Travel with a purpose - learning Italian in Sicily: an interview with Hilary Straw

‘Travelling to a new place with the purpose of learning the language gave me the opportunity to learn Italian, stimulate my brain function, form new social connections and to travel intentionally’

Hilary Straw

Many of us are choosing to travel with a purpose in mind, as opposed to simply going somewhere on a whim or for typical tourist reasons.

When we travel with a specific intention, we get more out of the travel experience and the benefits are more likely to continue once we have returned from the trip. There are many types of intentional travel experiences; for example those that enhance personal growth, cultural enrichment, promote well-being, expand knowledge and sustainable travel.

Intentional travel is about making conscious decisions about where you go, how you travel, and what experiences you seek to align with your values, interests, and goals, for example a lot of my recent travel has focused very much on personal wellbeing.

Hilary Straw

My friend, Hilary, recently decided to follow her passion for all things Italian, by attending a month long full immersion Italian language school in Sicily. When she returned, we were chatting and she was so enthusiastic about the experience that we decided to do an interview.

What I particularly loved about Hilary’s experience, was that she embarked on this travel adventure with the purpose of learning Italian, and came away so much more – new friends, enhanced confidence, a discovery that she enjoyed communal living and the desire to continue on her Italian path.

Hilary in Catania, exploring before school starts

Here’s the interview:

Why do you want to learn Italian?

There are several reasons why I want to learn Italian:

Firstly, I love Italy and all things Italian. I have visited the country many times and although many people speak English, I’m always embarrassed that I can’t converse in their language. I was certain that speaking Italian would improve my travel experience and I had been thinking about it for a long time.

Secondly, I want to stretch myself intellectually. I’m aware as I get older of the need to keep fit both physically and mentally. Learning something new is proven to improve memory function, to help you adapt to new situations and to improve your self esteem. I have always enjoyed learning languages, I studied French, German and Latin at school, so why not add a new one to my collection?

Thirdly, I wanted to go somewhere that gave me the opportunity to gain new social connections. Attending a school would be an ideal place to meet new people with a shared interest in language and Italian culture.

Finally, I wanted to travel with a purpose. On my most recent solo trips with no particular goal I had felt unfulfilled, slightly restless, a little lonely, and I questioned why I was doing it. I had listened to a podcast in which the host talked about going to different countries, staying a month and studying the language and I thought, yes, that is what I will do. It really appealed to me.

Travelling to a new place with the purpose of learning the language would give me the opportunity to learn Italian, stimulate my brain function, form new social connections and to travel intentionally.

Where did you go and what made you choose the location and school?

Milazzo harbour — Milazzo Harbour, Sicily

I went to Milazzo in Sicily. It was one of those quite random and chance decisions that turned out to be perfect in every way. I was looking all over Italy when I did my research and I spent a lot of time comparing prices, locations, accommodation, ages of students, and possible tours. I fully intended to go to mainland Italy, but one day, out of the blue, Sicily popped into my head. I’ve no idea why, but I had heard from several people that it was a beautiful island with a rich and interesting history, so I started researching language schools in Sicily.

There are a surprisingly large number of Italian language schools in Sicily so once again I went down the Google rabbit hole! I decided I didn’t want to be in the big cities so that ruled out Palermo and Catania. I wanted somewhere smaller where I would feel safe walking around on my own.

In the end I found the Milazzo school. I hadn’t heard of Milazzo as it is not on the main Sicily tourist route, other than a gateway to the Aeolian islands. The idea of discovering a less busy, more authentic place interested me. The photos of it looked stunning and when I enquired, the school was incredibly helpful, quick to respond and they offered a great deal for a 4 week intensive course. My decision was made.

Where did you stay? Was this provided by the school?

I stayed in an apartment owned by the school and located one storey above it, so it was very easy to get to class in the mornings!

The apartment has 5 bedrooms so I had my own large bedroom and I was sharing with 4 others (although it wasn’t full the whole time I was there). There were shared communal areas – kitchen, lounge and two bathrooms. All the flatmates were studying at the school and came from different parts of the world. Each week new people came and others left so there was a continual turnaround of flatmates.

Sometimes we cooked and ate together, other times we went out for meals or drinks. It was very sociable but I was still able to have my own space when I needed it. The hardest thing for me as a complete beginner was that some people expected to speak Italian all the time. It was great for learning and practising but I felt relieved when we reverted to English! As is often the case, many of the non-native English speakers were still incredibly good at English.

How was the course structured?

The tuition was every day Monday-Friday from 9.00am – 12.30pm. There was a 30 minute coffee break each morning when we went to local cafes for top notch coffee and the famous Sicilian pastries. Afternoons and evenings were free although the school organises optional excursions and activities most days. I do online teaching myself so I was still able to continue working some afternoons and evenings while I was there.

The school takes students with different levels of Italian. Students are tested on the first day to decide the most appropriate class for them. When I was there there were 4 different levels. I didn’t have a test as I was a complete beginner.

