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Learn
Italian!
If you are
considering learning Italian, then you have
come to the right place! In this section,
you will find links on Italian courses in
London and the UK, Italian courses in Italy,
useful phrases, and books and dvds to help
with your learning process...
We also have a
couple of interesting stories provided by
Sergio Tamburri, an Italian teacher about
experiences of learning Italian in Italy,
and also learning Italian in Florence.
If you visit
our other course sections, you will also
find cookery courses in London and the UK
and Italy, as well as Italian Culture
lessons, and Conversation classes. Some
courses in Italy even combine language and
cookery courses which is a great way to have
a more intensive and more fun course.
Happy
learning and Good Luck!
Acquerello Italiano
is a learning magazine, that comes with cd.
Learn Italian
in Italy
by Sergio Tamburri
Everybody knows that
learning Italian in Italy can be one of the
most fantastic experiences you can have in
your life.
Three days ago, one of my students came back
from a memorable, intensive course to learn
Italian in Florence.
We crossed each other on campus while I was
walking to teach a Level I class. She was
radiant and fashionably dressed in
unmistakably Italian clothes. Claudia, in
her forties, looked ten years younger.
 With
curiosity, I asked her how it went in Italy.
I have to clarify here that she took all
three Italian levels that I teach at the
University of Houston in the Accelerated
Foreign Language Program. And that she was
ready and confident to study for two weeks
in Florence in a "total immersion" program
designed for learning and practicing Italian
day and night.
She started to tell me what an incredible
time she had. Unfortunately, we could only
chat in fluent Italian for a few minutes
before I had to get to class. We agreed to
meet again so she could tell me more of her
adventures i n this famous Italian city.
Yesterday we finally had the opportunity to
lunch together, and she gave me a good
overview of her experience in Florence. I
appreciated her new Italian accent. It was
outstanding and well above my expectations.
I have already experienced several
methodologies used to ease students into
absorbing and integrating a new language,
but I was fascinated by her enthusiasm for
the way it is done at her school in
Florence. With her eagerness and my
curiosity, we could have talked for hours
and hours.
The course in Italy is designed to integrate
fun and exciting adventures into the
learning process. Shopping, dancing, eating
and discovering unique parts of the city are
all activities in a well-designed program. I
was admiring the creators of the course for
their capability to combine study and
everyday life in such an impeccable,
harmonious balance.
Italians are known for being great teachers.
Creativity and beauty make them famous all
around the world. On top of that, the
charming environment of Florence and the
Italian people themselves make, without a
doubt, learning an unforgettable experience.
Here in Houston at the Accelerated Foreign
Language Department, we use a unique way to
learn new languages that is ideally suited
to adult learners. This method employs the
best teaching practices with whole-brain
learning theory to maximize each
individual's learning style. Our system is a
combination of accelerated "tools" where we
recreate the way Italians learn to speak
naturally from the time they are born. We
try to make the student feel like they are
actually in Italy..
In Italy, the method is similar, but with
the great advantage that there is no need to
recreate being in Italy. You are in Italy.
And all around you, everyone speaks Italian,
from teachers and staff to neighbors and
shopkeepers.
The experience is real and complete.
And...very effective.
Sergio Tamburri
Italian Instructor
Accelerated Foreign Language Department
University of Houston
Learn Italian Now!
Italian
language schools located throughout Italy,
so you can learn the language in
world-famous Venice, in northern Italy, or
as far south as Taormina, in historic
Sicily.
As well as the Italian
language course, the Italian schools also
offer an extensive cultural program of
excursions and activities, cookery courses,
cycling course and Work Placement Italian
Courses.
Learn Italian in Florence
By
Sergio Tamburri
This is the story of
Clarissa, an American woman who planned to
visit Italy and learn about the Italian
culture. She loved the Italian language and
wanted to learn it in a fast and easy way.
Her additional incentive was being able to
communicate with her new Italian friend,
Carlo, whom she met in a chat room a few
months ago.
Carlo, an Italian native,
had always wanted to learn English well. He
knew a bit of English like most Europeans
do, but Clarissa knew only three Italian
words: ciao, amore and gelato. So they made
a deal. They decided to practice by speaking
in each other’s native language.
Wanting this exchange to be
more balanced, Clarissa decided to take a
course in Florence, which is not far from
the small town in Tuscany where Carlo
 lives.
Being an art lover, Clarissa
did not have to think hard about which city
to investigate. Florence is where the spark
of the Renaissance movement started and
flourished a few centuries ago. Italy stores
more artworks than all of the rest of the
world combined, and Florence is at the
heart. The task now was to find a good
school that would fit her personality.
A bit shy but adventurous,
she asked Carlo to find a good school for
her to learn Italian. However, he could not
give her much help. Florence is a big city,
and he would have to go there himself and
check into the different schools. And, after
all, she knew herself better than Carlo. So,
she decided to choose on her own and went
surfing the web.
To her surprise, she
discovered there are many more schools in
Florence that teach Italian to foreigners
than she thought. There are schools for
every taste and any possible interest. She
even found a course to learn Italian while
sailing on a yacht.
After assessing few schools,
she signed up for a week-long total
immersion course to give her a taste of what
it would be like. She would learn enough
Italian to allow her to move around in
Italy. Later, she would choose an in-depth
course that would take perhaps several
months to complete and give her the ability
to communicate on a deeper level.
A month later, Clarissa was
at a school in Florence, learning lots of
vocabulary she could use to get around the
city. Through some classroom lessons and
many trips to museums, restaurants and
shops, she learned to construct sentences in
Italian and to express herself. She also
experienced the basics of survival in a
foreign country. And, of course, she learned
to better understand Carlo, who turned out
to be more likable than she expected.
Now Clarissa is back in
Florence for the second time, taking a
six-month course with a concentration on the
art and architecture of the 17th century.
What a fantastic time for her—perfecting her
Italian, enjoying her new skills, broadening
her knowledge. Thanks to Carlo and her new
capacity to converse in Italian, she has
many Italian friends. When she returns to
the U.S., she will connect with them in
Italian via email.
These are her recent words
about her continuing experience.
"Learning another language
is a life change. It opened a new world that
I did not suspect existed. This world was
inside of me. You can only find it when you
give to yourself the chance to look for it.
Like I did."
Clarissa C.
Thank you Clarissa for your
story and your inspiring words!
Sergio Tamburri
Italian Instructor
Accelerated Learning Foreign Language
Department
University of Houston
Learn Italian
Now!
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sergio_Tamburri
Pintadera language school in Sardinia
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