Vuole Parlare Italiano con me?
One of the things that happened while I wasn't updating here, is that I auditioned for a group of 20 singers that's going to Italy for two weeks this summer, and I was accepted!
The group is called Umbrian Serenades, and apparently they go every year and have a lovely time singing and exploring the culture in Umbria and Tuscany. The itinerary includes (beyond the rehearsals and music classes) things like:
Umbrian Wine Class
Private dinner at local family home
Cooking class with local chef
Italian cheese tasting
Sing for Mass at Basilica of St. Francis (in Assissi)
Private tour of Franciscan Library: viewing of ancient documents and manuscripts
Visit, tour and tasting at olive oil producer with lunch in Bevagna
Visit, tour, wine tasting at an historic major wine producer
I'm really excited about it, and even though I anticipate I'll be with English-speakers the whole time, I decided that I want to be able to communicate at least the basics in Italian. For Christmas, I got myself a set of CDs to learn Italian, and I've finished the course as of last week. I think I'm probably going to invest in one of the more advanced courses by the same guy, as well as a good Italian/English dictionary.
But in the meantime, I'm looking for people to practice with. If you can read the title of this entry, let me know, and we can arrange to parliamo Italiano!
Oh, and I might try to get to Italy a week early, so if you have any thoughts on things I should do/see there, let me know in the comments. Grazie!
The group is called Umbrian Serenades, and apparently they go every year and have a lovely time singing and exploring the culture in Umbria and Tuscany. The itinerary includes (beyond the rehearsals and music classes) things like:
Umbrian Wine Class
Private dinner at local family home
Cooking class with local chef
Italian cheese tasting
Sing for Mass at Basilica of St. Francis (in Assissi)
Private tour of Franciscan Library: viewing of ancient documents and manuscripts
Visit, tour and tasting at olive oil producer with lunch in Bevagna
Visit, tour, wine tasting at an historic major wine producer
I'm really excited about it, and even though I anticipate I'll be with English-speakers the whole time, I decided that I want to be able to communicate at least the basics in Italian. For Christmas, I got myself a set of CDs to learn Italian, and I've finished the course as of last week. I think I'm probably going to invest in one of the more advanced courses by the same guy, as well as a good Italian/English dictionary.
But in the meantime, I'm looking for people to practice with. If you can read the title of this entry, let me know, and we can arrange to parliamo Italiano!
Oh, and I might try to get to Italy a week early, so if you have any thoughts on things I should do/see there, let me know in the comments. Grazie!