How did you find the learning?

In the first week the learning was very hard. I knew no Italian and all the lessons were in Italian from Day 1. However, the full immersion in the language meant my progress was incredibly fast. I had one day in the first week when I didn’t understand anything happening in the lesson. I told the teacher and she was very understanding and reassured me it would get better. After that I started to improve and gain confidence. We were learning the language like children learn how to speak – listening, copying and repeating.

I was there for 4 weeks and each week I was put into a different class as I improved. Different people joined the classes each week, so the class sizes varied. In the four weeks I was there my class sizes were 8, 5, 3 and 2, so small enough to make real progress. A large part of the lessons focussed on speaking, but when grammar points cropped up in conversation the teacher explained them. I’m a bit of a grammar nerd so I enjoyed this! Sometimes we were given short homework tasks. I also did some extra practice of my own in the afternoons and found myself thinking of words and phrases as I went for a walk or on the way to the shops. I learnt the numbers whilst lying on the beach!

I thought it was an excellent school with the right balance of speaking, listening and grammar. It was very well organised and the staff listened and responded to any requests we had.

Did you meet other people on the course? What was that like?

Hilary (on the left) enjoying gelato with new friends

I met lots of lovely people from all over the world – Swiss, American, Irish, German, Austrian, Australian. I got to know the people who were staying in the apartment best as I saw more of them. However, activities were often organised in the evenings, either by the school or by students, when we could meet those from our classes who were staying elsewhere. As Milazzo is small, you would sometimes bump into fellow students as you were walking around the town. I had some memorable conversations and fun evenings with new people. There was a variety of ages from 25-70s and a good mix of men and women, a few of whom I have kept in touch with since returning home.

The social aspect of the experience was very rewarding for me and it gave me new found confidence to get out of my comfort zone and to talk to strangers, something which does not necessarily come naturally to me.

What did you do in your free time?

Some afternoons I did my own online teaching. Some days I studied a bit more Italian or learnt some new vocabulary. Sometimes I went shopping at the supermarket. Other than that I explored the area and got to know everything Milazzo had to offer: I sat on the beach, swam in the sea, strolled along the promenade, supped Aperol Spritzes at sunset, explored the cafe culture and sampled the famous cannoli and granitas, ate pasta and pizzas, went on long walks, gradually tried all the gelato flavours. It was wonderful to experience all these aspects of the place and the Sicilian culture.

Some trips were organised by the school:

A tour of Milazzo Castle. This was an interesting tour half in Italian and half in English, delivered by one of the teachers at the school with a vast knowledge of Milazzo’s history.
A boat trip around the peninsula, with snorkelling and sunset aperitivo, which was fabulous.
Pasta making and cooking class in particular Sicilian dishes and pasta sauce

What impact did the course have on you?

Overall it had a very positive effect. I had been concerned that I would feel uncomfortable sharing an apartment with 4 other people after living on my own for so long, but this turned out to be unfounded as I really enjoyed having people to chat to and go out with. The apartment was big enough and well organised in a way that we could all have our own space when we needed it.

This experience made me feel like I was a fresher at university again, excited to learn new things and to meet new people with a ready made social life. I am a natural introvert but love meaningful conversations. I found myself becoming more confident going out with big groups and not being afraid to show all aspects of my personality to new people. I got a buzz from being out, laughing and joking, sharing food and stories. It was a tonic that I didn’t know I needed!

Enjoying an organised boat trip around the Capo di Milazzo

One particular poignant memory was on the boat trip around the peninsula, known as Capo di Milazzo. We sailed around the coast, jumping off at intervals to snorkel and explore the wildlife under the water, ending up anchoring offshore to catch the sun sinking down over the horizon.

As the boat set off once again towards the port many people on the boat spontaneously began to dance and sing as the captain played some popular tunes on the sound system. It was a glorious and memorable moment, when 20 or so near strangers, of many ages and nationalities, allowed their bodies to move to the music as the boat swayed in the waves.

I exchanged thoughts with a fellow British mid-life woman on the fact that we rarely give ourselves permission to be free and to let our hair down like this in our normal lives. Here we were doing it and it felt liberating.

Will you continue to learn Italian?

Yes, definitely. I have already joined an Anglo-Italian society in my home town and go each week for an Italian lesson. I have also done a few online lessons with a teacher I had at the school in Sicily. I have a 125 day Duolingo streak and I’m going back to Sicily to the same place to do it all again very soon.

Who is Hilary?

Hilary is an energetic 62 year old, passionate about living life to the full. She’s a long distance walker, long time solo traveller, part time online teacher and empty nester.

I also interviewed Hilary a couple of years ago when she had turned 60 on the emotional transition related to being an empty-nester, embracing freedom and taking on new challenges, the joy of traveling with grown up sons and long distance hiking. You can read this inspiring interview here.