Past Matta “Andiamo in Italia”
Language Immersion Programs
I have been organizing groups to study in Italy since 2012.
Time flies when you are having fun, traveling
and meeting fascinating people!
I take small groups to Italy twice yearly to learn the language and practice conversation skills. During the mornings, we study at a partner school in classes perfect for your language level. In the afternoons, we go on adventures and excursions. We sink our hands into pasta dough, raise our wine glasses, laugh, dance, and chat the evenings away in Italian with teachers and Italian friends. You will travel with like-minded individuals and make memories and friends to last a lifetime. Andiamo in Italia!
Here is a listing of previous Matta Immersion Programs
2023 Montepulciano – September
2023 Arezzo Fall Giostra del Saracino Weekend Joust – September
2023 Lucca – September
2023 Arezzo – June
2022 Ascoli Piceno – September
2022 Arezzo – Arezzo Fall Giostra del Saracino Weekend Joust – September
2022 Lucca – September
2022 Arezzo – June
2021 Lucca – September
2021 Matta Spring Arezzo Program canceled due to Covid
2020 Matta Spring Arezzo & Fall Lucca Program canceled due to Covid
2019 Arezzo – June
2019 Montepulciano – September
2019 Arezzo Joust & Montepulciano – Early September
2018 Montepulciano – June
2018 Arezzo – September
2017 Lucca – June
2017 Arezzo – September
2017 Florence – September
2016 Lucca – June
2016 Arezzo – September
2016 Florence/San Quirico/Rome – September
2015 Lucca – September
2015 Rome – August
2014 – Lucca – June
2013 Lecce Puglia – September
2013 Matera, Basilicata – September
2013 Venice – April
2012 Lecce, Puglia – September
Recaps of Previous Programs
2022 Ascoli Piceno, Le Marche: Sept 11-23
Highlights of the 2022 Matta Ascoli program included excursions to Offida to visit the Romanesque church of Santa Maria della Rocca and have a Tombolo (lacemaking) demonstration. We had two cooking classes and a full-day beach excursion to San Benedetto del Tronto for lunch and to walk the ocean promenade, shop, and swimAscoli is famous for its jousting festival — “la Quintana.” Although we weren’t there for the event, we recreated the fanfare of the festival just for our group!
2022 Arezzo September Joust Weekend: Sept 3-5
The 2022 Fall Joust Weekend highlighted two days in Arezzo participating in the city’s famous jousting festival. The 2-Days/2-Nights Weekend Arezzo Jousting Package included: Accommodations in a charming B&B in the historic center, a city tour, a view of the costumed parades, flag thrower & musician exhibitions, and tickets to the joust, as well as the opportunity to participate in the Cena Propiziatoria the evening before the joust. On Sunday, attended Arezzo’s famous antique fair. Many of the weekend joust participants accompanied on to Ascoli Piceno!
2022 Lucca: August 25-Sept 3
Highlights of the 2022 fall Lucca program included visits to artisan shops, cooking a four-course meal with Eva, and visiting Elisa Bonaparte’s Villa Reale. We had art lessons with Suzanna, enjoyed spritzes in Lucca’s amphitheater, climbed to the top of the Guinigi tower, and enjoyed many fabulous meals in local restaurants. We also visited Volterra, the town famous for its alabaster, and had a wine tasting in the hills outside of Lucca as we watched the vendemmia taking place!
2022 Arezzo: June 12-24
Highlights of the 2022 Arezzo program included wine tastings at Pomaio, guided walking tours of the city to see artisan shops and churches, and Piero della Francesca’s frescos on the main altar of San Francesco. We had a cooking lesson in the home of a local Aretina chef in her home and have excursions to Castiglione del Lago, La Fattoria la Vialla, and Cortona, AND enjoyed the hospitality of a local Italian family who will open entertain us for an unforgettable evening in their home.
2021 Lucca: September 17-26
Highlights of the 2021 Lucca program included excursions to Volterra, the town famous for its alabaster, a trip to the Golfo dei Poeti and La Spezia, and the beach at Lerici. We biked around on top of Lucca’s wall, made a four-course meal with Eva, and had an art lesson with Suzanna. We were thrilled to be back in Italy again after Covid!
2019 Arezzo Joust & Montepulciano Villa Experience: August 28-September 6
I often get requests to lead groups in Italy who want to want to experience all the things I organize for my Italian language student groups; these folks are more interested in enjoying “la vita bella” and the afternoon activities and excursions I organize for my groups and not in learning the language. In September 2019, I guided such a group to Arezzo to experience the joust and experience living in a medieval city and then took them to Montepulciano to enjoy life in an Italian villa and the charms of small hill Tuscan town life.
