What they say about us

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.

This was my second visit to the school as an intermediate learner. The teachers are very patient (which is important for a slow learner) and professional and helpful, and the range of skills amongst pupils is managed well and in a flexible way to offer the best support and guidance.

８月から１２月までの４ヶ月、ホームステイをしながらこちらの学校でイタリア語を学びました。 語学面でのサポートはもちろん、生活面においても大満足の４ヶ月でした。 授業は、イタリア語の習得レベルに合わせたクラスに分けられ、少人数で行われます。そのため先生は生徒のことをひとりひとりしっかりと見てくれます。週に何度か行われる午後のプログラムでは、伝統工芸の工房を見学したり、トスカーナ料理を学んだり、ワインの試飲会を行ったりと、現地の文化を肌で感じる機会が沢山あります。 ほかの生徒さんは２週間や１ヶ月の滞在が&#...

I have just completed my second 2-week course of instruction at Il Sasso. The first was in May 2011. Learning a new language is never easy, but the instructors and staff at Il Sasso make it pleasant and almost fun. During my 2 visits I have had a total of 4 instructors. All were highly skilled at helping me learn in a relatively stress-free environment. And they were genuinely nice people. Through the school, I rented an apartment that was quite comfortable. The administrative staff at the school was thoroughly helpful in all matters. Il Sasso is centrally located in Montepulciano, my favorite hilltop town in Tuscany. I plan on returning next year for (at least) another 2 weeks.

My cousin and I have travelled to Italy 3 times to study italian. We found Il Sasso to be fantastic! The school itself is lovely and bright and open. The administration are friendly, helpful and caring people. Our two teachers, young and vibrant, Sara & Cinzia were amazing teachers and we grew close to them in just a week's time. The classes are small, so you learn and are able to have time to learn. The setting of Montepulciano is dream-like, truly a gem of a Tuscan town, with good food, lovely shops and the most breath-taking sunsets! We stayed at a nearby villa apartment that was fantastic, that the school put us in touch with. I will return to this school one day and highly recommend this experience for anyone wanting to learn to speak italian and also have a local Tuscan experience, with the wine, food, cheese-making, and music festivals. There is an international music school in the town, so there are many young people there, but when we went in September it was off-season and not crowded at all. We loved every minute of it, and wish we had stayed for a longer time.

Il Sasso embraces the concept of learning by immersion from day one. The environment itself is very laid-back. The place is run very hands-on and the course instructors are very dedicated and in-tune with the needs of the participants. It really is a fun way to learn, and the area is replete with plenty of other activities to keep you engaged or if you feel like kicking back, there is no better place than the tiny hilltop hamlet of Montepulciano to just relax and take it all in.The course is extremely high-quality and the teachers clearly know what they are doing. I would suggest no less than a two-week course for first-timers. I have been told that the one-on-one lectures are highly-recommended, but only after taking the classroom lessons first to have a base to start from. Montepulciano is a very quiet and intimate setting and the setting could not be more perfect for a vacation/language course. I will be back for a month the on my next visit!