My beautiful 50+ Programme in Rome

I’ve just spent two weeks on a Club 50 course Rome. Although I am a retired teacher, this has been my FIRST vacation on my own! My daughter is now old enough to take care of my husband for a while, so I took this opportunity to fulfil a long-held dream to visit Rome!

Before my trip I was worried about not really being able to speak the language. I’ve being studying Italian at home for a year, but really can’t speak it at all…, but fortunately everyone at the school in Rome, and ESPECIALLY my teachers, are very patient! The teachers don’t seem to mind at all about my slow pace, my many mistakes and lack of vocabulary… It’s hard to believe, but we really do communicate in Italian …somehow! This is good for me, because to be honest, studying was not the only object of my trip… I also wanted to see Rome!

The guided tours organized by the school as part of the Club 50 course have taken me to see many really interesting and beautiful places in Rome: the magic piazza del Pantheon, the peaceful and green Circo Massimo, have been two of my favourites.

One of the reasons why I really wanted to come to Rome is that I had read a book in Japan on the ancient Romans and I was fascinated. Now, at last, in Rome, I could really “breathe” that old atmosphere in Ostia Antica with its scented pine trees. It was like a dream. It was like travelling in a time machine – really special.

If you ever decide to go, don’t forget that Rome is not far from the sea. The last day, the school took us (accompanied by our teachers) to a delicious restaurant on the Mediterranean coastline. The seafood was simply amazing, and we had lots of opportunities to practice our Italian, speaking to our tutors over a delicious meal!

I am already thinking about my next trip to the school.

Maybe I’ll see you there!

Yumiko (Japan)