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Ispirazione: Sole Yoga Holidays Retreats

April 2, 2018
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Italophilia is pleased to present fellow Italophilie Shari from SoleYogaHolidays as the guest for Ispirazione Series. Shari is an entrepreneur running the “Sole Yoga Holidays”. Based out of Florence, she focuses on Yoga and Wellness Retreats in Italy and beyond. Shari’s passion lies in collaborating with artists and content creators and today she is very kindly sharing about her experience of being in Italy and learning Italian. 

Ispirazione: Sole Yoga Holidays Retreats

Shari, what a pleasure to have you on Italophilia. It is nothing short of commendable and inspiring to see you run a company by yourself!! We love your spirit and would love to know more of your story.

shari-san_niccolo2

Isn’t that amazing!! For now, let’s hear more from Shari!

Tell us about yourself, your decision to live in Italy and how it all started??

 
Ciao Ishita and hello everyone..About myself, well like so many others before me (and many to follow), I came to Florence on a Semester abroad. The very first moment I stepped into Palazzo Vecchio with the glorious statues around me, I was hooked and I knew somehow someway I would return. Sure enough, the perfect time came years later when I found myself in search of something new in life. I was in San Francisco working long hours in Marketing. My pockets were full but my heart was empty. I decided it was now or never and made the move to my beloved Florence.

 Did you know Italian beforehand??

 
Not really. I took two semesters in college, but it never really ‘stuck.’ I tried with Rosetta Stone and some workbooks before I had arrived, but it didn’t teach me more than just numbers and basic greetings.

How was your experience with Italian in the first few months?

 
In the first few months, it was incredibly challenging as well as frustrating!!I do think some people are better than others in picking up foreign languages. My sister is one of them, for example. But, unfortunately I am not! There were so many moments that I knew the words, but they were somewhere hiding in the back of my brain and I couldn’t get them to come to my mouth fast enough!
Why Should You Visit Italy in Winter

Why Should You Visit Italy in Winter

What tips would you give to readers who are learning Italian??

1. Mingle with the locals!
2. Stay away from the center where most everyone speaks English.
3. Go into a hardware store, or wine shop or shoe cobbler and chat with the owner. They love to help you with the language. Plus, you pick up phrases that you wouldn’t normally hear.
4. Go to the movies. I love seeing English movies with Italian subtitles or vice versa.
5. Finally, make the effort to make Italian friends. It is not easy, but it is so incredibly rewarding. I have a small group of Italian friends, that are now family to me. I took classes for one year at a language school. It was helpful for grammar and basics, but then I hired a tutor who is now my best friend!!

What an inspiring story, Shari! I am pumped to keep learning Italian this way. Grazie per la tua inspirazione carissima!!

Read Next:

Further Reading...

Ispirazione: Italian Storytellers from Le Marche

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Learn Italian with Nuovo Espresso Textbooks

Italian words that make you sound like a local

25 Fascinating Italian Words Ending with -issimo

12 Comments

  • LuLu B - Calabrisella Mia
    April 7, 2018 at 1:03 pm

    I’ve been doing yoga practice daily for about a year now and I love it. I’ve been entertaining the idea of doing a yoga holiday at some point – sounds like it would be a good experience! 🙂

    Reply
  • timelessitaly
    April 4, 2018 at 2:58 am

    I love yoga! and like Shari, Italian is not easy for me to learn. It will definitely be a life-long endeavor.

    Reply
    • Sole Yoga Holidays (@soleyogaholiday)
      April 4, 2018 at 3:04 pm

      It is definitely a life-long endeavor, but a rewarding one, for sure!! 😀

      Reply
      • Ishita
        April 4, 2018 at 7:13 pm

        Yes piano piano 😉

        Reply
    • Ishita
      April 4, 2018 at 7:12 pm

      Neither for me Susan..it’s getting difficult to get words out of your mouth ;( hope you are well. Big hugs! X

      Reply
  • Bespoke Traveler
    April 4, 2018 at 2:38 am

    Taking a language class is extremely helpful, but I have to agree with Shari — the best teachers are locals. Double meanings, slang, and jokes are so common among native speakers but almost never covered in a class.

    Reply
    • Ishita
      April 4, 2018 at 7:11 pm

      I Agree. I was with my friends in Italy both this year and last and it was so useful. Thank you for stopping xx

      Reply
  • IngridMadisonAve
    April 3, 2018 at 11:39 pm

    That’s incredible! Thanks for the tips.

    Reply
    • Ishita
      April 4, 2018 at 12:44 am

      Most welcome Ingrid. Thanks for stopping by. xx

      Reply

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