What they say about us

In English, because most people wanting to go to Il Sasso probably don't yet have a great comprehension of Italian language? My partner and I decided to go to Il Sasso because (a) we had studied with another (Dante) organisation for some years and wanted to try something different, (b) wanted to go somewhere small (Montepulciano was our 'ideal' size to feel a part of a small community and (c) the school appeared to attract a slightly older clientele which suited our age bracket (>50). We stayed in 'Monte' for a little over two weeks and attended the school for those two weeks. The staff were great from Heike at 'Admin central' to all of the wonderful insegnante e direttore, we immediately felt welcome (but knew we were there to learn!). The extra curricular activities were diverse and generally well organised. Some were moderately expensive for what you received but that said we went on most and enjoyed them all - especially the historic walking tour of 'our town' Montepulciano and the visit to the nearby La Foce gardens. In addition to the fantastic food and wine of this region, we stayed in a wonderful AirBnB apartment overlooking prime Tuscan fields and olive groves and marked the hours of the day to the church bells which we still miss. Most of all we made some fantastic (hopefully lifelong) friends which enriched our stay and put the icing on the cake. We are already planning a return trip. Can't recommend Montepulciano as a destination, and Il Sasso as la scuola of choice, highly enough.

In only a week, my Italian improved immeasurably. It was fun too, as the teachers were delightful and ensured that we talked about all sorts of subjects, however halting our Italian.

Recently, I received three weeks' excellent training in the Italian language at Il Sasso, a school for foreigners, in Montepulciano, Italy. During that time, I increased my Italian vocabulary manifold and had confirmed my notion that Italian grammar is very similar to Spanish grammar. My aim was to learn enough Italian to travel comfortably as a tourist in Italy, and that was accomplished in fine form. The staff of Il Sasso and the town of Montepulciano are both beautiful and a joy to interact with. Recien, me matricule por tres semanas en la Escuela Il Sasso en estudio del idioma italiano para estranjeros, en la ciudad de Montepulciano, en Italia. Durante ese tiempo, mi vocabulario italiano aumento bastante, y el curso me confirmo el entendimiento que la gramatica italiana seria muy semejante a la del espanol. Los que ya hablan espanol van a encontrar en el italiano una tarea mucho mas facilitada que la de los que no lo hablan. Aun mejor, hay varias profesoras de la escuela Il Sasso que tambien conocen el idioma espanol, y por eso le pueden ofrecer aun mas ayuda. Mi meta en matricularme en Il Sasso era de aprender el italiano bastante para poder viajar en Italia como turista sin incomodidad. Eso lo consegui estupendamente. Las del cuerpo docente y tambien la ciudad de Montepulciano son ambas bellisimas, y me dieron mucho placer en trabajar juntos. Ha pouco tempo atras, passei tres semanas matriculado na Escola Il Sasso do Italiano para Estrangeiros, em Montepulciano, na Italia. Durante aquele tempo, o meu vocabulario italiano aumento muito, e o curso confirmou o meu entendimento de que la gramatica italiana seria muito semelhante a do Portugues. Os que ja falam portugues vao descubrir que, com o italiano, a sua tarefa sera ja bem facilitada. Alem disso, saibam que varias das professoras do Il Sasso tambem conhecem o espanhol, o que facilitara muito a aprendizagem dos brasileiros e portugueses. (Infelizmente, nao encontrei nenhuma que fallasse portugues.) Mas,...

I took a three-week course at Il Sasso (group lessons in the morning and a private one hour lesson in the afternoon). The staff were great and the class sizes were small. The teaching was excellent! Montepulciano is a beautiful Tuscan hill town, adding significantly to my overall experience. I will most definitely return to Montepulciano to go to Il Sasso again.

This school is definitely the gem of Montepulciano and Tuscany. I was completely in awe of the level of classes here. They are well balanced with grammar, speaking and listening. As well as lots of interesting activities to make learning experience fun and efficient, like games, "field trip" to the local market to explore local produce and learn new words. Teachers are attentive, knowledgable, intelligent and fun! At this school you feel how much they care about what they do! It was completely enjoyable and unforgettable experience! Grazie mille - Silvia Celli, Cinzia Casagni, Sara Chierchini, Heike Wilms, Eleonora Vieri!

