You could be forgiven, as a beginner Italian learner, for strutting into the bakery and greeting the staff with a confident “Buon pomodoro!” A cheerful attempt at “good afternoon” that, instead, wishes everyone a “good tomato.” There might be a pause, a shared glance, and then the soft ripple of laughter. Not mocking, but kind. A gentle correction follows: “Buon pomeriggio,” they’ll say with a smile. It’s moments like these that make it such a delight to learn Italian in Italy.

Mistakes, after all, are not just tolerated here: they’re part of the experience. Each slip tells a story and each story helps you learn a little more language. All the while, there is someone nearby to help, to explain, to cheer you on. If only every classroom came with cappuccino and such good humour…

The kindest classroom you’ll ever find

If a few cheerful mistakes are inevitable, it helps to be somewhere they’re met with patience, and maybe even a glass of wine. At The Watermill, the approach to language learning is as relaxed as it is thoughtful. Yes, there are around twenty hours of structured lessons during the week, often held on the shady vine verandah, but the learning also happens between the lines. Over coffee at the market, in conversation with a local cheesemonger, on a walk through a village.

Serena Orselli, an experienced and encouraging tutor, leads the course and designs it to help you build confidence at your own pace. You’ll ask questions, try things out, forget the word for “napkin” and remember it two days later while wiping olive oil from your chin. The point isn’t perfection. It’s connection. This way of learning Italian in Italy gently immerses you in good humour, local colour and just the right amount of grammar.

Why you’ll remember more than you think

The beauty of this course lies not just in where you are, but in how you learn. The Watermill sits between the Apuan Alps and the Apennines, in an unspoilt region called Lunigiana, where Michelangelo once sourced his marble. The setting invites you to slow down and take things in. History, nature and traditions surround you, and that same atmosphere gently shapes the way you learn Italian.

Rather than memorising rules for the sake of it, you begin with action. You use the language first, then make sense of it later. This method, developed with a renowned language school in Florence and inspired by educationalist Bertrand Schwartz, puts the student at the centre. The teaching adjusts to your interests and level.

And because the language is tied to real experience (a conversation by the fountain in Fivizzano, or a phrase picked up during a visit to the Cinque Terre) you remember it. Not because it was drilled in, but because it mattered to you in the moment. That’s the power of choosing to learn Italian in Italy this way: it stays with you, long after the holiday ends.

What laughter, lessons, and locals can teach you

Guest experiences often say it best. One guest spoke of the camaraderie that naturally developed during the week, attributing it to the relaxed and welcoming atmosphere that encouraged everyone to learn from each other.

“A super language week: well organised giving us a taste of the ‘real Italy.’ Despite the disparity in ability our tutor managed to help all of us towards a better understanding and production of the Italian language.

The lessons were fun, interactive and helped me enormously. For a teacher to be ‘on duty’ from 8.30am until bedtime – teaching us in each situation – must have been exhausting yet she kept her sense of fun throughout.

The accommodation was great and the camaraderie which evolved was, I’m sure, due to your relaxed and welcoming approach to your guests.”

Another reflected on how playful and practical the learning felt from the very start:

“I had a wonderful time on the language course and laughed so much! Our tutor was fantastic and designed a course that we could all follow at our own level, complete beginners to slightly more than complete beginners.

There was lots of role play and games in Italian, like ‘Who am I?’ and ‘Battleships’. We had plenty of opportunity to talk to local Italians in cafes and the market in Fivizzano.We learned how to buy things in the market, order food and drink and ask directions.

I feel confident to travel round Italy and know that I could find accommodation, buy food, drink and other items, travel on trains or hire bikes. My confidence and knowledge has improved immensely over the week and our tutor has even sent us exercises to do at home to keep our learning going. She was tireless and gave us so much.”

From ciao to cin cin

For Serena Orselli, the dedicated tutor for The Watermill’s Italian language courses and a gifted teacher with years of experience, language is best learned in the thick of life. Picture yourself at dinner with new friends, hearing a phrase you don’t yet understand. You lean in. You listen. Maybe you compare sounds, pick out words, follow the rhythm. And then, without really planning to, you find yourself translating it for someone else. That small act locks the phrase in your memory far better than any grammar exercise could.

This is the core of the Watermill approach: learning that is intuitive, sensory, and shared. The group includes a mix of abilities on purpose. Those with more experience gain confidence by helping others, while newer learners feel encouraged to take part and grow. In formal lessons, the tutor places students in small teams to explore similar concepts at different levels. It keeps the experience both realistic and human.

Before the course even begins, Serena takes time to learn about each participant. You’ll complete a brief language CV to outline your past experience and your personal relationship with Italian. Your interests, your goals, even your hobbies will help shape your week. Once at the Watermill, the course continues to evolve with you. Nothing is fixed in stone, and every day is a little different.

Ready When You Are

Perhaps the greatest gift of choosing to learn Italian in Italy at The Watermill is the way it turns hesitation into enjoyment. You don’t need to arrive fluent, or even confident. All that’s needed is a willingness to join in, to listen, to try. It doesn’t matter if you come for the language, the company, or simply the Tuscan sunshine, you’ll leave with more than new words. You’ll carry home stories, laughter, and the  pride of having made something unfamiliar your own.