In 2012 when I went to Agnone for 2-weeks of learning my Italian was pretty non-existent, but no matter how hard I struggled, no one spoke to me in English. It was a special experience and one I felt compelled to repeat and to share, so I returned the next summer with a small group.

Live and Learn Italian has continued to grow organically, each year digging out more hidden gems and building a greater network of personalities to join in a true cultural exchange.

In 2019 I met Simona on a visit to Sicily and lured her to Agnone for a session.

Very inspired by teaching through activity and with a unique ability to blend focused learning with events and encounters, Simona pulls everything together through the stories that connect us. Her experience, curiosity and generosity are an ongoing source of inspiration.

It was completely obvious that we should work together and create a programme in her second home of Sambuca di Sicilia. Once that got underway, we looked to her first home of Genoa, completely different, but in its own way a perfect venue for the learning journey.

The obvious way forward was to hold tight to the special teachers I had found along the way, and to grow and extend Live and Learn Italian with them.

Alina joined us in Agnone in 2021 and was an instant hit. After a few sessions in Agnone, she suggested I come explore her hometown of Pistoia which I liked instantly. With a beautiful, small and compact centre, there is a simplicity and honesty about Pistoia, and a lack of tourists.

I’m really inspired to create programmes in places I like to be and with people I am growing to love.

Of course, the venues need to be right, and with the correct components in place…

In 2023 Fiorella came to Agnone as a ‘photography intern’. What a relief to realise I could hand over social media and marketing to someone who knew what they were doing!

An experienced photo-reporter, Fiorella is studying Anthropology at Ca’Foscari Venezia so joins when she can, creating stories and lending a hand.

As the programme grew and expanded, I realised I didn’t have to do everything myself – Emily provides solid and calm support from her desk in Cambridge while also keeping busy as an actor and raising her children.

In Agnone Silvana has become a big fixture and ‘fixer’. A local guide, great cook, and talented amateur actress, Silvana has boundless energy, knows and gets on with everyone (vital in a small community), and is incredibly sociable and generous.  An important factor in everyone’s stay in Agnone and certainly one reason so many come back multiple times.