LEARNING BY DOING
Italian Course 20 hours

If you want to fine tune your Italian, live like a local and discover things you never knew, look no further. Sira is patient, flexible, well organized, lively and funny. She is passionate about her native language, and also about Italian history and culture. My brief four day stay turned into an immersion course in all aspects of Italian Civilization. An unexpected bonus is the town of Sarzana. Only a stone's throw from the immensely popular Cinque Terre, it has escaped the tourist hordes and maintains its natural charm and beauty.
All in all, a very rewarding experience!

I had an incredible experience of doing Homestay with Sira in Sarzana. I expected to have a good time, learn some Italian (I was not highly optimistic as to how much can one learn in five-six days?!) and, maybe, do some sightseeing.What has happened, in reality, was full immersion in Italian language, including meeting three of Sira’s friends and her daughter, a new destination to explore every day (I visited Cinque Terre, Pisa, Porto Venere and ended up in Florence, which is only two hours by train away). I was received as a friend and left feeling myself as part of the family. As to speaking Italian, by the end of my Homestay I started thinking in Italian. I am planning to return to Sarzana and do Homestay again. I know there are other places and other good teachers but I think I have found the best teacher for me. Thank you Sira!

I arrived home from Italy 2 days ago after an amazing 5 days in Sarzana doing a Homestay with Sira. I am still talking about the experience to everyone. I was a little nervous before setting off as I didn't really know what to expect other than a few hours of study each day. Within seconds of meeting, it was clear that italian would be the only language spoken but that my teacher was clear, patient, understanding and a great deal of fun. I felt warmly welcomed and put at ease very quickly. Each day began with a delicious breakfast on the patio with stunning views and in total tranquility so that I could gather my thoughts. What followed was a study programme totally tailored to my specific needs and then a lovely lunch with plenty of relaxing chatter. In the afternoon I was taken to various incredible places - sometimes with friends of Sira and always with plenty of chatting. I met several friends and also her daughter who is a totally fabulous cook. Sira appears to be surrounded by warm, friendly people who are all fun to be with. By the end of my stay I felt much more confident in conversing and now, at home, find that I accidentally slip into italian-speak whilst talking to my family. I even use italian gestures which causes some amusement here. I was genuinely sad to leave and definitely hope to return. Sira is not just a teacher - she is un'insegnante straordinaria. Grazie mille di tutto

Sira’s experience as a language teacher of many years was very evident. She had an expertise in how language works and was able, throughout, to make interesting observations about how Italian operates as a language. I also enjoyed her explanations of aspects of Italian culture / politics. She was very organised and had prepared a varied and interesting selection of things for me to do, which included some challenging and thoroughly enjoyable work on works by de André, each of them very different types of text, presenting different challenges. This is very much the kind of exercise I enjoy. Also a challenge – but very good for me, given my particular needs (I find it hard to hear what is being said sometimes) – was listening every morning to the news and explaining the different items. Sira is a very special teacher. Sira was incredibly hospitable, encouraging and friendly. She had also organised several experiences (trips out, dinner with friends etc), designed to expose me to other people’s spoken Italian. All her friends were lovely too. I had a lovely lunch every day, each thing something typical of the area. All in all, the home stay in Sarzana could not have been a better experience.

This was a very valuable experience for me for a number of reasons. My experience with Sira Gheller was excellent. She is an extremely experienced teacher. She was also very patient and an extremely pleasant person who was very compatible with me. She loves languages and teaching and so was extremely patient with my questions and continual elementary mistakes. We got along very well (she had a 2 bedroom apartment so we were almost always together) and in the afternoon she took me on tours, had a some friends over for dinner and one day had her daughter over for lunch. Her food was simple, local, and tasty. I would highly recommend her for anyone. I really cannot say enough good things about her.

Thanks to Sira, I had a great summer vacation this year. I wish I could have stayed longer there! She is very kind, patient and good at teaching. At her place, I could learn not only Italian language but also Italian culture which is something difficult to know when you study by yourself or are outside Italy. In addition, she kindly gave me many chances to use Italian with arranging meetups with locals and taking me to a local market. Sarzana is a lovely tranquil town, and a terrace of Sira’s house has a beautiful view, and we sometimes enjoyed calm evenings, the rising of the moon or the starry sky together. I’d love to go back there soon or later to study Italian with her again.
Grazie mille!