2019 Montepulciano: September 14-28
Highlights of the 2019 Montepulciano program included guided day trips to Montalcino & Sant’Antimo, Perugia & Baci Perugina Chocolate Museum, Chiusi & the Etruscan Museum, Radiocofani & Abbadia di San Salvatore, the Origa Estate & Villa, Afternoon walking tour of Montepulciano’s Artisan Shops, Wine tasting in at Crociani Winery, private cooking lessons with Claudia and Max in the kitchen of their restaurant at Il Covo, Italian Music lesson, Art History lesson in the church of San Biaggio, a visit to Montepulciano’s Morning Market and lots of impromptu surprises – garden parties, special guests and more!
2019 Arezzo: June 16-30
Highlights of the 2019 program will include participation in the EVENING JOUST – la Giostra del Saracino and the festival’s events. We visited artisan shops and spent a day with a local fresco artist, creating our fresco painting to take home. There was a coffee-tasting and wine-tasting event, with dinner included at the Pomaio Estate Winery. We will also have a cooking lesson with a local Aretina chef in her home and another dinner in the home of a friend who lives in Arezzo. There will be guided tours of artisan shops and churches, a visit to Piero della Francesca’s frescos, and a walking tour to discover more about the 16th artist Vasari born in Arezzo. We will also make excursions to the neighboring towns of Florence, Orvieto & Chuisi.
2018 Montepulciano: June 2-11
Highlights of the 2018 Montepulciano program included a guided day tris to Pienza, Castiglione del Lago, the Palazzo dei Duchi della Corgna, Villa Foce in Valdorcia, Orvieto, and Bolsena. We visited a farm and tasted locally grown products, took walks along the lake in Castiglione, visit the gardens at Villa Foce, shop the market in Montepulciano, and take part in a cooking lesson where we will learn to make local recipes.
2018 Arezzo: August 3-15
Highlights of the 2018 program included visiting Arezzo’s Saturday market, tasting authentic local cuisine, and wandering the famous “Fiera Antiquaria” – Arezzo’s antique fair. We had a cooking lesson, wine tastings with Chef Lala, and a visit to the Basilica di San Francesco for a guided tour of Piero della Francesca’s frescos depicting the “Cycle of the True Cross.” This year’s excursions will include excursions to Cortona and Orvieto. We also attended Arezzo’s Jousting tournament and participated in the festivities the week prior.
2017 Lucca: June 4-14
Highlights of the 2017 program included excursions to Carrara’s marble caves, the Golfo di La Spezia, and the beach at Lerici. We visited the Garfagnana Mountains and the “Devil’s Bridge” in Borgo Mozzano, wandered around Pistoia, and had an underground tour of an ancient city that lies beneath.
2017 Arezzo: September 1- 12
Highlights of the 2017 program included participation in the Giostra del Saracino – Arezzo’s famous jousting festival that dates back to the medieval age. We visited Arezzo’s Saturday market, tasted authentic local cuisine, and wandered the famous “Fiera Antiquaria” – Arezzo’s antique fair. There was a cooking lesson, wine tastings with Chef Lala, and a visit to the Basilica di San Francesco for a guided tour of Piero della Francesca’s frescos depicting the “Cycle of the True Cross.” This year’s excursions will include bus trips to Anghiari and Cortona. There will also be a visit to a goldsmith’s shop to see how Arezzo’s famous gold jewelry is crafted.
2017 Florence
Author “Dreaming Sophia” Art History Program September 13-17
Tracing the steps of my protagonist Sophia from my novel “Dreaming Sophia,” during the four days and four-night program, we learned about Florentine art & artists and visited artisan shops in the Oltrarno. We had guided tours of the Academia, the Uffizi, and the Duomo Museo. We explored the Pitti Palace, Eleonora de’ Medici’s home, and the magnificent Boboli Gardens, where Giulia will give us a watercolor painting lesson. We will learn more about Renaissance history and the Medici family, visiting the chapels in San Lorenzo and the Medici Palace. We will also sample authentic local foods and wine during a special Florentine food crawl with “Curious Appetite,” starting with a tour of the Santa Maria Novella Church complex & the Profumeria, the oldest Farmacia in Florence.
