Ms Lamb – Italian Over 50s course in Siena

I was hoping for an intensive course with a lot of practice in listening and speaking and ideally a nice friendly atmosphere and some enjoyable tours with like-minded people.  Thankfully I can say that all of these goals were realised!

I was exceedingly challenged by the standard of the lessons and it took 2 to 3 days to understand the tutor.  The lessons were well presented, lively and enjoyable but a little more simple explanation would have been appreciated.  I felt we were always progressing at the rate of the quickest but nevertheless it was good for me to work hard and the homework was very useful.

I found the school environment very comfortable and the staff and teachers were all charming, polite, good humoured and helpful.  The school itself was well situated near the centre and it was great to be within easy walking distance of everything.

Everyone in the school was relaxed and friendly and the student body was made up from a really interesting mix of people. 

The cultural programme was really very good and the college guides were first class.  The final dinner was superb, a really memorable evening.

Siena was of course lovely, with a large range of restaurants and entertainments, galleries and museums to explore. 

There really was so much that I recall with pleasure from the trip, the initial exam (a little nerve wracking!). the final class “sing song” (great fun), early morning walks around the walls of the fortress, visiting the Duomo and the time honoured ritual of drinking coffee in the Campo and watching the world go by!  However for me , the best part of the experience was realising when I returned to my Italian class in England that I really had learnt a great deal.