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1. There are two twin beds in each of the three available bedrooms upstairs. The bedrooms are very large and have two large windows with a view of the estate land or cobblestone street. The program could have anywhere from three to five people. The rooms will be shared if there are more than three people in the group.
2. One large full bathroom and one half bathroom will be shared by the group. Schedule times for showers should be arranged so that there are no conflicts. Students are asked to be courteous and conserve hot water. Showers should be alternated between mornings, afternoons, evenings and nights. There should be no problem if done this way. A supply of towels will be given each week. However, students may be asked to use towels for a few days at a time, when laundry is low.
3. A maid will regularly clean the entire house at the beginning of each new session. If students feel the house is not clean enough during their stay, the group may opt to either chip in for more maid service, or help out with the household chores. Maid service is fairly cheap if split by the group.
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4. Bedsheets and blankets will be provided regularly. The bedsheets will be washed and changed every other week. If student would like sheets changed more often, he or she may opt to pay the maid to clean them. Student may also request the maid to do his or her laundry for a small fee. *(She will charge by the wash load for clothes and personal items; $15/load). So all your clothes can be washed and folded regularly. This should encourage students not to overpack. Laundry should be given to her at the beginning of each week on Monday. This way it will be done before student goes away for the weekend, if the clothes are needed. Few people in Italy have dryers so laundry return depends on sunny days!
5. Instructor will thoroughly clean each room before each session. If student wants to keep his or her bedrooms clean during the session, cleaning supplies are available in the upstairs hallway.
6. Students will be asked to conserve electricity since overuse could temporarily blow a fuse. If this happens a quick flip of a button in the fuse box is needed, located in the downstairs hallway closet. Electrical adapters of any kind must not be used since they are the main culprit for shortages and fuses. A "house hairdryer" will be provided and manual razors are recommended.
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7. Soap and toilet paper will be provided in the bathrooms. Please buy your own toiletries such as shampoo, conditioners, lotions, toothpaste, medicine or any other type of house/ laundry supply.
8. It is expected that student cleans up after his or herself in the shower or bathroom so that it is clean for the next person who uses it. There are hangers on the walls and outside laundry lines for drying wet towels.
9. For indoor entertainment, a *new T.V. and V.C.R. may be used in the living room. *A house radio/ tapedeck with lots of music tapes may also be enjoyed. *A CD player/radio is also available for downstairs use only. *Cell phones with your own private number can be rented for $25 a week, with a $25 security deposit. These "telefonino's" may go fast, so reserve one in your contract. Cards and a chess set are also available. There is also a wide selection of books and magazines, in Italian and English. For outdoor activities, ball games and badmitten may be played on the estate. *All mechanical devices listed above, accompanied by the symbol *, are "extras". They are not required to be given or replaced if broken, stolen, or in use by others.
10. Every room in the house is available for use, except other people's rooms and limitations written in "Conditions of the Villa". Nice rooms in which to relax are the study, classroom, livingroom and hallway. Most meals will be eaten in the dining room with the traditional fireplace. This fireplace is functional and can be enjoyed on cool days and evenings. The acres of land on the estate is available for students enjoyment and leisure. Parties can be given as a group outside in the yard on warm nights. (Italian rock bands can even be hired, if available, on weekends if everyone chips in for about $100 total) Above all, we want to have a good time! |
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| * Instructor is not required to be at home or with students other than during scheduled lessons, activities, luncheon or dinners parties. Please do not be offended if instructor is out at other times. Everyone is allowed their space and private time. We all need time alone sometimes so please don't take it personally! If instructor is needed or in case of emergency, instructor can always be reached on cell phone. |
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1. Meals are provided Monday mornings through Thursday afternoons. This will include four breakfasts, four lunches and three dinners a week.
2. Two big home made dinners a week will be served Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. They will be a treat with homemade Italian cuisine and many courses! These meals will actually be cooked and served to students and are often ideal times to relax and participate in light, fun Italian conversation.
3. Small dinner parties will be given on Tuesday and/or Wednesday evenings where local Italians will be invited weekly. This will also be considered our Italian Conversation Lab/ Cultural Activity. These dinner parties are a great time to socialize and be pampered with good home cooked Italian food. These parties will give you the chance to sample a variety of Italian dishes and drinks. They are often the highlight of the week and may last all evening! |
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4. The group may be invited out with or to the homes of locals. It's a great way to experience Italian social life.
5. The Continental breakfasts include espresso or tea, fresh rolls, butter, jam or honey and fruit.
Lunches will be fresh Italian cold cut sandwiches, with Italian meats, rolls, cheeses, olives and salads.
Home made dinners will be fresh fish, turkey cutlets or chicken. Different types of fish and chicken recipes will be cooked each week. Courses will include pasta, fresh cooked vegetables and salads. All food will be fresh, prepared with various natural seasonings such as garlic and basil. All sauces will be completely homemade, Italian style. Tomato sauces will be made from scratch, with not even bottled spices or canned tomato paste! You'll get a real taste of healthy homemade Italian cooking! Drinks will be water, tea or wine.
