What they say about us

I am still in Tuscany. It will be very difficult to leave. My fourth of five weeks as a student (yes, mature of age but young of heart) at Il Sasso, Il Scuola di Italiano a Montepulciano. By good fortune, my friend had attended last year (2018) and told me about this jewel in the heart of Tuscany. Heike, one of the very helpful team responded overnight to my enquiry and I was enrolled, after a small deposit, for beginners, June 2019. Alberto, another of the wonderful team here greeted new students with apperitifs the night before we were due to start, and standing on the balcony, looking over the rolling Tuscan landscape with sweet scented air filled with birdsong, the trip alone from Perth, Australia, was worth it! The following morning we were allocated appropriate classes to match our level of experience and confidence with the Italian language. Your head spins, but the team here are brilliant. I can mention those teachers our class has had...Gaia, Sara, Roberta and Francesca. Each brings creativity, experience, patience and humour as we mere beginners (only talking on behalf of myself here...) try to tackle and learn this melodic language. Il Sasso has a long history with foundations in helping build broader literacy in the 1980s with a standard language based on Dante. Now Il Sasso is helping people like me get a taste of 'living and speaking' local. Afterall, Tuscany has the most wonderful people, food and wine. Why wouldn't you? Sylvia is another of the team at Il Sasso who work hard to make sure your learning experience is not only in language, but with additional cultural activities, partnering with local businesses and producers accessible to students here. It's going to be difficult to leave ... but I know I will also return. Montepulciano gets into your heart. Cycling, walking, eating, wine tasting, art ... it's all here. Il Sasso helps to magnify the colour of your experience. A bonus ... all the wonderful people you meet from around the world! ...

Se vuoi imparare l'italiano in Italia, non cercare oltre Il Sasso. Situato nell'incredibilmente incantevole Montepulciano, una città collinare per eccellenza in Toscana. Le classi sono piccole e suddivise per livello. Gli insegnanti sono fantastici. Dopo la scuola, ci sono attività che si possono fare localmente quasi tutti i giorni dopo le lezioni, se si sceglie (film, degustazione di vini, cucina, ecc.). Sono andato due volte e tornerò sicuramente l'anno prossimo. Basta prenotare il tuo tempo lì (un minimo di una settimana, due settimane sembra molto più tipico e molte persone sono lì per 4 - 8 settimane o più). Partire. Sarai così felice di averlo fatto.

La scuola "Il Sasso" e perfettamente organizzata e gli insegnanti sono utili e molto pazienti. Mi è piaciuto tanto la dimensione e la composizione della classe. E' stato importante per me che ho potuto vivere in questa bellissima città. Non dimenticherò mai le due settimane a Montepulciano.

WOW! I am so happy with my language immersion experience at Il Sasso. From the beginning, corresponding with Heike and Silvia was a delight - so easy and they are very helpful. They assisted me with making all my arrangements, including booking a driver from Rome airport to Montepulciano - so appreciated! My experience as a complete beginner has been wonderful. My teacher, Cinzia is amazing. I wish all my teachers at university and in high school had been this good. She is so encouraging, patient and knowledgeable. I seriously love her. I was originally very nervous as I have no background speaking Italian, but she immediately put me at ease and was full of positive reinforcement. It's only been one week and we have learned how to order at a cafe and restaurant, go shopping in a market, and how to make a hotel reservation, plus much more! I really appreciate the emphasis on conversational Italian. In addition, Montepulciano is lovely. The people here could not be more hospitable. The restaurants are delicious, there is a music school where you can listen to fabulous classical concerts, many wineries in town that offer complimentary tastings and tours of their underground cellars and sometimes there are festivals in the main square (Piazza Grande). We had the good fortune to be here during the chocolate festival (early April)!. If you are thinking about taking Italian immersion, Il Sasso is THE place. I am already planning my next trip so that I can improve my Italian further.

My wife and I spent 2 weeks at Il Sasso ... and had a great experience. The school is in the center of gorgeous Montepulciano, the instructors are energetic and knowledgeable and the focus is on student achievement no matter what your skill level. Spend a week or two and you'll find you visit to Italy truly rewarding.

Le due settimane a Montepulciano erano molto interessante e gradevole. Il Sasso è una buona scuola di lingua per stranieri; i gruppi sono piccoli (6 studenti, fra 20-60 anni), le insegnante gentili (Costanza, Cinzia, Lucia) e l'atmosfera molto simpatica. I corsi, con grammatica, vocabolario, conversazione, ascolto ... e giochi, sono molto utili. E la Toscana è bellissima da visitare!

Sono tornata recentemente dalla scuola Il Sasso a Montepulciano. Ho frequentato la scuola per una settimane nell'aula e una settimana per Italiano camminando, un corso speciale per camminare parlando in italiano. Il nostro insegnante, Alberto, é un insegnante molto bravo, amichevole e divertente. Ogni giorno il nostro gruppo ha camminato in campagna per imparare l'italiano in un ambiente informale. Siamo andati a piedi a Montefollonico, Monticchiello, Bagno Vignoni, Cantina Canneto e Parco Naturale di Pietraporciana. Il corso era molto divertente, valeva la pena farlo!

My wife and I spent a week at il Sasso in September 2018 and we have already decided to return for a month long course in 2019. When we started the course our Italian was very rudimentary but by the end of the week we could ask for fruits and vegetables in the market and use short phrases in restaurants. The class size was small (8 students) and the teachers (Costanza and Cinzia) were enthusiastic, encouraging and inclusive with all the students. They both made the course a lot of fun. They also recommended restaurants and bars in Montepulciano for much needed caffe' before class. We highly recommend il Sasso.

I spent a week at Il Sasso, and I wish it could have been longer. The setting is ideal in a gorgeous hilltop town. The teachers were very pleasant and we had some fun while learning Italian, playing games in Italian. I enjoyed the whole experience very much and would go back again.

Il Sasso bietet mir genau das, was ich als Schule suche: - Ein dem eigenen Sprachniveau angepasster Unterricht in kleinen Klassen - Die Möglichkeit, am Nachmittag mit Einzelstunden die Ausbildung zu intensivieren - Ein abwechslungsreiches soziales, kulturelles Ergänzungsprogramm. - Der Kochkurs mit Lilli als einzigartiger kulinarischer Anlass, auch wenn ich am nächsten Tag nicht mehr in der Lage war, das Gelernte zu reproduzieren - Kleine familiäre Schule in einzigartiger Umgebung (Altstadt) - Äusserst sympathische Lehrerinnen (Alberto natürlich auch) mit einer Engelsgeduld Darum komme ich jedes Jahr wieder!