Speak! Travel 2012 Programs

Dreaming in Umbria : Creative Writing Retreat with Martha McPhee

PROGRAM DATES:

• June 9-16, 2012

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

In a small workshop setting, find your voice and develop your style along with a motivated group of writers.  Each day features an intensive workshop with novelist, Martha McPhee, private writing time and talks about craft, literature, and the writer’s life. Evenings will include readings and wonderful meals overlooking the beauty of the Umbrian landscape surrounding the jewel-like hilltop town of Todi. Italian language and culture expert Christina Ball will offer a series of optional excursions to give participants a flavor of Italian life.  Luxurious boutique hotel and spa Roccafiore provides the perfect setting for this relaxing yet inspiring retreat.

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Two Weeks in Todi – Italian Immersion Experience

PROGRAM DATES: 

• June 16-30, 2012  
• September 2012 (dates TBA)

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Sign up (click here) for our e-mail series offering more info on Umbria and Two Weeks in Todi!

Have you always dreamed of learning Italian but just can’t seem to make any progress from home? Are you eager to take your Italian to the next level? Does the thought of living like a local in a small Umbrian hilltown, getting to know the barista, the hairdresser, the chef-  not to mention wonderful teachers and guides – sound like heaven to you? Have you been to Rome, Florence, Venice but are eager for a slower, more in-depth encounter with Italy? Are you ready to try something new and potentially transformational?  lf the answer to some or all of these questions is a resounding SI!, consider  joining Speak!’s  Christina Ball and a group of like-minded individuals from around the country for two weeks of Italian language and culture exploration in a gorgeous Italian hilltown in the Umbria region.

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Opera in Italia : Listen, Learn, Live!

PROGRAM DATES:

• July 10-21, 2012

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Do you absolutely adore both opera and Italy? If so, we have concocted a dream trip for you!  Join opera-insider Mary Ann Archer (flutist for the Met for 22 years) and Italian instructor Patrizia Johnson – as they take opera lovers to the hills near Verona to listen, learn and live!  You’ll stay in the hills of Valpolicella at the elegant, historic Serego Alighieri estate, attend focused workshops on each of the three operas that you’ll then experience – live! – at the historic Arena in Verona, be treated to VIP tours of La Scala in Milan and La Fenice in Venice, enjoy a cooking class and wine tastings and get plenty of time to relax, read and hopefully even practice some italiano!  Indulge your passion for Italian opera by experiencing opera in Italy, with a group of like-minded individuals. You’ll surely beg for an encore!

Note: no previous study of Italian required – just a passion for Italian Opera!

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Mary Ann and Patrizia: Opera's "Odd Couple"