DISCOVERING ITALIAN LANGUAGE

Thanks to our multi-layered experiences in the field of “linguistic tourism”, we are well positioned to offer lessons directly to individuals and to groups, on location, wherever you are staying. Language classes are conducted by qualified Italian language teachers who are experts in teaching Italian as a foreign language as part of our Discovering Italian Language (DIL) residential study programmes.

The Discovering Italian Language programmes employ a teaching methodology based on the most recent approaches to language acquisition. This methodology allows for the immediate development of interactive communication in the new language. The strength of Discovering Italian Language teaching is in the careful elaboration of a schedule totally 'made to measure', created exclusively with regard to the requirements and objectives of our customers.

SPECIAL!!

“LANGUAGE&COOKING”
Full immersion programme on Italian language, cooking & warm hospitality.

Six nights/seven days to study Italian and to learn the secrets of the most famous cooking in the World!
We are sure that you will not find anywhere else another programme that gives you the direct experience of the Umbrian cuisine, the studying of the Italian language, the tasting of excellent products, sight-seeing tours of amazing medieval art cities, all combined with the warm hospitality, the professionalism and friendliness of our team.
A real “full immersion” week in the language and the traditions of the “Bel Paese”.

The ingredients of our recipe :

The teachers of Italian:

the teachers are all university graduates and have degrees in teaching Italian as a second language. They collaborate with prestigious Italian Language Schools in Umbria.

The Language Programme:

The person in charge of the programme is our agency director, Alessandra Mallozzi. After graduating in Languages and Foreign Literature at the University in Perugia, Alessandra first taught Italian language at the University of Szeged in Hungary. Then, for six years as the director of education at a private Italian language school for foreigners, she supervised language teachers and set the programme for all Italian language courses, as well as participating in numerous language teaching workshops and international symposiums on vacational studies.

The teaching method

is entirely communication-based. The main goal of the Italian sessions are to develop the student's ability to communicate.
The lessons involve activities such as team work, games and role plays, with a particular focus on some aspects of the Grammar. The cooking classes, in Italian, enable also the student to continuously use the Italian language all day.

The chef:

Lucia Tomassi comes from a family of chefs that have filled her with the passion and the love for the typical dishes of her region ever since her childhood. Lucia has worked for various years on yachts cruising the Mediterranean and also as personal chef for private Italian and foreign families both in Umbria and abroad. She is young, dynamic and extremely lovely just as her fantastic desserts. She speaks very good English.

The farm-house:

“Il Casale della Vorga”.  It is a beautiful agriturismo (farm-house) only 10 km from Todi, it has belonged to the Maggiaprile family for four generations and it is located near the heart of the farm. Antonio Maggiaprile Senior bought it at the beginning of the 1900s from a small landowner of the area.
The structure is square shaped and it is a typical and traditional country master house. Later it was transformed into a colonial house and for decade farmers working for the Maggiaprile family lived in it.

Due to the mechanization of agriculture and to the I World War, the house was abandoned. It was only in 2005 that Antonio Maggiaprile Junior decided to transform into an agriturismo. The structure has hosted its first guests during the touristic season 2007/2008.
The name “Casale della Vorga” comes from the nearby stream Vorga, where, in the past, the women of the area used to do their washing.

The agriturismo is formed by:

A two-room apartment sleeping two : one bedroom (double bed), a kitchen/dining room. Bathroom with a multi-purpose shower box.
Two three-room apartments each sleeping four:  2 bedrooms in each flat (the first flat has two bedrooms each with a double bed, the second flat has a room with a double bed and a room with a single bed), a kitchen/dining room with fireplace, bathroom, bathroom for disabled.
A three-room flat for lessons and workshops, also the residence of the DU assistant.
An external shared area at the disposal of the guests of the programme.
A swimming pool and an equipped garden for the private use of the guests.

The owner :

Antonio Maggiaprile, born in 1979, represents the fourth generation of the  Maggiaprile family, an important family that by the end of the XIX century possessed many lands located around the area of Todi. The farm, handed down from father to son, is today an important presence in the area, mainly for the cultivation of crops, vineyards and olives.

The DU team:

it is formed by professional guides and interpreters, they will always be by your side in every moment of the da.

The places :

The ancient Via Flaminia and Carsulae – The pompei of Umbria, the lands of Bevagna and Montefalco, the countryside around Todi and the breathtaking sunsets…

The food, the wine:

the extra virgin olive oil, the Grechetto from Todi, the Sagrantino from Montefalco, the Umbrian wines all with IGT and DOC status, pulses, game, home-made pasta and more still..

PROGRAM:

IMPORTANT

Enrolment Conditions:
The entire programme is held in Italian language. It is required a level of knowledge “Intermediate” (B1 – Independent User). In case of students level B2 or C1, the students will be divided in two groups.
On special requests it is possible to design a special programme only for beginners (level A1 – basic user).