July and October 2025 in le Marche in central Italy. Select the 6 day period you prefer and get in touch to confirm our availability
Join Elena for 6 days of intensive Italian language tuition and take advantage of her 16 years experience teaching Italian to foreign students of all ages, abilities and nationalities. This Italian language immersion program is all about conversational Italian and is designed to give you the confidence and ability to talk your way around Italy in whatever situation you might find yourself.
In early 2025 we are relocating from Lucca to the bucolic countryside of southern le Marche with its gorgeous scenery of medieval hilltop towns, Romanesque churches and endless green valleys that sweep down to the Adriatic coast.
Tourism here is on a much smaller scale than Tuscany, the pace of life is slower and shopkeepers have time for a chat so it’s the perfect place for you to practice your Italian. This is a sparsely populated area where old traditions survive and where local people are friendly and welcoming.
It’s a world away from the all the tourist hotspots in Italy where airbnb is destroying the fabric of daily life for Italians - in this idyllic part of central Italy the local communities want and need more tourists so be part of what we like to call 'regenerative tourism' and find out for yourselves why we fell in love with this area of le Marche between the mountains and the sea and why we feel it is so important to sustain and support authentic Italy.
Is this an intensive Language Program or a Tour? Actually it’s both because although you’ll be in the same bed & breakfast for the entire week, you’ll also enjoy excursions with Elena around southern le Marche to all sorts of interesting places, many of which we’ve visited countless times over the years and have written about on this website.
For those of you who have hitherto only experienced Italian cities, you will be charmed by the spectacular countryside of southern Marche where rolling hills of olive trees, vines and ancient borghi belli give way to the higher elevations of the Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini.
Don't read the description 'language classes' and imagine a place of drudgery and repetition as if you were back in high school. Elena realized long ago that the only way for adults to learn a foreign language proficiently was to make it fun and entertaining and as a result many of her students in Lucca come back year after year and many also sign up for online lessons with her once they're back home.
So, leave your inhibitions at home and bring your energy and enthusiasm with you so you can get the most out of 6 days of thinking, speaking and dreaming in the world's most mellifluous language.
Elena with some of her students in Lucca - in the classroom, conducting guided tours and wine tastings and relaxing at the end of the day with them.
Elena is not only one of the most beloved Italian teachers in Lucca but is also a qualified Sommelier and Maestro d'Olio (the olive oil equivalent qualification) so you will learn much more than just Italian during your week here. Furthermore her father was born in Ascoli Piceno and she has enjoyed a lifelong family affection for southern le Marche, which has now come full circle with our permanent move here.
6 Days / 5 Nights in b&b accommodation in the Sibillini foothills of southern le Marche close to the small hill town of Sant'Angelo in Pontano.
Price: 3,250 euros per person fully inclusive of all daily transport, language instruction, 5 nights accommodation and all meals, excursions, cooking class and wine & olive oil tastings. (This price is based on 2 people sharing a room with private bathroom facilities)
Dates: Most 6 day periods in July 2025 are possible as well as the middle of October 2025
Group Size: This course envisages 2 people but on request can be reconfigured to accommodate a total of up to 4 people at a lower price.
Support: We will provide transportation for the pick-up and drop-off in Ancona at the start and end of the course as well as for the various afternoon excursions during the week. Elena will design a specific teaching class for you every morning, accompany you on all the excursions and will share lunch and dinner with you so she will be fully available 12 hours a day throughout the week to provide language help and any other assistance required.
Accommodation: You will stay in one of several comfortable b&bs near our new home in Sant'Angelo in Pontano. It will include a private bathroom and breakfast each morning. Full details will be provided to you prior to booking.
Language ability: We currently envisage that this course will appeal mostly to intermediate level or advanced level students who are looking for a week’s full language immersion to help them make a giant leap forward in their proficiency.
When you are ready to book your place, Elena will chat to you briefly by zoom to determine your Italian language level.
Booking: You can secure your place with a 500 euro deposit
Terms & Conditions: Will be sent on request to interested persons.
Contact: For further information, clarifications or to express interest in booking this program please contact us at mike@mykindofitaly.com
Daily Itinerary:
Note that you will have significant flexibility to amend the daily itinerary, in particular the afternoon excursions, to better suit your interests and preferences.
DAY 1: Pick up at a central location in Ancona early afternoon. If the weather is nice we’ll stop just south of Ancona for a couple of hours to visit the beautiful medieval seaside town of Sirolo with its panoramic views of the Monte Conero promontory and the coastline.
From Sirolo a 1 hour journey will have you at the b&b near Sant'Angelo in time to relax and settle in before drinks and dinner.
DAY 2: After breakfast each morning we will bring you the short distance to our home in Sant'Angelo where lessons will begin at 9.15. am and continue until 12.45.pm with a short coffee break mid-morning. We will provide lunch every day.
After lunch we’ll give you a tour around the local area stopping at some of our favorite places so you get a feel for the Marche hill country. San Ginesio, Penna San Giovanni and San Severino Marche will likely be on the itinerary as well as a visit to the provincial capital of Macerata. Dinner at a local restaurant.
DAY 3: After morning lessons and lunch we’ll head into the mountains, weather permitting, for a 2-3 hour hike from the northern end of Lago di Fiastra to Lame Rosse. There will also be the option of an escorted shorter walk.
Olive Oil Tutorial: prior to dinner Elena will show you have to taste and compare some of Italy’s finest olive oils, including some of our favorites from Tuscany and Umbria that we have written about like Baldaccini and Decimi. Tonight’s dinner will be a barbecue or pizza depending on the weather.
DAY 4: After morning lessons and lunch Elena will add some additional lessons early afternoon for 2-3 hours because tomorrow will be a full day’s touring and conversation with no morning lessons. Late afternoon we’ll have a hands-on cooking class for several hours followed by dinner where we will enjoy everything we prepared earlier.
Wine tasting Tutorial: prior to dinner Elena will guide you through the red and white wines of le Marche, in particular the white wines where Verdicchio, Passerina and Pecorino excel.
DAY 5: No lessons but a full day of Italian conversation while touring our favorite towns in southern le Marche, including most of the following, time permitting: Ascoli Piceno, Offida, Ripatransone, Grottammare Alta and Torre di Palme. Dinner at a local restaurant.
Offida (above left) and the 1824 Teatro Luigi Mercantini in Ripatransone (above right)
DAY 6: After breakfast Elena will summarize the progress you have made during the week and go over the areas of the language that you need to continue to work on. Departure after lunch with transport provided back to Ancona.
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