2016 Arezzo: September 1- 12
Another unforgettable “Matta” Language & Cultural experience. In September 2016, I teamed up with Paola Testi, the Cultura Italiana Arezzo Language School director, for 12 days and 11 nights of Italian Language Learning fun! During the mornings, we studied at Cultura Italiana Arezzo Italian school, located in the historic center of Arezzo. During the afternoons, we participated in excursions in and around Arezzo with teachers and guides from the school. We will enjoy spending time in the delightful city where they filmed “Life is Beautiful” with Roberto Benigni. We also experienced the famous Giostra del Saracino – Arezzo’s jousting festival that occurs every year in the first week of September.
2016 Florence / San Quirico / Rome
2016 Florence / San Quirico / Rome September 13-September 24
In September 2016, I organized a small group program for a delightful group of women who wanted to experience the highlights of Florence, Tuscany, and Rome. We began our time together living in the heart of Florence right off of Via dei Calzaiuoli and a few steps away from the Palazzo Vecchio! We climbed to the top of the duomo, shopped, and walked the medieval streets of Florence. We rented a van for San Quirico in the heart of Tuscany. We made day trips to Pienza and Montepulciano and had a cooking lesson with the mom of one of my Italian friends. Moving on to Rome, we stay in an apartment across the river from Castel Sant’Angelo. We ate like Romans, visited the Vatican museums, strolled through piazza Navona, and visited the Pantheon.
2015 Lucca: September 11th – 22nd
The teachers at Lucca Italian school and I organized another wonderful program combining language classes, activities, and excursions. The goal is to explore Italy as we deepen our understanding of the language. The 2015 program included a day trip to the CINQUE TERRE in Liguria. We were in Lucca for the FAMOUS LUCCHESE FESTIVAL OF THE HOLY CROSS, one of the most important events that occur in the city on September 13th. We will participate in the celebration, observing the candlelight procession through the town. We watched a film, went to a concert, climbed towers, learned to cook, sang, and went on many excursions. But most importantly, we took classes at the school. It was such a delight for me to travel with this lovely group. Check out the photo highlights from the 2015 Lucca trip.
2015 Rome July 5th – 14th: Art & Language in Rome
Our ten days in Rome combined language lessons at Scud’It with Art lessons with Kelly Medford. We stayed just around the corner from the Colosseum and embraced the Roman lifestyle daily, learning to take the Metro and get around the city like pros. We were also entertained by Roman friends who joined us each day for conversation over dinner in various venues around the city. During the evenings, we also enjoyed typical summer Roman summer activities. One night we attended a picnic at Frascati, a summer festival with wine and music in the hills of Rome. We also enjoyed drinks and dinner at Lungo il Tevere and watched an open-air movie in Trastevere. One night we also saw Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream in Italian in the Villa Borghese, and another evening we toured an ancient Roman wall and tasted ancient Roman cuisine. Yet another evening, we visited the Vatican at night for a “candlelight” tour! I just have to say that the week, despite being pretty hot, was amazing! Kelly, Roberto, and all the teachers at Scud’It, old Roman friends, and new acquaintances made our time in Rome unforgettable! I can’t wait to return to Roma!
2015 Matta & Le Marche: June 26th-July 4th
The le Marche program was a special opportunity for ten individuals to explore for EIGHT days this beautiful region of Italy bordered by Emilia Romana to the north, Tuscany to the northwest, and Umbria to the west. With experienced local guide Nadia Sparapani and Italian instructor Cristina Battelli, we planned t ourselves in the Italian language and culture. Our group had the exclusive use of Palazzo Donati, a villa built in the 1700s and situated very close to Urbino. This lovely Renaissance town is also the birthplace of Raphael.
Lucca 2014 – June 1-12, 2014
My group and I had a fantastic experience in Tuscany in the beautiful walled city of Lucca. We studied in the mornings at Lucca Italian School and explored the town and surrounding areas in the afternoons with our teachers and guides. We were truly immersed in the language and culture. During our “soggiorno” in Lucca, we stayed in the heart of the city close to Piazza S. Michele at il Piccolo Puccini. We became locals. We ate well, conversed all day long in Italiano, cooked, sipped wine, and even climbed to the top of the Giunigi Tower to take in the breathtaking vista of Lucca as seen on high. We made day trips to Pisa and the Garfagnana, Barga, Forte di Marmi, and Pietrasanta. We toured a medieval castle and attended a concert of Puccini arias. But the best part of living in Lucca is her walls…le mura surrounding the city. How wonderful to walk and bike along the walls like a local and enjoy life in Italy! I will be going back in September 2015! Check out the photo highlights from the 2014 Lucca trip.
