Sixth Form Italian study trip to Alghero

Over the half-term break, 25 Sixth Form GCSE Italian pupils spent a week in Alghero, Sardinia with the aim of improving their spoken Italian and gaining an authentic understanding of life in Italy today.

Each pupil lived with their own Italian family for the week, forging new friendships with Italians their own age, experiencing new foods and gaining new perspectives on the Italian way of life.

Each morning, the group enjoyed three hours of Italian tuition on GCSE and A Level material at a small Italian language school in the centro storico. Lunchtimes allowed pupils to explore the serious business of appreciating Sardinian cuisine, such as malloreddus or culurgiones at a local restaurant. The group had a busy schedule of afternoon activities: visiting a local beach, a visit to the archaeological site at Nuraghe Palmavera, a boat trip to the Nettuno caves, a football match against our Italian hosts (Italia 3 – 11 Inghilterra) at the local stadium, a guided tasting of Sardinian cheeses, a drama lesson on Italian hand gestures and an urban escape game in Italian.

The summer weather and terrific engagement by all members of the group made for a really enjoyable week. The trip concluded with some pupils attending Saturday high school lessons with their hosts and an evening at a pizzeria with the whole party.

– Alex Tofts, Head of Faculty: Languages and Classics