To first begin with a little bit about myself, I have previously studied four other languages: Latin, Ancient Greek, French, and German. In three weeks at Il Sasso, I learned as much as I did in one semester of German at an ivy league university. The teachers are amazing, enthusiastic, and you will absolutely be amazed at how much Italian you are able to pick up in one or more weeks. I definitely hope to come back and would encourage anyone to do it. A few words about the town, Montepulciano is absolutely beautiful and a wonderful place to spend a couple of weeks. There were people while I was there as young as 16, and as old as 70, the program really is appropriate for all ages!

So many of us admire Italy for it's beauty, food and culture but when we travel there we look in as outsiders. My experience at Il Sasso made me feel at home in Montepulciano, which is a breathtakingly beautiful town in Tuscany. The faculty at the school are very warm and friendly and they are good teachers. We took a placement test and were put in classes with others of our ability. The morning class runs from 8:45-1 with two breaks. With the longer break the students go to a bar (coffee shop) across the street. The other students were from all over and were a nice mix of ages, although there were quite a few Americans, and everyone had fun together. I was only there for a week but I felt sad leaving my class because we really enjoyed each other. I made great progress in my Italian over the week and what was best was I stopped being shy about speaking. I also felt really comfortable in Montepulciano by the time I left. I'm already thinking about coming back next year.

I cannot recommend Il Sasso enough. It was the stuff dreams and memories are made of. I say that because, I dreamed of doing such a thing and acted upon the desire, then so many memories were made ... which are now part of my soul. All of that, may seem overly dramatic, however, I am a married 52 year old female with a full life at home. It was exciting to take time off for myself and do what I wanted. I was 4 weeks at school and an additional 2 weeks traveling. There are different levels, you are given a quick assessment and them placed in a class. There were different students coming and going each week. They came for 1 week, 2 weeks, 4-6 weeks and even for 3 months. The staff at Il Sasso are kind, patient, encouraging, warm, and helpful. They want you to succeed at learning ... and get as happy and excited (as you do yourself) ... when a "breakthrough" is made. We would have a grammar class and a conversation class. There was a little bit of homework (which I didn't always manage to complete before class). I also signed up for the private lessons, which could be done solo or with a second person. The private (solo) lessons helped me get over the hump/blockade that I had in learning Italian. I really was able to progress as the teacher assessed where I was having the trouble and then really worked on that (what a kind and Patient man Alberto was with me)!!! There are after school activities as also excursions offered to reinforce your learning. You are able to do as much or as little of the extracurricular activities as you would like. I had as much fun after school, as I did in school. If you come on your own and have concern about being lonely or unsafe - in my opinion ... there is not a problem with either here. So much to do, so much to see! I walked in the city at night (sometimes late) by myself with no bother at all. The picturesque town, the surrounding area, the history. I will never get enough. I plan on returning as soon as I possibly can.

What an exceptional experience as a Beginner student last fall, 2017 at Il Sasso. Costanza is an excellent instructor and made me feel comfortable every morning with our lessons. She helped create a learning environment that was stress free and fun. I am returning in early 2018 for more training and of course, enjoying exquisite Tuscany! If this is your first time to the area, consider staying in one of the peaceful and charming agriturismos that are nestled next to Montepulciano.

From the minute I had first contact with the school via email, through to my arrival and for the entire two weeks i was at Il Sasso, I couldn't have asked for a better experience. My interactions with the admin staff via email before arriving were stellar and gave me a lot of confidence in the experience I was about to have. Once at the school and in Montepulciano, things just continued to get better and better. The town was stunning and so full of life and interesting things to do. The school arranged my accommodation and it was perfect. A wonderful little apartment in a beautiful location on the edge of the town. I was incredibly nervous about attending school after so many years away from it. At 65 and a total beginner in terms of the Italian language, I was worried that I had bitten off more than I could chew. From the minute I met the staff and the teachers my fears were put to rest. The program is an excellent one and my teachers Elenora and Sara were incredible!!! The small class size allowed for a lot of individual attention and while Sara and Eleanor were always patient, encouraging and engaging, they were also very persistent in ensuring that everyone participated fully. Shy or not, we were all pushed (in the nicest of ways) to talk. Don't get me wrong, the classes were hard work but fun at the same time and although I had moments where I doubted I would ever speak or understand the language (and thought my head would explode!!!) by the end of the first week,I was both speaking and understanding a lot. The structure of the lessons is perfect, with emphasis on discussion first. Yes there was homework but never too much and the afternoon's optional excursions were excellent. I met so many interesting students from around the world, many of whom had been to the school multiple times. I can understand why and hope to go back again myself. My time at the school (2 weeks) was short and went by in a flash but it really set me up well for the rest of my 6 week ...