Lecce in Puglia: September 22nd – 30th
Ylenia Sambati and I had so much fun with our 2012 group that we decided to do it again in September 2013! We began our stay in the heart of Lecce in a Baroque palazzo. Then we moved out into the country on the third day to the beautifully renovated Italian farmhouse/massaria outside Lecce. I traveled with a fantastic group of women, all passionate about Italy and the language. During our week together, we experienced magical moments of cooking, wine tasting, sightseeing, yoga, olive oil tasting & yes, even conjugating verbs! After a week of chatting in Italian with all the folks I met, I certainly came away from Puglia feeling more fluent and confident about my conversation skills.
2013 Matera, Basilicata Sept 14-21
Ilaria Navarra of Percorso in Italy, and I organized a language immersion experience in Matera. In September 2013, we traveled to the ancient city carved out of the rugged rocky terrain called “Sassi.” During our week’s stay in Matera, we took a “tuffo” into the language and culture of the Basilicata. We stayed in local B&Bs sprinkled around the city and just a short walking distance from the school, where during the mornings, Ilaria led morning Italian classes. In the afternoons, we continued practicing our language conversation skills & guided by local experts; we experienced a new cultural activity every day. We cooked, sampled local wines, cheeses, and olive oils, and also explored the recently discovered la “cripta del peccato originale” which features amazing paintings dating from the 9th century. I will never forget looking back across the ravine on my last day in Matera and hearing the sounds of music from the local conservatory floating over the city. Truly a remarkable adventure, and I thank my partner for making the week especially amazing for us.
2013 Venice April
Diego Cattaneo of Venice Italian School invited me to facilitate a group to study at his school, and he & the school orchestrated and arranged our lodgings and all the activities during our stay in Venice. The Venice experience taught me not only how to better pronounce le doppie consonanti /double consonants (as in the word “anno”!) but also to be flexible and to “go with the flow.” Fortunately, we didn’t literally “go with the flow” as Venice’s waters behaved. No acqua alta for us & despite 2013’s unpredictable wet & cold spring weather, upon our arrival in la Serenissima, it turned warm & sunny. On the first day, we experienced a “sciopero” water tax strike & quickly had to rely on our feet to get around. We stayed on Giudecca Island, in a renovated monastery where the beds, baths & rooms were small & the amenities were sparse but economical & clean. In the morning, we bought cornetti & cappuccini at a neighborhood bar and rubbed elbows with the local tradesmen. We crossed the canal in our “school bus/traghetto” to study at the Venice Italian School, located around the corner from Santa Maria Gloriosa deiFrari, where you can find Titian’s Assumption of the Virgin. In the afternoons, we visited churches & used book stores & the Rialto Fish market. We met carnival mask makers & observed glass artists as they worked with hot molten glass. We also learned to row a gondola at a local yacht club, and we made the classic Venetian dish called “sarde in saor” a sweet & sour take on sardines. Due to some physical limitations of our group, we didn’t go on the scheduled bike ride along Venice’s Lido. Because our group’s language skills trended to very beginner levels, we didn’t perform a treasure hunt in Venice. Instead, we added a matinee performance of Rossini’s opera La cambiale di matrimonio at Teatro Malebran to the itinerario.
2012 Lecce Puglia
In 2012, I co-led my first group in Puglia with my partner Ylenia Sambati. Lecce (the Baroque capital of the south) and the countryside of Puglia are both fascinating destinations, despite the heat of August! I learned that perhaps August isn’t the best month “heat index wise” to visit the Salento. On the other hand, what other time of the year can you experience Ferragosto and the multitude of local festivals from Locorotondo and Ostuni to Lecce? In 2012 we stayed in a Masseria, a renovated farmhouse in the country surrounded by olive trees. We cooked with Italian mammas, went to the sea, danced the Pizzica, the local folk dance, and learned the art of Cartapesta from local artists. The pasta of this region is “orecchiette,” and I learned it takes a bit of practice to make perfect “little ears,” but one improves one’s pasta rolling technique with a glass of wine in one’s hand. Speaking of wines…Puglia has some amazing ones and is one of the biggest areas in Italy to export wine. We learned this from the maestro himself at Candido Winery. And yes! it is possible to do yoga under the olive trees despite the august summer heat…especially when you can cool off in a nearby pool with an olive tree growing out of an island in the middle of it.