ABC School Sestri Levante

The location -Sestri Levante- is a gem in itself. The walk to the school was a daily pleasure.

I had lesson in groups of no more than six students.
There was a teacher who taught grammar, very clearly and structured.
And there was a teacher who practised our language skills. The conversation lessons were varied and fun to do in a group with adults.
Between the 2 blocks of lessons, we had time for a coffee at the bar on the beach.
The morning always flew by so quickly!

In the afternoon, I participated in three activities, fascinating and fun.
Because of the suddenly bad October weather, the programme had to be changed but it was just as interesting.

The teachers were great! Very professional, patient, with attention for the individual student, ...
Every evening we had a small task, looked at in class the following day. So you could check yourself whether you had grasped the theory.

I took one week of lessons and found it a super positive experience.
I would love to come back, especially because this school is small-scaled and Sestri Levante itself offers a lot of peace and quiet. For me, this was an ideal holiday mix!

I really liked the location. I liked the grammer lessons. The Conversation part was not as good, a lot of it depends on the teacher. I especially liked Danille as a converstation teacher.

I quickly found out that I had made a big mistake. The class I was put in was not for me as I did not have enough knowledge of the italian language. I did attend all the classes in the first week but in the second week I just attended the grammatic-classes as the conversation-classes were just depressing for me. I attended the grammatic classes into the third week but then we had a new teacher which I did not like. So the conclusion is that it was big disappoint for me and more or less a waste of time and money.

Professional teaching, range of extracurricular activities - everyone very friendly

Sestri Levante is one of my favourite little towns on the Ligurian Riviera. It has a magical feel to it with the cobbled alleys and the pastel-coloured buildings. The Bay of Silence in the centre of the town, is an almost circular lagoon with crystal clear water and old boats lining the sandy beach. The school is located right on edge of the bay with a great view from the classrooms looking across the water.

The daily routine was perfect for learning. Starting at 9 there was a 1.5 hr grammar class, a half hour coffee break and then a 1.5 hr conversation class. By this point my brain had reached saturation point so I would return to the apartment, make some lunch, and then do my homework and revise while the sun cooled down. I would then swim in the afternoons and meet students from the school for dinner in town. There was an interesting mix of people attending the school but I would say the majority are in the over 50 bracket and tend to come from Switzerland and Germany.

The teaching was much better than I expected with patient and friendly teachers who were very accommodating to each individual's level. Another great aspect of the school is the afternoon/evening excursions and lectures, a lot of which are free and included with the course. I found this a good way to add more cultural learning and also to have a dose of Italian listening at the end of the day if I felt like it.

I would happily do it again and I felt my Italian progress significantly over the month I was there.

It was a marvelous experience to stay 4 weeks at ABC School at Sestri Levante. Classes were very good divided into gramatics and conversation with different teachers for each. The teachers were kowledgefull and very succesfull in transmitting the contents of each lesson.
The selection of students in each class was careful and we had 6 students is each class as maximum. The extra activities also were very good with short travels in the afternoon and evenings. I specially enjoyed cooking italian food with collegues and teachers.Everyone at the school was very friendly.
The facilities were also very good and appropriated. The housing was pretty nice and quite near the school.in city center.
Finally the location was extraordinary in a little bay across downtown of Sestri Levante that, by the way, is avery charming little town.
I've made friends and most of all I've leant plenty of the Italian language as I wish. I strongly recommend ABC School at Sestri Levante.

Teaching was effective and friendly, liked especially the small size of group (5 people). The school location absolutely charming and the schedule was comfortable. I did not participate in all activities but e.g. excursion in town was great.

Maybe would have liked a bit more lessons per day, to get more out of Italian language. Now it was only 2 lessons of 1,5 hours, one more in the afternoon would have made it even more effective and get more value for the course price.

Housing was cosy and interesting (family accommodation). Actually there was nothing that I did not like. Feel only sorry that did not take 2 weeks instead of only one, because I was not sure about the quality of the course since this was a new way of learning to me.

