In October 2024 I packed up some clothes, a laptop and some notebooks, and flew to Catania in Sicily. I was not going on a sightseeing tour, but staying in one place for a month to learn Italian from scratch. Here are my reasons for going, my thoughts on the experience and the impact it had on me.
Firstly, I love Italy and all things Italian. I have visited the country many times and although many people spoke English, I was always embarrassed that I couldn’t converse in their language. I was certain that speaking Italian would improve my travel experience and I had been thinking about it for a long time.
Secondly, I wanted to stretch myself intellectually. I’m aware as I get older of the need to keep fit both physically and mentally. Learning something new is proven to improve memory function, to help you adapt to new situations and to improve your self esteem. I have always enjoyed learning languages, having studied French, German and Latin at school, so why not add a new one to my collection?
Thirdly, I wanted to go somewhere that gave me the opportunity to gain new social connections. Attending a school would be an ideal place to meet new people with a shared interest in language and Italian culture.
Finally, I wanted to travel with a purpose. On my most recent solo trips with no particular goal I had felt unfulfilled, slightly restless, a little lonely, and I questioned why I was doing it. I had listened to a podcast in which the host talked about going to different countries, staying a month and studying the language and I thought, yes, that is what I will do. It really appealed to me.
Travelling to a new place with the purpose of learning the language would give me the opportunity to learn Italian, stimulate my brain function, form new social connections and to travel intentionally.
I went to Milazzo in Sicily. It was one of those quite random and chance decisions that turned out to be perfect in every way.
When I started researching I was looking at the whole of Italy and I spent a lot of time comparing prices, locations, accommodation, ages of students, and possible places to visit nearby. I originally intended to go to mainland Italy, but one day, out of the blue, Sicily popped into my head. I’ve no idea why, but I had heard from several people that it was a beautiful island with a rich and interesting history, so I started researching language schools in Sicily.
There are a surprisingly large number of Italian language schools in Sicily so once again I went down the Google rabbit hole! I decided I didn’t want to be in the big cities so that ruled out Palermo and Catania. I wanted somewhere smaller where I would feel safe walking around on my own. In the end I found a school called Laboling in Milazzo. https://www.laboling.com/
I hadn’t heard of Milazzo as it is not on the main Sicily tourist route. It is most usually used as a short stop off on the way to the Aeolian islands. The idea of discovering a less busy, more authentic place interested me. The photos of it looked stunning and the school was incredibly helpful, quick to respond and they offered a great deal for a 4 week intensive course. My decision was made.
I stayed in an apartment owned by the school and located one storey above it, so it was very easy to get to class in the mornings! The apartment has 5 bedrooms so I had my own large bedroom and I was sharing with 4 others (although it wasn’t full the whole time I was there). There were shared communal areas – kitchen, lounge and two bathrooms. All the flatmates were studying at the school and came from different parts of the world.
Each week new people came and others left so there was a continual turnaround of flatmates. Sometimes we cooked and ate together, other times we went out for meals or drinks. It was very sociable but I was still able to have my own space when I needed it.
The hardest thing for me as a complete beginner was that some people expected to speak Italian all the time in the apartment. It was great for learning and practising but, as a complete beginner, I felt relieved when we reverted to English! As is often the case, many of the non-native English speakers were still incredibly good at English.
The tuition was every day Monday-Friday from 9.00am-12.30pm. There was a 30 minute coffee break each morning when we often made our way to local cafes for excellent coffee and the famous Sicilian pastries.
Afternoons and evenings were free although the school organised optional excursions and activities most days. I do online teaching myself so I was still able to continue working in the afternoons and evenings while I was there.
The school admits students with varying levels of Italian and students are tested on the first day to decide the most appropriate class for them. When I was there, there were 4 different levels. As a complete beginner I didn’t need to do a test.
In the first week the learning was very hard. I knew no Italian and all the lessons were in Italian from Day 1. However, the full immersion in the language meant my progress was incredibly fast. I had one day in the first week when I didn’t understand anything happening in the lesson. I felt a bit lost and told the teacher who reassured me it would get better. After that I started to improve and gain confidence. We were learning the language like children learn how to speak – listening, copying and repeating.
