Sonja from Germany

I participated at an intensive language course in Italy from 17.09.2012 to
28.09.2012. Therefore I decided to study at the school IL Faro. The school is located
in the center of Caorle. It takes just a few minutes to get to the beach or to the
Citycenter, where all the shops and restaurants are. While studying I lived in a
holiday apartment in front of the beach. The apartment was very nice and pretty
modern. I booked this apartment at the agency "adriamare" which was recommended to me
by school.
There are three teachers at school. The Italian courses are taught exclusively in
Italian language. This is conductive to advanced learning. The school also provides
all the study material. The main season in Italy ends in September. This is
particularly noticeable at school, because there are just a few students. Therefore
I had private lessons with Miss Liviana Cechet. There have been two students from
Kanada, too, who participated in another course. Every day I had to prepare some
homework, for example grammar or writing exercises. The following day I discussed
the homework with my teacher. So I had the chance to improve my knowledge about the
italian language in dialogue.
I can highly recommend this school, especially the committed and motivated
teachers. Moreover the school organizes Sight Seeing Tours. This is an
extraordinary opportunity to get to know the Italian culture.
I had a very nice time in Caorle and in addition it was possible for me to improve my
Italian language skills within a short time.

What they say about us: Italian Society’s group Amicizia study holiday

The language school (il Faro) was in the centre of the old part of the village and proved to be of very high quality indeed. The group was divided in three depending on the level of tuition required. All members felt their Italian improved as the lessons were well suited to their existing language ability.

This Easter a group of Amicizia members from Sligo and Dublin, totalling 20 in all, made their way to the resort village of Caorle between Venice and Trieste. The area is unlike any of the places visited in previous years- resembling parts of Holland and Belgium rather than the usual Umbrian-Tuscan scenery. Long sandy beaches interrupted by lagoons that stretch for miles into the interior, small settlements based on cultivation of the flat canal drained fields, small scale fishing from the shallow Adriatic, wine making and of course tourism. The group arrived on Easter Sunday so the following day ( la Pasquetta) being a major holiday for Italians brought large crowds to the village. The hotel on the beach used by the group was full for a few nights but later things quietened down and Caorle took a deep breath before the summer season.

Several trips were made to surrounding places of interest. Close to Caorle is one of the largest areas in Italy for the production of organic wine and the group took a bus to visit the farm of the Piccinin family "Le Carline". Naturally a sampling of the produce was needed. Members were surprised to find this winemaker has a delicious white wine labelled "AMICITIA" the Latin version of the name of the society. The excursion to Venice was by ferry from Punto Sabbioni to Piazza San Marco which was a delightful way to reach the old town of Venice which is so incantevole that it simply defies description.

Some members went to Trieste, a frontier city with notable historic overtones, others went to Portogruaro closer to Caorle. A private coach was hired to visit Padova, site of one of the oldest universities in Europe.

(The Sligo Champion News)

lodging for students of Il Faro - Caorle

Although accommodation is not included in the price of tuition, the staff of the school is available to help students find suitable accommodations, at special rates, in one of the many hotels and apartments in and around town. Here are some sample prices.

Please bare in mind that lodging in single room in shared apartment may not always be available.

hotel	per person per night
Prices B&B (solutions including lunch and dinner are also available)
2 star hotel	from 25 Euros
3 star hotel	from 35 Euros
4 star hotel	from 55 Euros

APARTMENTs	per person per week
Single or double room, with kitchen and bathroom/WC; towels and linens are provided	from 120 Euros
Private apartment in LOW SEASON (towels and linens are provided)	from 120 Euros
Private apartment in HIGH SEASON (July and August) (towels and linens are provided)	from 400 Euros

Mediterranean Diet, Unesco Heritage

The Mediterranean Diet has been nominated to become cultural Unesco Heritage for Humanity , like the Venice Lagoon, the “trulli” (typical houses) of Alberobello, Machu Picchu, Notre Dame and the Statue of Liberty.

The term “Mediterranean diet” has been used first in the 50s by Ancel Keys, a famous American nutritionist and scientist. This diet is based on food high in fibers (cereals, legumes, fruits and vegetables), olive oil, fish, and it is worldwide known as the healthiest and most nutrient diet, proved to fight cells aging and cardiovascular diseases.

The proposal has been presented by the Italian Minister (Secretary) for Agricultural Politics, Paolo De Castro, and by the Spanish Minister for Agriculture, Fishing and Food, Elena Espinosa.
Italy and Spain are involved in the promotion and defense of the Mediterranean Diet on the International scene. Both countries are committed to spread the knowledge about its specific characteristics and undeniable nutritional advantages.

...alea iacta est!

In 49 B.C., on the shores of the river Rubicone (Romagna), which marked the border between Italy and Gallia Cisalpine, Julius Cesar stated the famous sentence: “Alea iacta est”, that is: “the dice is cast”. Crossing the Rubicone meant to violate the law that prohibited armed men to enter the Italian soil, hence Cesar’s action marked the beginning of the civil war, which brought the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of Cesar’s dictatorship.
The sentence still refers to actions that cannot be undone.

Book: Tiziano Scarpa, Stabat Mater

Tiziano Scarpa, Stabat Mater (Einaudi, 17 euros, pp.136).

The novel is the journal of Cecilia, an adolescent orphan in 18th Century Venice.
In her diary, the young girl addresses the mother she never met; she dialogues with death, and experiences the outside world, solely through the narrations of others.
Her gloomy view of existence changes significantly when she encounters a charismatic and challenging music teacher, Antonio Vivaldi. This is not a love story, but rather a novel of rebellion, which aims to suggest that in any moment in life one can change, grow and begin a new life!
The novel’s crystalline and at the same time, whirling style captures the reader to the last page.
“Stabat Mater” is a little (just in size) masterpiece to read all in one go!

A movie review: “Pane e tulipani”...enjoy life!

This film is already a decade old (1999), yet it still holds its charm.

“Pane e Tulipani” by Silvio Soldini is the romantic story of a clumsy and undervalued housewife, Rosalba, superbly played by the talented Licia Maglietta, who finds a new life in Venice.
On the way back from a group trip to Paestum, Rosalba is “forgotten” by her family at an autogrill (highway restaurant) near Rome.

Mistreated by her husband for her clumsiness and generally burdened by all the preoccupations of a wife and mother, she decides to take advantage of the situation by taking a short trip to Venice, a city she has never seen.
In Venice, she meets intriguing and hilarious characters such as an Icelandic waiter who speaks in the style of Renaissance poetry and quotes from Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso; an unhappy and lonely masseuse; a plumber/detective; and an anarchical florist.

Her brief sojourn continues and is not temporary any more. Because of the characters she meets, Rosalba manages to change her life and embrace her flaws as her peculiar, charming qualities.

If you haven’t watched it yet, you had better do it soon.

With its lighthearted, yet profoundly optimistic message, “Pane e tulipani” will surely give you a new joy of life.