UPCOMING DATES
-- September 16 - September 22 (1-2 spots left!)
-- May 2018 (dates TBD) (10 spots open)
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 Not Your Typical Tourist Retreat starts Saturday, September 16 and ends Friday, September 22.
DAY 1 / SABATO
Arrive by the evening (flexible check-in time), unpack, settle into your room, attend welcome aperitivo
DAY 2 / DOMENICA
Breakfast at your hotel, 2- 1 private Italian language tutoring, optional walking tour, pizza dinner with wine and pizza-making demonstration
DAY 3 / LUNEDI
Breakfast at your hotel, 2- 1 private Italian language tutoring, ceramics painting with Florentine master artist
DAY 4 / MARTEDI
Breakfast at your hotel, 2- 1 private Italian language tutoring, “Taste of Tuscany” dinner including wine
DAY 5 / MERCOLEDI
Breakfast at your hotel, 2- 1 private Italian language tutoring, optional 1-1 conversation exchange with Cher, pasta-making cooking class
DAY 6 / GIOVEDI
Breakfast at your hotel, day trip to Chianti, lunch at vineyard, goodbye dinner
DAY 7 / VENERDI
Pack up and leave your hotel (or the country!) whenever you want
Order of events and events themselves may change slightly.
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 historical center of Florence.
Everyone in the group will be at the same hotel. You can choose to have your own private bedroom (a single / double bed) and bathroom, or you can save some euros by choosing to room with someone.
HOW DO I GET THERE?
For the most direct route, fly into the Amerigo Vespucci airport in Florence. You can arrive anytime on Saturday, September 16. To reach the hotel, grab a taxi, request a shuttle, or take the train into the city.
Departure day is Friday, September 22nd. To make your way back to the airport, reserve a taxi, request a shuttle, or take the train back to the airport.
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 so obsessed with learning Italian because she doesn’t have even one drop of Italian blood and never had any outside Italian influence. Her favorite city in Italy is Bologna 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
- Ceramics painting class with Florentine master artist
- Dinners at Rachel’s favorite restaurants in Florence
- Day trip to Chianti and lunch at a vineyard
- Pasta cooking class
- Pizza-making demonstration
- Walking tour of Florence
- 1-1 language exchange with Cher
- Free copy of the Not Your Typical Tourist Phrasebook / Workbook
- Surprise welcome gifts, including exclusive insider guide to Florence
- Surprise send-off gifts
- SO. MANY. SMILES.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
It’s $2,700 to attend this retreat, which is a discount of around $500 for future tours since it's our first time hosting one.
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, a ceramics painting class, wine tastings, a day trip to Chianti, and a walking tour.
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 $2,000.
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). There will be one happening in May 2018 in Florence.
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 spontaneous 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. You'll stick with the same experienced native Italian tutor all week.
WHAT IF I ALREADY LIVE IN ITALY?
If you already live in Italy and you want to attend the retreat, the price will still be the same. You’ll have to come and stay in Florence. If you live in Florence and don’t want to stay in a hotel, then this retreat isn’t the one 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.
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. If you have been accepted into the group, she'll send an invoice for the $500 deposit that will go toward your full balance. YAY 🙂
RETREAT APPLICATION