, including the famous Vino Nobile (Montepulciano) or the reds from the hillsides surrounding Montalcino. Food items include Cinghiale (wild boar), pecorino cheese and a plum grown only in Montepulciano, Coscia di Monaca, literally "Monaca's thigh," (don't ask me why because I don't care to think about it). Mistakenly following my guidebook, the first recommended restaurant I try is closed for vacation, the second is no longer in business and the third is closed for the day. Undaunted, I continue to ask the teachers and other local residents for recommendations throughout the week and come away quite satisfied, while leaving the guidebook at home. (Note: I would criticize the guidebook here, but I'm sure I wouldn't be any better at writing them. My entries would look something like this: Montepulciano: nice. Decent food. Good wine. Montalcino: nice. Decent food. Good wine. Pienza: nice. Decent food. Good wine. Montepulciano itself is a beautiful village with but one minor pitfall: the whole town is a hill. So you must first determine where you are going and, since you can't drive your car in town, you must decide whether you want to walk uphill on the way to your destination or on the way back. I choose to park at the bottom and walk up to school in the cool mornings, then park at the top for dinner and walk back up to the car after a hearty meal in order to work some of those calories off. It seems to work well, though I continue to curse myself after every dinner. On the last day of class I receive a certificate of completion along with my classmates. Beyond this small token, the whole week is a great experience for me and more than accomplishes the objectives of the language grant: I learn three new tenses, tons of new vocabulary and, for free, several new Italian gestures. Surprisingly (at least to me), most of my classmates are repeat customers and most stay for two weeks instead of one. That speaks well not only of the school, but of the beauty of the town and of the surrounding countryside.

I was three times already with Il Sasso in Montepulciano. IVECO works together with Il Sasso already for years. All German managers and responsible for IVECO does an intensive course with Il Sasso. I personally am to be high-enclosed with the school. I am not very language-gifted, nevertheless Il Sasso succeeded in teaching me the Italian language. Through very modern methods and material. All teachers are very striving the instruction content to deepen with each student. In the morning in the group, that very much fun does. And in the afternoon, it is entered by each student in the separate instruction on the weaknesses and it playfully is taught and is deepened. All runs out very comfortably, but nevertheless one learns very much without that is closed feeling to be overtaxed. Also that surroundings of the school, from the Sekreteriat, teachers, housing etc. is always accommodating, one never has that feeling that one is alone. Somebody always is there. Even after the instruction, on the street, in the cafe, from the Restaurant, in the supermarket, no matter where, it always is helped one. I personally and also my manager colleagues can only recommend this language school.

I have attended Il Sasso on eight different occasions, staying from two to eight weeks. I have 'compared notes' with a variety of international students at the school and all agreed that Il Sasso has a superior pedagogy. The students I spoke with included foreign diplomats, airline professionals, writers, retired language teachers and hall of fame baseball player, Sandy. The Italian students I spoke with in my community shared their experiences at other schools. They all had larger classes, fewer class levels and problems with their housing. What best illustrates the excellence of the school, is the number of students I have met who keep returning year after year. Il Sasso prides itself in being able to provide an environment that is comfortable and conducive to both learning and a positive cultural experience. They are always ready to be of assistance when a student is experiencing any form of difficulty rather it be an uncomfortable apartment or a medical emergency. For example, I had purchased a mobile phone and that did not operate correctly. While my Italian is decent, I was becoming frustrated with the situation. Two separate teachers volunteered to go with me, on their own time, to help resolve the problem. In addition to language courses, there are other opportunities to learn about the history, culture and art of Italy. Several of the teachers have areas of expertise, such as Renaissance Art and the Etruscan Culture. They possess the ability to explain concepts, using basic language, which allows even the beginning student to understand the lecture. I had the opportunity to take a two week course on Renaissance Art and Architecture at Il Sasso. What I learned greatly enhanced my enjoyment of art. One of the greatest advantages of studying at Il Sasso is the location. Montepulciano is not only beautiful but is far enough outside the larger cities that few of the residents speak English. Even though I speak fairly well, in places such as Florence, Rome, Sorrento, Venice and Naples, I am often responded to in English. I never had that experience in Montepulciano. In fact, after the shopkeepers got to know me, they started to correct my Italian.