Overall my stay was very nice, I really enjoyed the classes mainly because the teachers were so lovely. The level I was put in was slightly higher than what I expected, which was cool but also pretty tiring. I tried to do a lot of extra exercises in my own time in order to work on the subjects I felt like I needed to master for these classes, but since there was none that could check it for me, I am not sure if I did well and if it really helped me. The location of the school however was excellent, sometimes the beautiful view distracted me from the grammar ;)

The house I was placed in was quite far away from the school, further than I was told: it took me about 25/30 minutes to walk door to door (the school does rent bikes for only 15euros per week), and also other house-information that I was sent beforehand wasn't all correct. It said for example there would be wifi, which there wasn't, and two dogs, while in reality there was also a cat. Small things, but it was a bit annoying to only find out there (especially the cat, as I am allergic).

As for the activities arranged by the school, they were lovely. Most days of the week there were things you could sign up for: a hike around the town, an excursion to a beach, museum or another city, arranged dinners, etc.! Always accompanied by at least one of the teachers, and usually quite well arranged, so in my experience good fun.

All in all my two weeks literally flew by, and although the city itself, Sestri Levante, was quite small, I could've easily seen myself staying with the school and in the area for another couple of weeks.

Wir hatten als Ehepaar insgesamt 15 Doppellektionen Privatunterricht in drei Wochen. Unsere Lehrerin Claudia konnte sich sehr gut auf unser Anfängerniveau (A1-Kurs absolviert) begeben und uns mit vielfältigen Übungen zu etwas Routine verhelfen. Unser Ziel war es, Gelerntes zu vertiefen und Neues dazuzulernen, ohne dabei ein konkretes Niveau anzustreben. Claudia ging auch auf unsere Wünsche ein. Die Schule liegt wunderschön an der Baia del Silenzio, auch wenn man während des Unterrichts davon nichts merkte. Die Zimmer waren selbst morgens um 9.00 stickig heiss. Zum Glück hatte es eine Klimaanlage, mit der man wenigstens um ein paar Grade kühlere Temperaturen hinbekam. In der ersten Woche waren wir in einem anderen Gebäude, in einem Saal ohne Tische. Das war vom Klima her angenehm aber zum Arbeiten eher unpraktisch. Das Unterrichtsmaterial enthielt Grammatik und viele Übungen. Für Gesprächsanlässe war Claudia zuständig. An den verschiedenen Freizeitangeboten haben wir nicht teilgenommen, weil wir andere Pläne hatten.

Insgesamt sind wir sehr zufrieden, auch dass dieses Setting - Privatstunden zu zweit - möglich gemacht wurde, danke!

There were only 3 students in our group, which was great. The lever of the teachers was very different; the grammar part was great and useful. Another part with words and discussion were useless. That's why its difficult to give a grade to the quality of teaching (under).

Location of the school is the best you can imagine. The head of the school is professional. Next time I would like to be her student, if possible :) I didn't participate in the activities and the apartment (Airbnb) I rented myself.

The director, teachers, and courses were all wonderful. It was a great opportunity to learn Italian in a open environment.

Together with my workmate I took part of the Language School ABC Sestri Levante.
Our trip started on August 15th at 10:00 a.m. from Innsbruck. It takes about six hours to drive to Sestri Levante.
Once there, we were warmly welcomed by our host family. Our host mother works as a teacher in the language school, so she could give us some tips and describe the daily routine. Each of us had our own room but we shared the bathroom. The host family was very friendly and delivered everything every morning so that we could prepare breakfast ourselves.
From Monday to Friday we visited the language school from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. In the first two hours we had grammar lessons in different classes with a maximum of five students. So the teachers of our language levels could respond according to our questions and difficulties. This lesson was followed by a double conversation session in which we were able to try out different speaking occasions and conversation games.
After the lunch break, we got a private lesson in which we had the opportunity to further develop our language skills and to work on didactic material together.
The teachers at the language school were very competent, always well prepared, but also very flexible with regard to the development of the topics.
There was also a lot on offer outside of the language school: cooking courses, excursions to other cities, hikes, city tours, bike and umbrella rental, etc.
All in all, the language course was a great enrichment, as we were able to acquire a lot of new things in terms of language and culture.

