Wednesday, September 06, 2006

italian language in italy : Choosing an Italian Language Course in Italy

I’ve made you something really special for lunch,” Mario’s mum said, kissing me on the cheek. “I hope you like horse.”

Being a strict vegetarian, I was less than thrilled that a horse steak was being served in my honor, but also knew that if I refused she would have caused a "brutta figura."

I looked for my boyfriend to get me out of this situation but he had already gone, lugging our cases from his polished-to-perfection Alfa Romeo. As lunchtime approached, I was getting less and less hungry.

Of course, had my Italian been better I would have known that horse had never been on the menu. I had mistaken cavolo (cauliflower) for cavallo (horse).

That of course is a minor example of problems that can occur when you are trying to immerse yourself in a new culture but don’t speak the language.

Admittedly, Italy is stunning. From the brick-red rooftops of Tuscany to the dazzlingly white villas of Sardinia, you could spend several months simply immersing yourself in your glorious technicolor surroundings.

If you don’t speak the language you are missing out on the real experience - the people. It is like watching a film but with the sound turned down.

Even if you do speak some Italian before you visit Italy, enrolling in a language school in Italy is the best way of getting to grips with the sing-song sounds of the language.

By Emma Bird

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