Sono appena tornata a casa in Canada e sto ancora riflettendo sulla meravigliosa settimana che ho trascorso con Sira – un’insegnante di italiano altamente qualificata e una persona gentile e fantastica. Con tutto il cuore, ti ringrazio, Sira!

I would highly recommend Sira’s homestay program to anyone who is interested in enhancing their Italian language abilities and deepening their knowledge of Italian culture and history. Sira is just the person to help you achieve these goals.
Right from the very moment we met, I felt comfortable and welcomed into her home and into her Italian lifestyle. She shared her apartment, her friends, her food and her two wonderful cats, Briciola and Mucca.
Her generosity and patience made for a wonderful stress-free learning environment during which we spoke exclusively in Italian. She was patient when I struggled to express myself and reassuring when I was mortified by the number of grammatical errors, I was aware of making. Never once did I feel she was anything other than kind, reassuring and encouraging.
Sira demonstrated an incredible ability to listen intently to me, to pick up on the topics of conversation that interested me and then to weave them into the following morning’s Italian lesson. Sometimes these lessons took place at her kitchen table or at the local bar or, on one memorable morning, sitting on a block of marble at the Marble Caves of Carrara – an experience I’ll never forget! The prepared lessons were a combination of grammar, culture and history – all focused on enhancing my language skills in an entertaining and deliberate manner.
I think it takes a remarkable person to open their home to people from around the world – to share their space, their language and their culture. Sira is just the right person for this sort of activity. She’s an excellent language teacher and a generous, open-minded and open-hearted person – wonderful traits for an Italian teacher to have.
I can’t believe how lucky I was to have been able to participate in Sira’s homestay program. I hope many other students of the Italian language and culture have the chance to spend time with her. It was a
Vilma Rossi – Hamilton, Ontario, Canada – (June 2024)