We (me, my wife, sister-in-law and a friend; ages will be 57-69 yrs) are planning a trip tentatively for mid-Sept through mid-Oct of 2022. I will arrive maybe two weeks before the others because my idea is to give myself a couple of immersion weeks to work on my Italian (by the time of the trip I will have two years of Italian study with a tutor and will probably be at a B1 Intermediate level - she says I am already there but, she's very kind). I fell in love with the language after only 24 hours in Venice (was only there for 48 hours and in Italy for only 5 days total since we were on an Adriatic cruise). I initially thought of two weeks at a language school but am wondering now if simply immersing myself with different families would be more useful. My purpose for my solo portion of the trip is language first and seeing the sites second? Has anyone had experience with short-term home stay situations for someone my age of 69 yrs.? Any thoughts?
Posted by
Atlanta
3250 posts
Ciao Mike!
I have been studying Italian language through OLLI at Emory University for the last year and a half and I really enjoy it! I don't have personal experience with an Italian language immersion course but if I were looking for one, I would consider contacting one of the Rick Steves' tour guides in the Guides' Marketplace. I see that David Tordi is teaching Italian Language Lessons - you might schedule a one-on-one session with him (or another guide) to get ideas/suggestions.
Best of luck - I'd love to do the same one day!
Posted by
OP
Washington and California
3 posts
Thanks, Sharon. I will definitely take your suggestion. I've done more research and have found a few people that do what I was hoping to find and an organization that helps people connect with Home stay hosts.
Posted by
Philadelphia, USA
246 posts
I know that language classes offering local home stays are quite common. I did some research for Spanish classes in Mexico City and was quite surprised by the variety of options. I just had to tweak a few google search terms to find some places. What part of Italy are you hoping to take the classes? I could try and research a bit and message you with any results I turn up.
Posted by
OP
Washington and California
3 posts
Thanks Christina. I appreciate the help and encouragement. Since I will be there for the first two weeks to be immersed in and practice Italian the locale isn't the first priority. When my wife and her sister arrived we will have Rome be our southernmost spot and concentrate on the areas north of Rome (a bit vague, I know). Also, I may not want to actually take classes but just be in the experience and have to make it happen only in Italian.....but that isn't a firm decision at this point. The more I research I am finding that there are plenty of home stay options but will be very appreciative if you, or anyone, comes across more resources.
Posted by
Abruzzo Mountains
1034 posts
Hi, Mike. I did two back to back 1-week homestays in 2016. The first one was excellent, the second not as good but not terrible. The first one was in Piedmont, near Lakes Maggiore and Orta. The teacher had a private bedroom and bathroom for guests in her home. We did intensive language lessons in the morning and one on one sightseeing in the afternoons. All food was included, mostly home-cooked. Once we went out with her mother and sister for dinner too, which was a blast. I was about a B1 level at the time too. I chose her mostly because that was the location I wanted, but she was really an excellent teacher. She asked me in advance what I wanted to focus on (those pesky pronouns!) and gave me some extra help on that along with other lessons. The second week was in Todi, in a private apartment. Same setup: morning lessons/afternoon sightseeing. It was well organized but I didn’t find the lessons quite as good. Also I had no one to socialize with in the evenings, though I entertained myself just fine. Todi is beautiful, and I also had a car.
I would do homestays again in a heartbeat, it was a wonderful experience. If you want to know the specific teachers, please PM me so I’m not advertising on the board.