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Cactus staff review: Italian 10-week evening course, Beginner 3

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Our Operations Intern at Cactus Language tells us about her 10-week Italian language evening course in Brighton

When I arrived in Brighton 12 weeks ago, I was very happy to hear that I would have the opportunity to participate in one of Cactus’ evening language courses. I have always been extremely fascinated by languages, so much so that when I was 15 and in the 10th grade of school, I was learning 5 different languages as my school offered a wide range of both obligatory and voluntary language classes.

As I had learnt Italian for two years, I decided to register for the Italian Beginner 3 course in my first week at Cactus Language. In my opinion, Italian is one of the most beautiful and colourful languages in the world and listening to people speaking Italian makes me think of lovely Italian towns, amazing landscapes and sunny and carefree holidays.

The 10-week Italian course was the perfect chance for me to refresh and engage in the Italian language again. The lessons not only provided me with this excellent opportunity but also allowed me to meet some new and interesting people who were also studying Italian for a variety of reasons. I really appreciated getting to know some of them personally and forming friendships whilst learning the language. The atmosphere in my classes was very lively and a lot of fun.

Our native teacher Roberta was great and extremely enthusiastic. I was fascinated by the way she taught with a wide variety of methods and materials so that the lessons were never dull. I especially enjoyed how the tasks seemed to relate to real situations, such as working on and presenting Italian dialogues during ‘un viaggio in Italia a Roma’. She easily managed to keep everyone involved and coped well with the different abilities of the class. If anyone was unsure about something, she was always happy to help and, if necessary, explain again using examples to make it clearer.

Having a native speaker of Italian as a teacher was a huge advantage, and it really reinforced what we learnt. I benefitted from the fact that Roberta only spoke English where clarification was needed and used Italian for the rest of the time in the lessons to communicate with us. Further to this, it improved our listening skills and she encouraged us to speak Italian at every chance to advance our speaking skills and especially our pronunciation. The tasks she set us were well balanced between all the disciplines, reading, writing, speaking and listening. I also appreciated that we always had the possibility of homework and that Roberta gave us good advice for self-studying at home during and after the course.

Given the opportunity I would definitely do this course again, as it was a great experience, and if I was staying for longer, I would definitely continue with my Italian course at the next level. I feel that I have made progress with my Italian and I hope to get the chance to use it again soon.

The course really inspired me to travel to Italy and to visit the country.

Grazie Roberta!

If you would like to follow in our intern’s footsteps and take an Italian language course, then Cactus offer a variety of courses throughout the UK, US and in Italy.

Italian Language Course in Florence: A great way to learn the language and understand the history

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Giles Picciotto, a Hatha yoga teacher from London, tells us about his 26-week-long language holiday in Florence, Italy, and how it has given him a greater understanding of this fascinating country’s culture, history and language.

Giles’s passion for Florence is evident, with comments like: “The world without Florence and the Renaissance isn’t possible frankly – totally unimaginable.” This, combined with wanting to do something different to your average holiday abroad, led him to choose a language holiday in Florence. Cementing his decision to study in Florence as opposed to Rome was the fact that he lives in London and did not really want to study in another large city. He had also heard from friends that Florence was slightly cheaper and if he was going to be staying there and studying for six months, this was an important factor.

When Giles landed in Italy he knew nothing of the Italian language. Starting as a complete beginner, over the course of six months his Italian language skills and vocabulary grew immensely. Throughout his course he met many interesting people of all ages and backgrounds and, although he felt that the fully immersive teaching methods were great to develop his Italian, he also felt that in cities such as Florence and Rome many people speak English, offering him fewer opportunities to practise what he had learnt in class.

Giles really liked the language school in Florence, as it was local and in a fantastic area with great teaching staff. His favourite part of the course was learning something new each day, which would stay with him long after he departed Italy. Staying in a shared student apartment, Giles enjoyed the freedom that came with it and practising his Italian with the lady who owned the apartment who came to clean it every two weeks.

Learning Italian Giles felt that he was able to understand further Italy’s rich history and culture. This, teamed with his belief that Florence is the most important and influential city of the last 1000 years, and not to mention his passion for the food and the wine – which he thinks are awesome! – meant that a language holiday in Florence was the perfect choice for Giles.

I asked Giles if he had any language tips for future students looking to study abroad and he thought some basic knowledge of the language beforehand would help, suggesting at least a vocabulary of a 1000 words and 30 phrases. For him, studying in Italy as a complete beginner and with the fully immersive method used in class, it was sometimes a struggle to process everything. He would also encourage all future students who wish to study in Florence to walk the city every day, go and see something every day, and come to understand how a city so small became so great.