6. Breakfasts and lunches will be provided in the kitchen in a "serve yourself" manner, Mondays through Thursdays. On Monday nights, the group can do some light cooking, if desired. Spaghetti or Italian "frittata"; the equivalent to our scrambled eggs or omelettes, can be made. All plates and silverware are in the cup boards in the dining area. Feel free to go into the refigerator, to get the food and prepare the meals yourselves. They will be easy enough to pull together. Students are responsible for cleaning their dishes by hand afterwards. (no dish washer!) Students should help clean up after all meals except dinner parties on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. |
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7. Picnics can also be made outdoors and student may "brown bag" a lunch when hiking or traveling during the week, anytime Monday to Thursday afternoons. Feel free to pack your lunches from the stacked refrigerator at the villa. Maniago Mondays and Udine Tuesdays are also picnic days. It will save you money on restaurants for lunch.
8. Student is responsible for buying his or her own meals from Thursday afternoons to Sunday evenings, with the exception of the first weekend. (The option of a Thursday dinner may be included for a small additional fee.) Over the weekend, however, he or she can feel free to stay in the villa. Instructor is not responsible for any food furnishings during the weekends such as espresso, tea, milk, bottled mineral water, wine, and napkins. Everything should be bought by student if he or she is staying at the villa on the weekends. *No use of the stove is permitted over the weekend for safety precautions, etc.
9. "Maniago Mondays", a weekly bus trip to the open market in Maniago, includes drinks/snacks in an osteria or cafe and/or picnicing in the park. The market in Maniago also has vendors that sell hot food, so you can choose to buy and sample from them for lunch. The light snacks and drinks at "mezzogiorno" include an Italian mini sandwich or "panino" and wine or mineral water. We'll experience mezzogiorno, often like an "Italian happy hour" at an outdoor bar/cafe at lunch time along with the crowds of Italians. Student must pay for any additional food or drink expenses. |
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*All travel expenses are excluded as always. Bus tickets to Maniago and Udine cost only a few dollars round trip. They should be bought in advance at any bar/cafe where tobacco is sold. There are several bars/cafes in each town.
10. On Udine Tuesdays as well as Maniago Mondays, students are expected to make and brown bag a lunch for a picnic. Feel free to use the sandwich food in the refrigerator; rolls, lunch meat, cheese, lettuce, etc. If you prefer to go out to lunch in a restaurant in Maniago or Udine, all expenses are to be paid by students. Udine is a pretty big city so there are several good restaurants. Students have the option of drinks and appetizers at mezzogiorno in a typical Udinese osteria in exchange for a more abbreviated Italian lesson afterwards; a "mini lesson". When we return to Arba, dinner may be ordered from the weekly "chicken truck". We then may have a light lesson, sit in an outdoor cafe and wait for our roasted chicken and french fries to be cooked. Believe it or not, it's a Tuesday highlight!
* No board or activities are given from Thursday afternoons to Monday mornings. No activities or meals are offered on weekends, although students are permitted to stay. Instructor is not in any way responsible for students Thursday afternoons to Monday mornings. (*Exception for the first weekend upon arrival only, which is refered to as the "Introductory weekend".)
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'VILLA MENU'
Mondays thru Thursdays |
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*BREAKFAST*
Epresso or coffee w/ cream, or hot tea, fresh rolls,
butter, jam or honey, & fruit
*Bread delivered daily at about 9 am.
*LUNCH*
Italian cold cut sandwiches w/ Italian meats:
prosciutto, mortadella or salami,
cheeses, olives & salads. (cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce)
*Brown bag lunches for picnics on outings Mondays & Tuesdays.
Eat at home or in the back yard on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
*DINNER*
*All hot cooked meals with special daily menus.
Entrees are fish or poultry, pasta, vegetables, etc.
*Dinner will be cooked and served to you daily
as opposed to self service breakfast and lunches.
The following are typical daily menus that the cook
will decide upon. |
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MONDAY-
Frittata (Italian omellette or scrambled eggs)
w/ grilled tomatoes, onion and fresh rolls.
-or-
Pasta with fresh natural sauce,
(Sauces include fresh homemade tomato sauce or
butter, sage & parmisian cheese sauce)
salad of lettuce or sliced cucumber and fresh rolls.
TUESDAY-
Roasted chicken cooked with rosemary and basil,
french fried potatoes, sliced cucumber salad
and fresh rolls.
-or-
Grilled turkey cutlets, cooked vegetables,
tossed salad and fresh rolls.
-or-
Pizza Party!
WEDNESDAY-
Baked fresh fish cooked with olive oil and basil,
pasta, grilled zucchini, tossed salad and fresh rolls.
-or-
Baked chicken with lemon and basil, pasta,
grilled zucchini, tossed salad and fresh rolls.
-or-
a Backyard Barbeque Party!
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Thoughts from the Instructor
on the Dinner Parties... |
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| The dinner parties are always my favorite part of the Live & Learn Italian Program, by far. We go all out; set the table up nicely with a colorful table cloth, fine silverware and china. To set the mood, I light a stream of candles and play beautiful Italian music on CD. We usually dine inside next to the fogolar, and light it on a cool stormy night. On warm summer nights, we picnic outside on a long table under a shady tree with a great view of the villa. I invite various Italian neighbors to dinner, who I've grown to love over the years of doing my program. They sometimes bring a homemade dessert or wine. Yes, homemade wine from the local vineyards! We dine by candle light and music is always on. We listen to popular Italian rock, folk and jazz songs, like from the great Mina or Vecchione and an occasional Sinatra. We eat delicious fresh Italian food by the course. Cooking for a dinner party is always fun. We drink wine, sing, talk and laugh the night away. It is a real homey Italian experience. Those memories, I will always treasure... forever. |
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