student testimonials

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Pamela V. , UCLA Executive Director, Student, Development Lecturer, UCLA School of Public Health

"What first attracted me to L'Acanto was the tag line on the website that proclaimed, "L'Acanto is not just a language school, it is an experience among people, the colours, the sounds, the smiles and the flavors." Student testimonials, readily accessible on the site, reinforced my first impression that L'Acanto had something quite distinctive and special to offer its students.

Having now returned from twelve magical days in lovely Puglia and a week of study at L'Acanto, I can attest that the school and its charming Director more than deliver on the promise of expert language instruction embedded in a highly personalized cultural experience. In fact, my experience led me to feel as though my travelling companions and I were family members being hosted by loving, but never intrusive, relatives.

Accompanying me on the trip were my mother, age 84, and daughter, age 24. Neither speak any Italian and neither planned to join me for the Italian classes. The challenge of orchestrating a travel experience that would cater to the diverse interests and needs of three generations was made easy with the hands-on help of the remarkable L'Acanto Director. From my first email contact with her, several months prior to the trip, until our final memorable day in Puglia, she dedicated herself to ensuring that our entire travel experience, not just the superior language instruction, was a success for my mother and daughter, as well as for me.

We flew into the small, easily navigated Brindisi Airport, picked up our rental car and drove 15 minutes to the outskirts of Mesagne, where we were met by the L'Acanto Director. She guided us through a few serpentine streets to the apartment she had personally arranged, which was ideally situated a 5-minute stroll to the school in Mesagne's historic center. The landlady and her mother greeted us warmly and showed us the apartment, spacious and newly restored with loving attention to its architectural significance, and chock full of amenities including a refrigerator stocked with the delectable fresh fruit for which the region is known.

This hospitality infused every facet of our stay as we were offered insider tips on the best neighborhood cafes, markets, and shops and provided with maps, guidebooks, and insightful recommendations about how to absorb and experience the rich and diverse history and culture of the region. Most memorable however, were the invitations, gladly accepted, to lunch with the Director and her parents in their home, to visit the home of our landlady and her mother where we treated to a delectable repast of home made pastries and savory dishes, and an exquisite day spent at the sparkling Ionian seacoast home of the Director's family where we ate figs off the trees and pulled from the ground the greens we enjoyed at lunch.

As for the language classes, they were excellent. As an educator myself, I was especially appreciative of the quality of the instruction that I experienced at L'Acanto. Great care is taken to ensure that the lessons are relevant, engaging, and expertly tailored to the student's level of proficiency. Despite having only a rudimentary grasp of very basic grammar and vocabulary at the outset of my lessons, the instructor succeeded in making herself clearly understood conversing almost exclusively in Italian. Moreover, my ability to carry on a simple conversation improved dramatically. It was clear that, for the Director, her work at L'Acanto is not simply a business, it is her passion and a true calling.

When you visit, be sure to ask the Director how the school came to be. It is beautiful and inspiring story that reveals much about what makes L'Acanto and it's Director so unique and special." pviele@saonet.ucla.edu

Izabela S., Pharmacist, Poland

Dear Scuola L'Acanto,
I would like to thank you for incredible three weeks of study. The thing I enjoyed most was the perfect combination of learning both Italian language and culture of Puglia I gained over the course that allowed me to relate to local people and develope lasting relationships. The curriculum of the school was excellently structured, facilitating a rapid learning of the Italian language. The teacher was very much professional. She demonstrated a great deal of enthusiasm, preparation and organization and paid attention to the needs of students. My family stay was most conducive to rapidly picking-up Italian. They allowed me to live in Puglia as a 'real' Italian. Grazie mille!

Gina B., Pediatric Occupational Therapist, San Antonio, Texas

"After living in Italy for many years but many years ago I had the wonderful opportunity to return last July and study Italian at the L'Acanto language school. Every aspect of my experience was perfect; there is not one thing that I would change. The person who runs the school is the quintessential teacher, intuitive, caring, enthusiastic and hard-working. She understands how adults learn and does a wonderful job aligning personal interests and learning styles in a way to give the student the most intensive lessons. She pours her heart and soul into the school and goes out of her way to provide cultural activities and excursions for her students. Her parents are an incredible support system for her and are truly special people themselves.