Giles strongly believes that Florence is the most important city in the world and that no city except ancient Athens ever produced so much greatness at one time. Florence’s list of important people includes: Michelangelo; Dante; Boccaccio; Botticelli; Machiavelli; Leonardo and Galileo, all native to the region of Tuscany and almost all from Florence itself. He believes every one of those influential people still resonates powerfully today, many are buried within the walls of the city and there are more current inspirational people such as Gucci and Ferragamo who come from Florence that Giles can identify with.

When asked what inspired Giles most about his trip, he replied that it was just an amazing all-round experience and he was grateful to have had the opportunity to call Florence his home for 6 months, speak Italian to a good standard after his course and meet interesting people during his language holiday in Italy.

Giles is very keen to return to Italy soon and continue his studies, but first he has booked a 2-week Mandarin course in Hong Kong with Cactus. Giles is a true language enthusiast who enjoys travelling the world and learning about a country’s art, culture and history. He loves the way in which society used to work and function both intellectually and physically, believing that practising yoga and learning languages are life skills and the modern world has lost touch with that, relying too much on comfort and technology. He believes the brain must continually be challenged as well as the body.

Many thanks to Giles for taking the time to tell me about his experience and to hopefully inspiring others to do the same.

Cactus Language Training offer Italian courses in Florence and in many locations across Italy. Evening courses in Italian are also available in the UK and we also offer private language training.

Italian Language Course in Florence: A great way to learn the language and discover a beautiful city

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Shirley Critchley tells us about her week-long language holiday in Florence, Italy, and how it has given her even more of a passion for the language, culture and the beautiful country itself

Shirley Critchley is a private tutor of Spanish and French in the North West of England and has always had a flair and enthusiasm for languages since her school days. Shirley started studying Italian in 1999 after falling in love with the Italian language and after several holidays to the stunning Lake Garda. She took her Italian GCSE but did not feel confident enough to teach privately to adults.

As the requests for her language tuition were pouring in, she decided to take a language holiday abroad in Italy. This would be her first trip alone since sadly losing her husband the previous year. With so many recommendations for Florence as a fantastic destination to visit – with quality Italian tuition, free time to explore the beautiful sites and soak up the rich culture, and plenty of delicious Italian food and wine to enjoy! – this seemed the perfect opportunity for Shirley to improve her Italian and enjoy a relaxing holiday. Her mind was made up.

Shirley really liked the local Italian language school, as it was easy to find in a lovely building overlooking the Arno River, just up from Ponte Vecchio. The teachers and staff were very friendly and dedicated to improving their students’ Italian. Being a private tutor in Spanish and French and looking to tutor in Italian, Shirley really enjoyed the Italian language lessons as she was able to pick up many tips for her own lessons. She also liked the way the Italian lessons were structured and how they were pitched at the right level for the whole class.  Her class consisted of her and six other students – a  couple from the Ukraine, a man from Israel and three women, one from Belgium, one from Japan and one from South Africa.

The main focus of the lessons was on conversations and listening which made the language learning experience practical, with real life scenarios and Italian phrases that included language games and listening exorcises. Shirley really appreciated the full immersion teaching experience and thought it made a huge difference to her overall learning and language progression – not to mention her much increased confidence as the week progressed.

Shirley made the most of her language holiday by exploring Florence and the local area and speaking with native Italians at every possible opportunity, from ordering in restaurants to asking directions. The Italian people were so helpful that one gentleman even helped her with her homework!

Shirley particularly enjoyed travelling to Florence in February as the climate was cooler and allowed her to climb the 414 steps of The Duomo (Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore), the main church in Florence, which offers stunning views of the city and the surrounding mountains.

Shirley particularly enjoys holidaying in Italy due to the friendly and welcoming nature of the Italian people and the laid back lifestyle and, when asked if she had any travel tips for future students wanting to study in Florence, she said ‘Use every possible opportunity to speak the language’. She also found staying in accommodation near to the train station allowed her to explore the surrounding area with ease.

Shirley felt most inspired by the way her native Italian teacher included everyone in the classroom; particularly being a teacher herself, she can understand how difficult this can be and is now using some of the teaching methods in her language lessons back home in the UK. She continues to study Italian at home and is hoping to take another language course next year as she learned so much in such a short space of time whilst on her language holiday abroad. All in all, she would highly recommend a language course abroad to anyone looking for an adventure!

Many thanks to Shirley for taking the time to tell me about her experience and to hopefully inspiring others to do the same.

If you would like to learn more about Shirley Critchley’s language holiday abroad in Florence then she has written a detailed blog of her experiences.

The photo at the beginning of this article was kindly contributed by Shirley; she took it whilst at the top of The Duomo, Florence, Italy.