Off-Campus Visit

Palazzo Chigi | Ariccia

November 2023

Here, below are a few comments that were in the Applied English Learning Journals:

"While we had freedom in choosing what to tell and how to tell it, we were not free when it came to choosing whom to tell our stories to. Despite that meant exiting my comfort zone every day, at the same time this aspect meant talking every day with different people, different perspectives, and different views on the world, and it was amazing. Also, it led to new friendships with people I had not spoken to yet. This course was indeed crucial at the social level for our class, especially thanks to the fact that we lived together for 4 days. Often, discussions in class led to conversations afterward. Applied English has been a fantastic way of getting to know new people and of spotting how similar, yet different we are, even in the smallest details! Because of the fact that we were confronting ourselves each day with different people, I feel like I had the chance to learn how to deal with different perspectives and how to manage people from the most varied backgrounds. While that has not been always easy, I must recognize the richness it brought to my experience. I truly believe that, without the diversity that characterizes our bachelor, all the activities would have taken a completely different turn and not be engaging like they have been."

"During these lectures, we made a lot of mistakes in public speaking, and, despite the informality of the presentations we were asked to perform, those mistakes were useful also in more formal contexts. For instance, at the academic convocation, thinking about precedent mistakes was crucial in order to perform in a better way, knowing what to avoid. I feel like I will come back to what I learned during this course a lot of times in my life. Public speaking skills, listening skills, managing and working with the most different people and being able to cope with the stress that it may cause, are such fundamental skills for our labor market that I believe everyone should take this class before their 20s. Those skills are not however only applicable to the job field, as they lie at the basis of our daily relational dynamics. These latter rely basically on our talking and listening because that’s the main way in which we are understood and can understand others!"

"I TRULY FEEL ENRICHED BY THIS CLASS WHICH CHALLENGED, SURPRISED AND ENGAGED ME EVERY DAY!"

"Ariccia was a place where learning wasn’t a task but a delightful journey of self-discovery, unexpected connection and learning about life. Each lesson left a lasting mark; It taught me that being myself is enough, mistakes are okay, and learning can be fun.
It wasn't just a lecture; it was a bit like finding a second home."

"I think this was the course I did not know I needed, because it made me happy, I laughed and connected with people like this a few times in my life, and just for that, I will remember your lessons."

"I imagined him as a tall, dark-haired and stern man (I just imagined the image of Professor Snape).  And now the first day in Ariccia, Professor Piga introduces us to Professor Brown. It turned out that it was not Snape, but Dumbledore without a beard and robe."