I also had the unique opportunity to take cooking lessons while I was there. As an avid home cook I relished in the opportunity to learn how to make the traditional pasta, breads, and desserts that Puglia is so well known for. The lessons were provided by a real nonna and her daughter who were unbelievably kind and also generous with their time and knowledge. They seemed to enjoy hosting me as much as teaching me which made for delightful sessions.

Mesagne is a charming small town which lends itself well for studying as well as relaxing. Although I primarily walked around the town center; one could easily get to the train station or bus terminal to reach the surrounding cities and beaches. A rental car might also be helpful for those interested in going off the beaten path. I would wholeheartedly recommend L'Acanto for anyone interested in an authentic (non touristic) language and cultural experience. My only regret is that I had to leave that magical school behind! I am now spending all of my spare time arranging my return visit next summer!
Feel free to contact me anytime regarding my time spent at L'Acanto: ginabenaventeot@hotmail.com."

Ian W., English Teacher, Randalstown, Co.Antrim, N. Ireland

"I've just spent a month in Mesagne, studying Italian at l'Acanto and I've thoroughly enjoyed every minute! The School has found me a lovely flat at a very reasonable price, just 3 minutes walk from school. The local people in Mesagne are very helpful and friendly, and this also helped my conversation skills. My Italian is fairly elementary, but my teacher at l'Acanto school is an excellent teacher, I've made speedy progress in terms of fluency, broadening my vocabulary and being able to successfully negotiate real-like situations, such as booking a train journey from Brindisi to Paris in Italian!

My teacher is a very resourceful, flexible and sympathetic teacher, and I found the lessons were so interesting, varied and fun that I really looked forward to them. She was more than willing to tailor the course to suit my needs and interests! Mesagne is ideal if you want to just relax, and I'd recommend both beaches within easy reach by bus, Apani, on the Adriatic, is just gourgeous. I also took the train to explore Lecce and Brindisi. So, if you want to combine excellent tuition with a great holiday, my advice is … Get in touch with l'Acanto."

Ralph Alpert, retired lawyer from Santa Cruz, California

I enjoyed very much the month I spent studying at L'Acanto. (We planned to stay two weeks but stayed on for two more weeks.) I have studied at four language schools in Italy and L'Acanto was definitely the most enjoyable.

What made L'Acanto special was the friendliness and helpfulness of l’Acanto headteacher and her family. She found us a comfortable apartment near the Castello. The day we arrived she took us on a walk through the Centro Storico, showing us the way to school and the restaurants and cafes she liked. She later took us to the Wednesday farmer's market and another day to the olive grove of a friend to see a harvest. When she attended a day conference in Lecce, a university town an hours drive away, she offered us a ride so we could visit the city. She even offered to take us to her African dance class.

We took three warm and pleasant cooking classes with Tomasina, (a very good cook), which we enjoyed a lot. At l’Acanto, all the staff helped us. Gianni, who was at the school most days, was kind to us in many ways. Two examples when we said we would like to buy bottles of the local olive oil for gifts, Gianni offered to drive us to a local producer. And when my friend broke the key in the lock of his bike, Gianni got a pair of meeddlenose pliers to extract the broken key.

The Italian lessons with our teacher were fun: we had many interesting conversations about Puglia and Italy, talking about politics, schools, language, health care, how to tell jokes, history, food, and so on.

I also liked Mesagne. It is a small town with a charming Centro Storico. It was near the end of the Roman Appian Way, but its history goes back further, to the 8th century BC. The city loaned us two bikes and one weekend we biked through the olive groves west of Mesagne to Oria, about 10 kilometers. In Mesagne we went to the movie house, attended a band concert in the Teatro Communale and sat in on two programs at the Castello: one on law and security and the other on the architecture of one of the city's 16th century churches.

In sum, a very enjoyable month.!

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via Albricci, 25
72023 Mesagne (Br)
tel/fax:+39.0831.734568
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