I really enjoyed the grammar teaching by quality teachers in a beautiful setting. Staying in a private home allowed me to improve my Italian, to create links and to share the daily life of my host. The location was simply magical, the whole region is superb. The conversation classes were perhaps a little less interesting from a learning point of view, but certainly necessary.

the 3 teachers were OK and helpful
I appreciate the course with group and alone
and I think that my Italian has improve
the house was Ok and very convenient

The director and faculty worked hard to place students in classes at the appropriate level. All classes were small, with no more than six students. Teachers were outstanding. There were optional activities planned for every afternoon. The school is located on a lovely beach in a wonderful small town. My apartment was found for me by the school. When I initially had trouble using the stove, I received help from the school until the problem was solved. I hope to return next year.

Teachers: very good and very available. The school found me a bicycle, because I love to walk with it.

As the school is very little we can know every body.
I hope to return at this school last years.

I was at ABC School for one week. I wish I should stayed longer. The Teachers Luca, (Lele) and a girl that we had in grammatica was very dedicated and well prepared. The lessens had a good Balance between practical and theoretical work. The location (outside) was stunning and the localities was great to. I liked the different activities that was offered to us in the evenings too.


Thank you very much for an unforgettable week in Sestri Levante! XXX

We were between 4 and 6 in the Claus which was perfect the teachers were excellent

The entire program was highly developed and provided professionalism from the curriculum to the extra curricular activities. The teachers were excellent educators. They were creative and challenging adding humor throughout. After class they provided concerts, lectures, cooking classes and excursions. There were many ways to get involved and to meet people from all over the globe. The overall structure was very organized.

The housing was okay for Italian standards, I liked it, the teachers were good introduced and the school had a wide range of activities. I didn't like that there were so many Swiss people, next time I will go more far away (in south) there are less.

I was surprised at the average age there, as a 17 year old almost everyone was about 30 years older than me. However, they were all very nice and friendly and the teachers were so lovely. The lessons were productive and interesting and definitely improved my Italian. As well as this, the school were very good at organising beautiful trips and events. The location of the school is great with a stunning view of the bay. The family that I stayed with were all lovely and very patient with explaining things to me.

ABC School is professionally run and provided an overall positive experience.

The teachers were personable, encouraging and of high quality. I would have preferred better English skills with two of them to explain some of the more difficult grammatical rules as trying to do so in Italian to one who has very little Italian has its limitations.

The curriculum and course materials were well structured and were much as I expected in terms of starting with essere and avere and moving on from there.

The intensity of the course was less than expected - most students would be time poor and more hours of learning each day would be a more efficient use of the time at Sestri.

The excursions were enjoyable and relevant to the course material.

I was disappointed in the accommodation for reasons I have voiced to Monica. It was noisy at night, the bathroom was small and the anticipated benefit of living will an Italian speaking family was not met.

I was very pleased with the ABC School. I went there to improve my conversation and it has.The teachers are nice and simpathic and they are really commited to help their students to learn italian.

The 50+ excursion package however is highly overcharged since it did not cover any of the costs of the excursions so it only covers the fee of the theacher who went with us.

I liked the teachers, their style to teach und their mentality. The School itself is on a very nice place directly situated on the sea.
The window of my classroom had also a view to the sea. Very nice!
The aktivities are organized by the teachers and I enjoyed very much. The best is, that you have not to pay extra, except the traintickets.
I liked the town Sestri Levante. It is larger than a village, situated on the sea (so you feel like being on holiday) and it is calm.
My appartment was nice, clean, but nearly 2 km far away from the school. That was the only disadvantage I can say. But I got a bike.
I am sure, that I´ll return to ABC.