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Learn Italian in Dorset

Highlights

  • The only residential Italian course in the UK
  • Learn to speak confidently in Italian with a native Italian speaker
  • Stay in a beautiful old manor house
  • All meals and transfers from the trainstation included
from £600 pp
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2 Nights

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What you'll do

Overview

2025 dates:
21st -23rd March
30th May - 1st June
17th-19th October

Enjoy a weekend Italian Language course in the beautiful Dorset countryside, with close tuition in a small group. Stay in a beautiful manor house with all meals included.

 

Learn Italian over a long weekend in the beautiful Dorset countryside with Viviana, a native of Rome, and an experienced teacher. She will be giving intensive lessons twice a day and encouraging conversation through the day. You will enjoy delicious Italian meals, and evenings with films and games to practice your Italian language skills, so that you leave having mastered the essentials of the language

This is a wonderful weekend where you will experience speaking Italian with Viviana in the beautiful Dorset countryside with like minded people all wanting to get a grounding in the language. It is an ideal course for complete beginners and for those wanting to rekindle their skill in the language. We will have lessons all morning and also after lunch with a film or a game in the evening following a sumptuous Italian dinner.

The course will have a maximum of 6 participants ensuring there is plenty of time for close one to one tuition.

Whilst you are staying in the beautiful accommodation set in a tranquil location within a working farm, you will have time for relaxing between lessons. There are resident livestock to be seen in the surrounding fields and the nearby pretty village of Plush has a pub and a backdrop of rolling countryside, making it the ideal spot for enjoying a walk or cycle ride. There is the opportunity to head south towards the stunning Jurassic Coastline, where you will find a choice of beautiful beaches and the traditional seaside resort of Weymouth and also many pretty towns and villages that are accessible from here, including Sherborne, Blandford, Sturminster Newton and Dorchester, with a great selection of cafes, shops and restaurants.

Arrival and first lessons begin

On arrival day ( Friday) you should arrive in time for lunch at 12:30 check in at 4pm or later and have time to settle in before  lessons begin at 2pm until 6pm m with a break for tea.

At 6:30pm drinks will be served, followed by dinner at 7:30pm

You will have time to get to know your host, tutor and fellow participants over dinner and then have time for a film or games in Italian.

Italian lessons

Breakfast will be served in the dining room, including cereals, croissants, toast, a selection of jams and marmalades, yoghurts, fruit, fruit juice , tea and coffee.

Italian language  tuition starts at 09:00 and goes on until 1pm.

Lunch will be served in the dining room and usually includes soups, quiches, salads, cold meats etc. Tuition continues in the afternoon between 2 and 5 pm with a break for tea.

There is the opportunity before dinner to take a walk in the gardens or to make use of the public areas of the main house or take a walk in the countryside.

Drinks are served at 6:30pm and dinner of three courses plus wine will be served at 7:30pm.

 

 

 

 

Final day of lessons and departure

Today ( Sunday)  the day will have the same format as Saturday, ending after the afternoon lessons.

The course will conclude at 5pm and you will be taken to the train station for your journey home. Arrivederci!

What's included

Included

  • Accommodation for 2 nights
  • All meals and wine with dinner each evening
  • 18 hours Italian language tuition over 3 days
  • Expert tuition in a small group setting

Accommodation

Double room in cottage ( shared bathroom)

The cottages are semi detached and have a kitchen , living room, two bedrooms and one bathroom . This room will share a bathroom with the second bedroom in the cottage. Outside there is a terrace, seating area and private garden. The cottages are just a short walk from the main house.

Twin room in cottage (shared bathroom)

The cottages are semi detached and have a kitchen , living room, two bedrooms and one bathroom. This room will share a bathroom with the second bedroom in the cottage. Outside there is a terrace, seating area and private garden. The cottages are just a short walk from the main house.

Main house bedroom (private bathroom)

There are four guest bedrooms in the main house, each has a double or kingsize bed and either an ensuite bathroom or an adjoining bath or shower room. The rooms are furnished in traditional style and have windows overlooking the grounds. Three of the rooms are on the first floor and one on the second floor.

Your local host

Elizabeth

 

Elizabeth lives at Thurnwood in deep in the Dorset countryside, she studied in Florence for six years learning to paint in a classical accademia and has a great love of painting in oils. She has been tutoring for several years and enjoys helping her guests to develop their skills and become confident in their painting techniques, she is also a fluent Italian speaker. Elizabeth and her husband host both week long courses to learn the techniques of painting in oils and also Italian Language weekends, when Italian language teacher, Viviana, is the tutor. They are very welcoming hosts and will make sure that your stay is enjoyable and memorable.

 

Elizabeth lives at Thurnwood in deep in the Dorset countryside, she studied in Florence for six years learning to paint in a classical accademia and has a great love of painting in oils. She has been tutoring for several years and enjoys helping her guests to develop their skills and become confident in their painting techniques, she is also a fluent Italian speaker. Elizabeth and her husband host both week long courses to learn the techniques of painting in oils and also Italian Language weekends, when Italian language teacher, Viviana, is the tutor. They are very welcoming hosts and will make sure that your stay is enjoyable and memorable.

Elizabeth image

Location

Thurnwood is a substantial country house located between Sherborne and Dorchester, ”far from the madding crowd” in Hardy country. The house is reached via a long private drive and there are four guest bedrooms in the main house. There are also two adjoining cottages of 2 bedrooms each (one double one single), each has a bathroom, sitting room, kitchen and private gardens.

The nearest towns are Dorchester or Sherborne, and each has a train station from where your hosts will collect you and take you to the house.

Your host Elizabeth lived in Florence for five years and is teaming up with Viviana, a native of Rome and an experienced teacher of Italian. Together they will help you to master the Italian language with structured lessons and relaxed conversation and interactions throughout the weekend. 

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