| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Group admin: | Italian Club group |
| When: | On Thursdays 10:00 am-11:30 am Weekly in term time |
| Venue: | St Ives Methodist Church |
| Cost: | £40-£50 per term |
Thursday mornings in term time, St Ives Methodist Church
Joint leaders: Joy Cooper and Jennifer Clarke
This group started as a beginner group some ten years ago and is suitable for people of at least intermediate level who have been learning Italian for two years or more. You would need to be familiar with basic grammar of the language, use of different verb tenses etc. (See also note at foot of this page if you are at beginner/elementary level.)
We are no longer following a specific course or working towards a particular level, and there is no formal teaching in our sessions. We all share our knowledge and experience, learning from each other and thus implementing the u3a ethos that we are all teachers and learners together. For this reason we decided the name Italian Club is more appropriate for the wide range of activities we cover. During our sessions, we use a variety of materials to share and extend our experience of the Italian language, relating it to topics such as places, culture, history, food, art, literature etc. and occasionally a grammar topic. We access the significant Italian learning facilities that are available online, for instance news items available in Italian, easy reader texts, video clips etc. Sometimes we use a teaching resource called "I Come Italia" which covers a number of topics in a lively and interesting format. Individual members of the group also contribute items of particular interest from time to time.
If you watched the BBC series Pompeii - the New Dig, you may be interested to download a copy of the story we studied on Pliny and the Eruption of Vesuvius - from EasyReader.org
In order to build our confidence in Italian conversation, we try to meet once a month (on a Wednesday instead of our usual Thursday session) with an Italian speaker from St Ives.
We are also reading a book where a mystery story unfolds through 101 conversations, and we take it in turns to read the part of the various characters featured.
We meet weekly in term time in the upstairs room at the Methodist Church from 10.00am - 11.30pm on Thursday mornings. At the end of the session we go for coffee in the cafe downstairs in the church. Members pay a subscription each term to cover the cost of room hire and occasional materials purchased. This is usually between £40 and £50 per term.
If you would like more information about joining this group, please contact Joy via the blue envelope link on this page, and when emailing her, please ensure you mention that it is u3a Italian Club you are interested in.
Dates for 2025
Spring
- January
Thursdays 9, 16, 23 Wednesday 29th Conversation with Cecilia - February
Thursdays 6, 13,
(no session 20th as half-term)
Wednesday 26th Conversation with Cecilia - March
Thursdays 6, 13, 20 Wednesday 26th Conversation with Cecilia - April
Thursday 3rd
(no sessions 10 or 17 - Easter Holidays)
Summer
- April
Thursday 24th
Wednesday 30th
Conversation with Cecilia - May
Thursdays 8, 15
Wednesday 21st
Conversation with Cecilia
(no session w/b 26 May as half-term) - June
Thursdays 5, 12, 19
Wednesday 25th
Conversation with Cecilia - July
Thursdays 3, 10, 17
(no sessions remainder of July or August - summer holidays)
Autumn
- September
Thursdays 4, 11, 18 Wednesday 24th Conversation with Cecilia - October
Thursdays 2, 9, 16 Wednesday 22nd Conversation with Cecilia (no session w/b 27 October as half-term) - November
Thursdays 6, 13, 20 Wednesday 26th Conversation with Cecilia - December
Thursdays 4, 11, 18
Note that we currently have three Italian groups:
- Italian Beginners - started September 2025 but full. You can join the waiting list
- Italian Club - for members of at least intermediate level who have been learning Italian for two years or more.
- Italian Improvers - for members who have some experience of the Italian language