What they say about us

Great teachers, private lessons are great as they will focus them on your particular level and needs.

I've just spent nearly three weeks at Il Sasso and can highly recommend it. The school is situated in the Centro Storico di Montepulciano, one of the most beautiful towns in Tuscany. Being of a certain age, I was relieved to find a mixture of ages and backgrounds. At break time everyone congregates at a little caffe near the school and we quickly bonded over a coffee, making plans to visit various places nearby and have dinner together. I made friends I will definitely keep in touch with. The standard of teaching is excellent especially bearing in mind that they have students of different age groups, different countries and cultures and with varying expectations. The teachers are also very warm and friendly and want to do their best for you. Many people return year after year which speaks for itself. It was one of the best experiences of my life.

I stepped out of my safety zone and took off for Italy and a week of Italian classes at Il Sasso. I'm so glad I did. The instructors and the atmosphere at Il Sasso is wonderful. Everyone is very encouraging and the they make learning italian fun. I was by myself but in a small village like Montepulciano you are never alone. Every evening I ran into other students and we would socialize over a glad of wine. The apartments the school rents are wonderful and a bargain. Mine was a only one street over from the school and was tastefully decorated and large. The markets around Montepulciano have all the necessary staples you'll need for breakfast, lunch and dinner but I enjoyed going out for dinner each night.

Im Mai 2012 nahm ich mir eine Auszeit und besuchte für 3 Wochen Il Sasso. Ich landete nach dem Test am ersten Morgen im Fortgeschrittenenkurs, wahrscheinlich weil ich schon einmal vom Konjunktiv gehört hatte und eine vage Vorstellung vom Kondizional hatte. Die Lehrer waren unglaublich bemüht den Unterricht so interessant wie möglich zu gestalten. Ihr tägliches Eisbrechen am Morgen ist hohe Kommunikationskunst und funktionierte immer. Jeder Aufenthalt im Flur der Schule führte zu einem Gespräch mit Mitschülern oder den Lehrern, die immer freundlich und redefreudig sind. Zeit für eine Plauderei war immer. Das Gebäude der Schule ist zentral, die Bar gegenüber. Mein favorisierter Ort in der Schule war die Terrasse über einem Stadttor mit Blick bis zum Trasimenersee. Mein Apartment war 2 Minuten von der Schule entfernt über einem edlen Restaurant mit Blick auf dessen kleine Terrasse – also mittendrin in Montepulciano, 2 Schritte von der Loggia dell'Erbe mit Wlan Skypen war auf Steinbänken des 16.Jahrhunderts sitzend jederzeit möglich. Besser kann man für 42 Euro nicht unterkommen. Die Atmosphäre der Stadt bezaubert bei jedem Spaziergang aufs neue. Jeder Augenblick ist gut für die Seele und man freut sich einfach in so einer schönen Umgebung sein zu können. Zur Schule gehört eine Osteria, dort schmeckt alles, dazu bekommt man noch Prozente und außerdem kann man dort auch prima alleine essen gehen. Man trifft in Montepulciano immer Bekannte aus der Schule und kann sich zum Aperitiv in der Bar "… e lucevan le stelle" verabreden und sich als Cavaradossi fühlen. So nett wie die Lehrer waren die Mitschüler. Die Aktivitäten am Nachmittag waren sehr abwechslungsreich. Auch Sonderwünsche fanden ein offenes Ohr und wurden möglich gemacht wie zum Beispiel Besuch des Gartens von La Foce. Auch die gute Seele der Schule "La nostra Heike" muss unbedingt lobend erwähnt werden. Sie ist die Schaltzentrale und dabei so unglaublich hilfsbereit, einfach unkompliziert und erfrischend n...

Il Sasso not only met my expectations, but exceeded my expectations. My two weeks there will live in my memory as a highlight of my life, I'm sure. Being immersed in Italian was a sometimes challenging experience, yet I felt as if the teachers had the exact right formula to teach and speak on my level while taking me just to the edge of new learning without pushing me off the cliff!! I came away with more knowledge and more confidence. I know I will most certainly return, hopefully for another two weeks. If you are looking for an Italian language school in a beautiful location with top-notch staff, this is it. Don't even hesitate!

Ja, ich gebe es zu, ich bin ein Wiederholungstäter: seit vielen Jahren fahre ich im Sommer ins wunderschöne Städtchen Montepulciano und besuche einen 2wöchigen Kursus bei Il Sasso. Die Schule stellt sich individuell auf mein Lernniveau ein, stellt eine kleine Gruppe von studenti aus aller Welt zusammen und los geht's mit Lernen. Konzentriert und doch mit viel Spass und Humor üben wir uns darin, die wohl schönste Sprache der Welt zu verstehen und anzuwenden. Interesse an italienischer Kultur, Alltagsgeschichten, Musik, Theater und möglicherweise auch an gutem Essen und köstlichem Wein? Die persönliche Atmosphäre der Schule, die ausgezeichneten Lehrpersonen und die internationale Zusammensetzung der studenti sorgen für ein entspanntes Lernklima. Kurz: Ideales Lernen und Geniessen!

Without reservation I highly recommend Il Sasso. The school is very well run and does not use an "invariable" recipe to learn Italian. The classes are small (mine had four students), and the placement according to the students' prior knowledge of the language is very accurate so that members of a class can function together successfully. The teachers are flexible and very well educated. They are also extremely kind and patient when you consider that they hear the same mistakes, over and over, year after year. Il Sasso is truly the best Italian school I have ever attended. I've been there three times. Special accolades go to Heike, the multi-lingual administrator, who seems to be able to find out and arrange anything and everything.

I've spent 2 weeks with il Sasso on intermediate level. The teachers were wonderful, patient, always with smile. Everything is much easier to understand. I liked the activities organized by the school, especially walk through Montepulciano (you must see the theatre - it's wonderful). I've lived with italian family, which gave me opportunity to exercise my italian intensively after the classes and I met I have to come back for sure :-)

I studied Italian for one week at Elementary level within Il Sasso and cannot recommend the school highly enough. It is extremely well-organised, all the staff are very friendly and helpful, the teachers are great (in particular giving very clear explanations of language points) and I learnt a huge amount in such a short space of time. The class size was very small (4 students in my case) which meant lots of individual attention and opportunity to practise speaking, which was exactly what I needed. I stayed with a host family which was situated very close to the school, and my room was great, with a spectacular panoramic view across the surrounding countryside. The afternoon social programme activities were also really great - a chance to explore Montepulciano and the really beautiful surrounding area. All in all, I had a great week and would recommend the experience to everyone.

I have spent 4 wonderful weeks studying Italian with 2 excellent teachers, Sara & Costanza, that make even the hardest work seem like fun, are patient, clear, helpful and encouraging, while demanding, and most important - are such nice people! The school offers multiple fun after school activities, and the entire staff is very caring and nice, always ready to help. Overall, it was a great experience, both in learning Italian and in getting to know this beautiful part of Italy a little better. I hope very much to repeat it soon.