Scuola Virgilio

I cannot rate the school and the tutors highly enough. I decided to visit Sicily solo and learn (as a beginner) the Italian language. My initial contact with the school was superb (especially in comparison to so many other schools in Sicily and mainland Italy). Stefano was very efficient at getting back to my initial enquiries and made me feel at ease and happy to join the school with their arrangement of apartment accommodation. It was all so straight forward to book and good value in my opinion. I stayed for 4 weeks in total. It was a fantastic experience. Making new friends, especially ones I shared accommodation with, was another highlight of my trip. The school and the timetable was very well set out. I didn’t feel intimidated even though many were at differing levels despite it being a beginners class. When I needed extra tuition, I got it. Going from a larger class to just two of us meant I practically got one on one tuition which was so helpful since it took me that little bit longer to learn the language and get to grips with it (I hadn’t learned a language since I was at school, and being 34 at the time, it felt a long time ago). Overall I loved my experience there. I came home more confident and buzzing from my stay and learning. The school also arranged other activities like cookery classes, day trips etc. Which were great and meant extra time getting to know my peers. I would love to go back when I can find the time to do another few weeks and thank everyone at the school for such a wonderful experience.

My wife and I both had individualized instruction that met our needs. We had studied Italian in the United States prior to our arrival. We also had a month month course in Lucca, Italy, in 2011, in the Lago di Como area in northern Italy in 2012, in Taormina, Sicily, in 2013 and then the Trapani experience in 2014.

The attention and care that we received in Trapani was the best to that date without a doubt. My wife was able to read Italian newspapers and converse in Italian after she left Trapani. I was reading historical accounts and the newspapers as well. The director of the school ensured that our needs were met.

He and his staff went beyond normal expectation.

By the way, in case you have any doubts about the quality of the Italian spoken, it is on the national standard and the schools were rated at the top of the rating scale only behind that of Rome.

We also have studied in Rome and Florence during the past two years. Thus, we can provide a good comparison of the programs and the dialects that we have heard in the various regions.

As you can conclude, we have chosen to study in various regions of Italy to get a better insight into the mentality of the Italians as well as to learn about their customs, culture and historical differences.

We spent an intensive week with Daniela in the beginners class at Scuola Virgilio in Trapani, which was so much fun and where we learned a lot. We were with a group of only four students, which meant plenty of room for individual attention and questions. For every day Daniela had prepared a theme and subjects for discussion and practice. We received free copies with exercises and background on grammar. There was also lots of room for conversations, which I liked the best. The rest of our stay in Sicilia we had great use for all Italian language skills we had learned! My sisters wedding was the week after that in Sicily and I felt much more confident speaking Italian. I would definitely recommend taking a class here; the people are great, the classes are small and very personal and in a short amount of time you will learn a lot!

As a Swiss living in Canada, I chose to spend 2 weeks of the summer in Sicily to improve my basic Italian language skills. I was very happy with my choice of language school in Trapani. In a beautiful seaside town I had the opportunity to learn Italian at my own pace and level (in group classes, so we had the chance to mingle with other students). I could customize my course on a weekly basis. Not only did the school provide fantastic teachers who were knowledgeable and kind, the director also went out of his way to make this stay social beyond the class room by offering after school activities that were educational and fun. He also offered to help us find accommodation. In every way I felt welcomed at this school, and I would highly recommend it for studying Italian. Thanks again for a wonderful stay!