Enjoy the BELLA VITA
while learning Italian
Would you like to live like a local while deepening
your knowledge of the language?
Learn Italian by Participating in Italian Homestays or Small Group Immersion Programs in Italy
Would you like to spend time learning the language and soaking up the culture in Italy? Do you want to visit new places in Italy and meet people you would never have if you traveled alone? Would you like to spend an evening with Italian friends in the piazza sipping spritz and conversing with them using your Italian language skills that keep improving because you are living in Italy while learning the language? Through the Matta blog, you can study in Italy in small group study programs or through a personalized homestay vacation.
Small Group Italian Immersion Study Programs
Travel with Melissa to Italy and learn Italian with a group of like-minded individuals!
I organize Small Group Italian Language Immersion Programs in Italy for those who want to travel solo and would like some company. The “Matta” Andiamo in Italy Language Programs are open to singles and couples and usually last 10-12 days. I partner with Italian schools, and in the morning, students study in classes suitable to their language level with teachers at the school. In the afternoons, my Italian partners and I organize excursions, guided tours, activities, wine tastings, cooking, and art classes for the group to continue practicing their language skills “fuori aula” outside the classroom. My group stays in a small hotel or B&B, and most evening meals are organized. Italian friends are also invited to dinner, so you can meet and converse in Italian with others outside our group. Programs have taken place in Lucca, Rome, Montepulciano, Venice, Florence, Lecce, Ascoli Piceno, and Arezzo
Personalized Italian Homestay Language Vacations
Learn Italian and experience Italian family life living in the home of an Italian family!
Italian Language Homestays are available throughout the year, and locations are available all over Italy. Usually, a homestay lasts one to two weeks, and they are wonderful opportunities for students to live “la vita familiare” learning and living in the home of an Italian teacher. I collaborate with Italian teachers from the tip to the toe of the boot who open their doors to students all year long, so it is possible to book a homestay when convenient for you to travel! Students may participate as much as they would like in the daily life of their Italian teacher and her family while improving their language and conversation skills.
Small Group Language Immersion Programs for up to 10 Students
Join me for FOUR fantastic opportunities to learn in Italy. Melissa’s small group immersion programs, which are 12 – 14 days, accommodate up to ten individuals. The program focuses on improving conversation skills. Students study in the mornings at Melissa’s Italian partner schools with other international language learners at their level. In the afternoon, my group reunites. We go on special excursions and participate in activities, art projects, local festivals, wine tastings, and cooking classes to continue practicing Italian skills with Melissa, local guides, teachers, and Italian friends.
Homestay Italian Language Vacation
for 1 or 2 Individuals
Looking for a unique vacation in Italy? How about a customized Italian Language Homestay Vacation? Nothing is more effective for learning a foreign language than to live in close contact with a tutor who is specialized in teaching their native language in the country where this language is spoken! Spending an entire day in a family context, combining a few hours of “traditional” teaching with the many stimuli that daily life offers (TV, dining, walking) is the most natural and less stressful way to progress in learning a language. The Matta Blog offers several choices for Italian Homestay Language Vacations located all over Italy. Simply click on the Request A TEACHER link and fill out the request form, selecting three teachers up to 3 teachers. Melissa will check their availability and help coordinate your Homestay in Italy.
What They’re Saying
Sheree Isola — 3-time trip participant —
talks about her experience!
Bill Bahr — 2-time trip participant — talks about his experience in Italy with Melissa!
Having just returned from a learning adventure in the Maremma (Tuscany), I can only say “grazie mille” to you, Melissa, for arranging homestays on your site and, most especially, for the one I’ve experienced with Virginia Villani. It was far more than I’d hoped for: I’ve started to dream in Italian, thanks to two weeks of language immersion; I’ve seen a part of Italy into which I would not usually venture; and I’ve had the chance to go beyond more usual tourist experience, to share in daily family life. My thanks to you both for making this possible. Natalia Krawetz, At Home in Italy participant
Following my return from Italy, my heart remains full of bliss. I am profoundly grateful to Melissa for suggesting I spend my sabbatical time with Elena in Bergamo. My time in Italy surpassed my expectations and hopes in every way imaginable. As Melissa promised, Elena is extremely knowledgeable about the history and art of northern Italy. I felt so wonderfully blessed every single day…blessed with delicious food, lovely and comfortable accommodations, excellent instruction, outstanding art and architecture, extraordinary vistas, and generous friendship. I cannot wait to go back! Lisa Goodwyn, At Home in Italy participant
