We've all been there: standing in a shop on holiday, rifling through our mental filing cabinet in the section marked 'Foreign Languages' and finding not very much except 'Où est mon chapeau?' It's moments like these when we resolve to take evening classes in the language of our choice.
Trouble is, in January when it feels like evening at around 2pm, the impetus
to go and sit in a classroom after work can evaporate. So why not take the short
cut? Go abroad and learn the language in situ - it's often much more effective
and lots of fun.
Learn Italian in Florence
An historic 17th-century palace is the home for the Cactus Language Italian school in Florence. With its windows overlooking this world-famous Renaissance city you'd be forgiven for gazing out at the sumptuous view instead of focusing on your lessons. Cactus offers two-week 'Young at Heart' courses in Italian for the over 50s who are kept busy with a packed out-of-school timetable. With some of the world's greatest art collections just on the doorstep, the school's cultural programme focuses on Florence's artistic heritage, including trips to the Medici Chapel and the Duomo.
A two-week 'Young at Heart' Italian course consists of 30, 50-minute lessons
and costs £349 for tuition. See www.cactuslanguage.com
Accommodation: £360 half-board with a host family, £220 for
a single room in a shared flat or £30 a night in a budget hotel.
Flights: www.ba.com, www.alitalia.co.uk