I was there for 4 weeks and each week I was put into a different class as I improved. New people joined the classes each week, so the class sizes varied. In the four weeks I was there my class sizes were 8, 5, 3 and 2, so small enough to make real progress. A large part of the lessons focussed on speaking, but when grammar points cropped up in conversation the teacher explained them. I’m a bit of a grammar nerd so I enjoyed this! Sometimes we were given short homework tasks. I also did some extra practice of my own in the afternoons and found myself thinking of words and phrases as I went for a walk or on the way to the shops. I learnt the numbers whilst lying on the beach!
I thought it was an excellent school with the right balance of speaking, listening and grammar. It was very well organised, the staff were very approachable and responded to any requests we had.
I met lots of lovely people from all over the world – Swiss, American, Irish, German, Austrian and Australian. I got to know the people who were staying in the apartment best as I saw more of them. However, activities were often organised in the evenings, either by the school or by students, when we could meet those from our classes who were staying elsewhere.
As Milazzo is small, you would sometimes bump into fellow students as you were walking around the town. I had some memorable conversations and fun evenings with new people. There was a variety of ages from 25-70s and a good mix of men and women, a few of whom I have kept in touch with since returning home. From a social perspective the experience was very rewarding for me and it gave me new found confidence to get out of my comfort zone and to talk to strangers, something which does not necessarily come naturally to me.
There was plenty of free time, as the lessons only took place in the mornings. Some afternoons I did my own online teaching, so if you have an online job it is still possible to get a lot done if you wish to. Quite a few people staying in the flat did some work in the afternoon or evening. Some days I studied a bit more Italian or learnt some new vocabulary.
When I wasn’t working or studying I explored the area and got to know everything Milazzo had to offer: I sat on the beach, swam in the sea, strolled along the promenade, supped Aperol Spritzes at sunset, explored the cafe culture and sampled the famous cannoli and granitas, ate pasta and pizzas, went on long walks, and gradually sampled all the gelato flavours. It was wonderful to experience all these aspects of the place and the Sicilian culture.
Some trips were organised by the school:
Overall it had a very positive effect. I had been concerned that I would feel uncomfortable sharing an apartment with 4 other people after living on my own for so long, but this turned out to be unfounded. I really enjoyed having people to chat to and go out with. The apartment was big enough and organised in such a way that we could all have our own space when we needed it.
This experience reminded me a lot of being a fresher at university again! It was exciting to learn new things and to meet new people with a ready made social life. We all had the shared experience of wanting to improve our Italian and it brought us close together. I learnt a great deal of Italian from the more advanced students just by asking questions whilst at dinner.
I am a natural introvert but love meaningful conversations. I found myself becoming more confident going out with big groups and not being afraid to show all aspects of my personality to new people. I got a buzz from being out, laughing and joking, sharing food and stories. It was a tonic that I didn’t know I needed!
One particular poignant memory was on the boat trip around the peninsula, known as Capo di Milazzo. We sailed around the coast, jumping off at intervals to snorkel and explore the wildlife under the water, ending up anchoring offshore to catch the sun sinking down over the horizon. As the boat set off once again towards the port many people on the boat spontaneously began to dance and sing as the captain played some popular tunes on the sound system. It was a glorious and memorable moment, when 20 or so near strangers, of many ages and nationalities, allowed their bodies to move to the music as the boat swayed in the waves. I exchanged thoughts with a fellow British mid-life woman on the fact that we rarely give ourselves permission to be free and to let our hair down like this in our normal lives. Here we were doing just that and it felt liberating.
Well, a very long way from fluent! However, going to the language school in Sicily has inspired me to continue learning Italian. Since I have been home I have joined an Anglo-Italian society in my town and go each week for an Italian lesson. The school I attended in Sicily offers online lessons, so I have had a few individual lessons with one of the teachers from Milazzo. I also have a 135 day Duolingo streak!
As I write this, I’m planning my return to Sicily and I will go to the same school to do it all over again. The school has many students who return which is a great reflection on the high standard of the teaching and the overall quality of the experience.
The link to the school is here:
