CILS- Exam- Preparation

I got sick the second day and was not able to attend classes after that, so I cannot say much about the classes that I only attended for a day and a half, not the two weeks I had booked for. I had to fly home a week early and spend several days in the hospital after returning to Boston. I was unable to attend any extra curricular activities.

I had injured my knee very badly in a fall in Antibes before coming to Sanremo, so the three flights of stairs were difficult for me.

I thought the school did a good job on placement with grammar and essay questions on the exam and an oral evaluation. My class had only three other students. I liked the teacher, the materials, and the conversation in the one and a half mornings I was able to attend.

My homestay hostess was unbelievably wonderful and helpful in every way. She corrected my grammar, pronunciation, and cadence in Italian, and we conversed in Italian for two or three hours every day. Although I was sick, I felt that I made great progress in conversation with Luisa. One could not ask for a better teacher or a more caring homestay hostess. She waited with me for seven and a half hours in the Sanremo Hospital emergency room and found a doctor to come to the apartment to examine me. I had no appetite and difficulty swallowing, and she asked me every day what I might be able to eat and made it for me.

The director was also very helpful when I was sick.

Everything was fine - classes, the teacher. It was my first experience learning Italian in a school and I'm happy I chose Omnilingua. Great location!

Ich war insgesamt 4 Wochen an der Schule, davon hatten wir in der ersten Woche eine Lehrerin, die leider wirklich nicht hilfreich war. Die restlichen 3 Wochen hatte ich gute, sympathische Lehrpersonen. Der Unterricht war meist sehr abwechslungsreich. Gestört hat mich etwas, dass montags immer wieder mit einer Vorstellungsrunde gestartet werden musste, da immer Schüler kamen und gingen. Die Klassen war glücklicherweise meist klein und der Altersdurchschnitt für mich mit 50+ sehr angenehm. Wir hatten nur wenige ganz junge Mitschüler. Leider haben wir das Lehrmittel im Unterricht nie verwendet, was ich schade finde. Die Unterrichtsräume sind teilweise extrem klein und eng und einer war auch klar zu laut. Dementsprechend konnte der Unterricht nur mit geschlossenem Fenster durchgeführt werden.
Ich war in keiner Familie und hatte die Aktivitäten nicht gebucht. Ich war froh, dass ich die Aktivitäten nicht gebucht hatte, denn ich empfand das Angebot ein bisschen zu langweilig.

I thoroughly enjoyed my week at Omnilingua.

The location is fantastic, Sanremo is a lovely city with many things to see and do. The school is close to the beach, shops, cafes and restaurants, and easy to find.

I was greeted by friendly admin staff, given a placement test and questions about what I wanted from the course. My placement was just right and the course covered what I wanted, which was focus on vocab and conversation rather than grammar.

The teacher, Davide, was very friendly, capable and charismatic. He made the classes enjoyable as well as giving us thorough explanations of general and idiomatic Italian expressions and culture.

It was a bit intense, studying from 9.00am till around 12.30pm, as well as living in the town and needing some Italian throughout the days and nights. But that was what I went for and the sights, culture, architecture and especially the beach provided great balance.

I would go back and highly recommend Omnilingua.

The director of Omnilingua sent me a photo and the address of the language school. When I arrived there as scheduled on Sunday, July 17, 2022, I found that the school was closed. Since I had no Internet connection, I could not reach the director for hours, that is, until a compassionate person called Mr. Daniel P. at my request. The latter called a cab and drove with me to the address where I would be staying during the course. There was no apology on his part and the cab I paid.
On Monday, the language course began and my colleagues and I found that our very friendly teacher could hardly teach us because she obviously lacked proper training. My roommate finally managed, through constant protests, to get us a very excellent teacher in the second and, for me, last week. By the way, my colleagues and I were very pleased with the helpfulness of the secretariat.
There was supposed to be an invitation to a dinner for us 50+, which was cancelled.
In retrospect, I remember that I had to pay an additional payment of 235,- Euro when I had already paid for the full language course. It was a "mistake".

Teachers and staff are very competent. You are always in the right class level. School is siutated downtown.
Many activities to do around biking, going to the beach, visiting. Cooking lessons are excellent.
My housing in a family was excellent and the best way to practice italian.
I didn't like that the school have no air conditionning. Air conditionning is rare in Sanremo and it is sometimes very warm.

I am an (ahem) mature student taking Italian classes just because the language interests me. I stayed with a local family in an apartment located about 20 minutes walking distance from the school, and I had elected to take breakfast and dinner with the family. The hostess was warm, talked slowly and took the time to correct my grammatical errors when i spoke to her. Breakfast was simple, evening meals excellent. Furnishings in the bedroom were adequate. This experience of living with an Italian family was similar to the experience that I had had at another school in Italy.

Sanremo doesn't have much to offer in terms of tourism other than the beaches and the Casino, but there are worthwhile excursions to the smaller towns in the mountains nearby.

The activities arranged by the school included a cooking class that was interesting for someone who is already pretty much comfortable in the kitchen. There was a guided tour of the villas in the city that wasn't of much interest because one could not enter the villas. There were two wine tastings, one of which I did not attend. The other was informative and worthwhile.

The classes were held on the second floor of a building that is quite centrally located in Sanremo and the classrooms are certainly adequate. There were 4 students in my class the first week and six students the second week.

We took a placement exam the first day and on the basis of that were placed in classes. I was placed in an advanced class on the basis of the test, and I found the conversational part of the class challenging. But I have been studying Italian for less than two years and my language comprehension is far better than my spoken language.

I thought that the classes were well run and the teaching materials were excellent. I especially appreciated that we were given the key to the workbook so that I could check my work on my own.

I like: location , the teacher, wine degustation.
I dislike: school organization, facilities, family acomodation and poor activities

1- Transfer - no one waiting for me in airport, besides I paid in advance and sent all details about my flight. I also contact Manuela, person in charge to pick me up, and she said will not come becouse, she would go on Sunday and not on Friday the day I arrived. Traumatic for me. I get in San Remo by taxi

2 The school don't contact me and don't apologize. I contac them and asked for refund my transfer already paid. They were not nice and friendly with me.

3. Acomodation - so awful. Hot ,no aircondition, so much noise and the lady very old needs more help then can help a student. So, I didn't stay in the house. I paid one week more in hotel I find by my one. Extra expend for me . No refund.

4. The director is not a good leader and seems he doesn't care about the satisfaction of the student as a client and the reputation of the school. Need to be replaced for someone responsible , nice, friendly and ho really cares about the school and the students and also the acomodation.

Pour nous, mon mari Daniel et moi-même, cela a été une découverte et cette expérience a été excellente, aussi bien pour les cours, les enseignants, les activités et l'environnement.

Per noi, io e mio marito Daniel, questa è stato una scoperta e questa esperienza è stato eccellente, anche bene per i corsi, ensegnanti,, attività e ambiente.

The teaching method was very traditional and was focused on grammar. The teacher was very engaged and the teaching was quite intense. I would like more conversation training and more words and phrases. After the two weeks training, I know a lot of grammar rules but I cannot speak any Italian. We did not have any time for practice.

The location was in the middle of San Remo and that was very good. The classroom had no air con so it was too hot in the room and it affected negatively the training.

The school arranged very nice activities.

The housing was very good. We had a private apartment with a bedroom and a kitchen.

San Remo is a very nice town and the surroundings are fantastic. We had two great weeks in San Remo.

I stayed there for only 2 weeks which is so short for the language course, but I absolutely love being there. Great teachers, friendly personnel, always ready to help you with any questions. Lessons are held in Italian language, you write down a lot. Fast and simple talk you hear on the streets doesn’t really makes you think about language correctness (especially when you walk with an English-speaking friend), because you don’t have to answer it. At school you listen to the students-directed speech which makes you think about the correct answer and helps you learn how to talk. It’s great when you learn some new phrases and walk around and hear them, it’s much easier to memorize them this way. It was a very useful experience. Interesting activities organized by the school makes your vacation more interesting and more cultural. I’d love to come back there again. Thank you! :)

I thoroughly enjoyed the course. Sometimes I felt a little overwhelmed as it is really not easy to learn a language, but I am glad that your teachers are spirited and eager. I particularly like Valeria who is very patient and in my opinion is a great teacher. I can't remember the name of the last one I had for the classroom but she was very strict (in a good way), so not making an effort was not an option.

While I took part in some of the activities last year and the year before that, I felt that the frequent interruptions to the classroom to 'sell' the activities was unnecessary and disappointing since it was a corporate exercise (as well as providing activities for your students). I know you are keen that the students have a good time but it needs only to be done once.

I live in Triora so San Remo is ideal for me to commute. I actually cycled on one occasion. I have recently completed a TEFL course and would be keen to join your teachers with a view to teaching English. This would also help me with my Italian. If you are interested in this then please feel free to drop me an email.

Best wishes,
Alex Vesco

I liked my two-week stay in San Remo. It was a nice experience and I met many other students. We had a lot of fun, also during the lessons, but it was a little bit boring sometimes because we weren't all exactly at the same level.

The school also organized guides or cocktail courses, tennis and volleyball matches, and others. I did many things and I liked seeing beautiful places near San Remo.

I was in an apartment with three others who worked in the city. They were friendly, but the apartment was dirty. It had a defective TV, two bathrooms, free WLAN, and it was near the school, which was comfortable.

The price was acceptable, but I think it could be also cheaper.

All the people in Omnilingua, including the teachers, are good and nice, but the teachers change too much. The programs are good.

The holiday in San Remo was a dream for me. I liked this beautiful city and the Mediterranean Sea. I am quite an old person, but I enjoyed studying with young people. The classes were perfect for both young and old.

I went to San Remo with my husband, and after classes, we went to the Sea. During the weekend, we visited Genova. I liked the Italian classes too, and our teacher Olivia was perfect. I admire her pedagogical skills.

The school is nice and organized very well. We lived near the school and had a room in a nice apartment of a lady of my age. She was very friendly and prepared for us breakfast and dinner. They were tasty - an Italian cuisine of high quality. We enjoyed them with my classmate Hellen from Scotland.

I improved my Italian and I was very satisfied.

It was one of the best experiences in my life as a student. The school staff was friendly and professional, and had provided me all the support I needed - from the hosting to the best place to visit in the region.

I always thought that learning a new language was a task available just for teenagers, but I realized that this was not true. I had the opportunity to meet students from many places and different generations.

I hope that in the near future I can come back to continue my studies.

Everything was very much to my liking. After each class, I felt I knew much more than when the day began.

My teacher was Valeria. She had an excellent teaching technique. She was always encouraging us to find a different way of expressing ourselves if we were faltering, without ever allowing us to speak any English. We did different activities which were varied and interesting. I enjoyed the tour of San Remo and the trek up the hill. I absolutely hated the cocktail making on the beach but that was mainly due to having to join in an awful singalong (not good for English reserve!). In general, I enjoyed it immensely and hope to come back again this year.

I loved the location: Both the small city with an excellent mild climate and diverse shopping locations, AND the location of the school building. Everything was easily and safely accessible by walking. However, I wish that the acoustics of the classrooms could be improved. The echoes off the hard plaster walls and the street noise often made listening difficult.

I was very impressed with the quality and professionalism of the teachers!

Every effort was made to accommodate my intermediate level of language ability and my specific personal goals. However, I think that it would have been easier, in terms of group classes, had I enrolled earlier in September when there were more total students attending the school. Perhaps there would have been more late intermediate level learners present.

I do wish it were possible to develop a specific curriculum for "serious" late intermediate / advanced learners with reading materials and audio components. Perhaps this level could be specifically marketed at a certain time of year? This would set this school apart from other similar Italian language schools for foreigners in Italy that generally aim to attract mainly "all comers" on vacation, or is this only available in big city centers in Italy?

I liked the school and the courses a lot. Teacher Carmen gave me a good ground to start with the Italian language. I continued with an evening class during Autumn back in Sweden.

I loved the cooking course with Signora Boero-Rossi. She had very good choices of dishes to make and introduced the Ligurian kitchen in a very good way.

I was very disappointed with the wine course. On the application, it promised a lecture of Ligurian wines, which I did not know anything about. Instead, it was a lecture on general Italian wines, which made me very disappointed.

The apartment I stayed in was clean and simple, and I liked it. For me, however, I had walking problems as it was a little far from the school and the city centre.

I’ll probably come back in 2016.

Classes: They were small, which was good.

Teachers: They were enthusiastic. They didn’t stick to certain prefixed programs but they listened to the students' wishes. One does not always need to include grammar if all the students preferred conversation.

Facilities: They were okay.

Location: Perfect.

Activities: Excellent! This was well-organized by the school, and I appreciated that there were programs during the week, meaning you were not “alone” all the time if you wished not to be. You could get acquainted with the surroundings and you get to listen to Italian.

Housing: N/A. There were a good choice of apartments in San Remo.

I have been to seven different cities in Italy, and San Remo seems quite ideal. First of all, the city itself is ideal, in terms of its location as well as with what it offers (the sea, cultural activities, and small, lively, lovely restaurants, and others). My apartment was perfect. The school was very good with active programs during our free time.

The only thing I missed which some other schools (especially Orbetello and Siena) offered was the weekly dinner with some professors / the Director. This was always done at the students’ own expense; everybody paid for their own dinner. It gave a possibility for a more personal contact with teachers.

I attended the class for two weeks. Valeria (our teacher) was very polite and competent. Our group was friendly and motivated. The school, Omnilinqua, was in the centre of San Remo and it was very convenient to reach it. The team of the school was helpful. I liked our lessons, as well as the courses about wine and cookies. It was not easy to find parking places though. Thank you!

I liked the whole set-up. The teachers and my teacher taught us so much about the Italian culture, which I appreciated. Classes were well divided into skills. I enjoyed it so much that I will come back this year again. Also very good with leisure activities, suggestions where to eat well, discounts on different beaches and guided tours.

The classes are the right size!
The teachers are very committed!
The location is very nice and you can do a lot with other students in San Remo!
The apartments are big and near the school!

Magnificently.