UPCOMING DATES
-- TBD
The Not Your Typical Tourist Retreat is a 6-night, 7-day language immersion trip in Tuscany, Italy designed specifically for language learners of all levels who are hooked on Italian.
It’s all about: improving your conversation skills, getting speaking practice, learning new vocabulary and fun phrases, getting out of your comfort zone, and meeting other Italian-obsessed students.
WHAT DETAILS DO YOU WANT FIRST?
WHEN IS IT?
The next Not Your Typical Tourist Retreat starts Thursday, June 6 and ends Wednesday, June 12.
DAY 1 / GIOVEDI
Arrive by the evening (flexible check-in time), unpack, settle into your room
Attend welcome aperitivo
DAY 2 / VENERDI
Rachel & Cher meet you for breakfast at your hotel, 2- 1 private Italian language tutoring, tour of Palazzo Vecchio, lunch at our favorite tour guide's restaurant
DAY 3 / SABATO
Breakfast at your hotel, 2- 1 private Italian language tutoring, traditional Tuscan storytelling dinner
DAY 4 / DOMENICA
Breakfast at your hotel, pizza making class and lunch, 2- 1 private Italian language tutoring
DAY 5 / LUNEDI
Breakfast at your hotel, 2- 1 private Italian language tutoring, 4-course cooking class
DAY 6 / MARTEDI
Breakfast at your hotel, half-day trip to Chianti, wine tasting at vineyard, lunch, goodbye event
DAY 7 / MERCOLEDI
Pack up and leave your hotel (or the country!) whenever you want
Order of events and events themselves may change slightly.
Italian Student, September 2017
“I would go back next September! It's a great way to experience Italy and the "other side" of Florence. I loved the tutoring, the cooking, the ceramics -- ALL OF IT.”
WHERE IS IT?
The Not Your Typical Tourist Retreat will be held in Florence, Italy in the region of Tuscany.
You’ll practice speaking with your 2-1 private Italian tutor, learn new words with locals, and eat so. much. good. food. while staying at a hotel in the historic center of Florence.
Everyone in the group will stay at the same hotel. Right now, we're determining which hotel will be the best choice, but we can guarantee that it will be centrally located, include breakfast, and be as comfortable as possible.
Italian Student, May 2018
“I would go back in a heartbeat!! The trip was constructed with such care and detail that we got to experience the language and culture but we still had time to create memories and adventures of our own.”
HOW DO I GET THERE?
For the most direct route, fly into the Amerigo Vespucci airport in Florence. You can arrive anytime on Thursday, June 6th. To reach the hotel, grab a taxi, request a shuttle, or take the train into the city.
Departure day is Wednesday, June 12th. To make your way back to the airport, reserve a taxi, request a shuttle, or take the train back to the airport.
MEET YOUR HOSTS!
WHO IS CHER?
Cher Hale is the founder of The Iceberg Project, a website devoted to helping other Italophiles learn Italian. The website has been featured on prominent language and culture websites like Italki, Fluent in 3 Months, The Guardian, and Girl in Florence.
She’s also the host of the popular podcast, 30 Minute Italian, which has been downloaded over 1 million times.
It’s funny that she’s obsessed with learning Italian because she doesn’t have even one drop of Italian blood and never had any outside Italian influence. She can't decide on her favorite city in Italy anymore and her favorite dialect is Romanesco.
She would love to help you have your first, second, or thirtieth conversation in Italian with confidence so you can build relationships and experience a side of Italy that tourists don’t typically see.
WHO IS RACHEL?
Rachel Vermiglio Smith graduated with a degree in Italian language and literature and then, after falling in love with Italian art as well, went on for a master’s in art history focusing on the Italian Renaissance. She currently lives in her favorite place in the world, Florence, Italy with her bilingual dog, Stella. She has been hosting events for students from all over the world in this area for 3 years and is now friends with basically anyone who runs a restaurant, hotel, or does cool events. Her friends jokingly refer to her as the "mayor" of Florence because she knows so many people!
Beyond doing a number of other things, she is the Managing Editor of The Iceberg Project and she writes culture articles on topics like swear words, coffee, and sicknesses that students love.
Her favorite aperitivo drink is anything with vodka, her favorite place in Florence is San Miniato, and her favorite art is anything by Artemisia Gentileschi.
You can read more of her writing at Italianista.
WHO SHOULD / SHOULD NOT COME?
YOU SHOULD COME to the Not Your Typical Tourist Retreat if you…
- LOVE learning Italian. You won’t shut up about it. You’ve joined all the conversation groups and have bought all the books.
- Want to visit Italy with a focus on learning the language.
- Are excited about working with an experienced native Italian tutor that will customize your learning
- Are a fan of The Iceberg Project and think that hanging out with Cher & Rachel for 7 days sounds like a good time.
YOU SHOULD NOT COME to the Not Your Typical Tourist Retreat if you…
- Want to visit all of the museums and see all of the art during the retreat
- Are of the grumpy-cat variety and enjoy complaining
- Don’t want to learn Italian
- Are not able-bodied { We want to accommodate everyone, but since this is our first retreat, we're doing our best to minimize risk. This retreat won’t be suitable for people who can’t walk for 30 minutes at a time. }
WHAT’S INCLUDED?
When you register for the Not Your Typical Tourist Retreat, you’re getting
- 6 nights at a centrally-located hotel that includes breakfast
- 8 hours of 2-1 private Italian language tutoring with an experienced, professional native Italian speaker
- Dinners at Rachel’s favorite restaurants in Florence
- Half-day trip to Chianti, wine tasting and lunch at a vineyard
- 4-course cooking class with master chef Jacopo
- Pizza-making demonstration and lunch with pizzaiaolo Raffaele
- Italian Conversation Hours for practice speaking the language
- Traditional Tuscan dinner in the private home of a Florentine who will tell us the stories behind each dish
- (optional) Olive oil & balsamic vinegar tasting
- (optional) Leather-making presentation with a leather worker
- (optional) Tour of Palazzo Vecchio (with secret passageways!)
- Free copy of the Not Your Typical Tourist Phrasebook / Workbook
- SO. MANY. SMILES.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
It’s $3,800 to attend this retreat with a single room. If you live in Florence and want to attend the retreat or some activities, we can make special arrangements for you.
This price DOES NOT include airfare but DOES include 6 nights accommodation, 6 breakfast meals, 2 aperitivi, 3 dinners, 8 hours of customized 2-1 private language instruction, wine tastings, a half-day trip to Chianti, a 4-course cooking class, and much more.
PAYMENT INFO
A non-refundable deposit of $500 is required to reserve your spot. After that, you can break your payment in 1, 2, or 3 installments to be completed at least 30 days before the trip. Your deposit will go toward the full price of the retreat, e.g. After you pay the $500 deposit, the remaining balance will be $3,300.
You can use any credit or debit card, and your payment will go through a secure, encrypted payment site called Shopify. You’ll see THEICEBERGPROJ on your credit card or bank statement.
CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY
You were all set to go to the Not Your Typical Tourist Retreat...and then something got in the way?
Unfortunately, we don’t offer refunds and that’s because all deposits are sent to the lovely people who will be teaching us Italian and hosting cool events for us.
Here’s what we can do though: if you’re canceling because of a medical emergency / death in the family, we can transfer you to another tour (although for this specific tour, you’ll have to pay the difference in the future). We're not sure of the date for the 2020 tour.
If you’re canceling because of any other reason (“I’m too nervous to practice Italian in Italy,” “I waited too long to book my flight,” “I decided that this isn’t in the right retreat for me”), then we won’t be able to give you a refund. Pretty please don’t register for this retreat unless you are 100% positive that it’s right for you.
The only case where there will be a full refund is in the unlikely event that the trip is canceled by Cher and Rachel.
HOW BIG IS THE GROUP?
The Not Your Typical Tourist Retreat will be you + 5 other language learners. When you add Cher and Rachel, the group will be a total of 8 people.
When you're not studying Italian with your 2-1 private tutor or hanging out with Cher and Rachel, you’ll have time to explore the city, discover your new favorite restaurant, and have conversations with locals.
WHAT IF I JUST STARTED LEARNING ITALIAN?
This retreat has been specifically designed for all levels of Italian, so you’re more than welcome to attend. To make sure you get the most out of your experience, you’ll be paired with a 2-1 private Italian tutor that will create a customized curriculum for your level. Before you arrive, you'll take a test that will help us place you with the best tutor.
WHAT IF I ALREADY LIVE IN FLORENCE?
If you already live in Florence and you want to attend the retreat, we'll adjust the price slightly for you.
WHAT IF I WANT TO STAY IN ITALY BEFORE / AFTER THE RETREAT?
That’s a great idea! We hope you spend lots of time in Italy. Just note that if you're not a citizen of the European Union that you may be subject to the Schengen rule, which says that you can stay in Europe for 90 days in any 180-day period.
WILL WE HAVE ANY FREE TIME DURING THE RETREAT?
Yep! You'll have at least 3 afternoons/evenings of the 6-day program to yourself to meet up with friends, go shopping, or explore Florence on your own.
WHAT IF I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?
You can email Cher at cher@icebergproject.co. She’ll be excited to hear from you and learn more about why you’re interested in taking this trip.
HOW DO I REGISTER?
Go ahead and fill out the form below. 24-48 hours after you've submitted, you’ll receive a personal email from Cher with a decision on your application/option to set up a phone call. If you are accepted, she'll send over a legal agreement to sign and an invoice for the $500 deposit that will go toward your full balance. YAY 🙂
RETREAT APPLICATION
