Sono molto contenta di fare una collaborazione con Eleonora, una nuova insegnante che abita a Ferrara, Italia! È una donna piena di energia e allegria che offre agli ospiti un Homestay ideale. La sua casa è grande, e gli studenti staranno nelle camere private, con bagno privato, e avranno anche accesso al giardino pieno di verde delizioso… tutto solo pochi passi dal centro storico, in bici. Ferrara, è chiamato “la città ciclabile” ed è un tesoro da scoprire – con palazzi renascimentali e feste e costumi. Il homestay di Eleonora include tutti i pasti, escursioni della città e anche una gita a Ravenna, un breve distanze in macchina, per vedere i mosaici famosi e per partecipare in un laboratorio per sapere come fa i mosaici.
I am so pleased to be working with Eleonora, a new homestay Italian language teacher in Ferrara, Italy! She is an energetic, vivacious woman who offers her guests an ideal Italian language homestay. Her home is spacious, and guests will enjoy private rooms and baths, as well as access to a delightful garden… all just a short distance by bike from the city center. Ferrara called the “city of cyclists” is a gem to be explored — featuring Renaissance palaces and costumed festivals. Eleonora’s homestay includes full room and board, all meals, guided excursions of the city — even a trip to nearby Ravenna to see the famous mosaics and learn how they are created.
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If you would like to make a reservation, click on the form link above and indicate your first, second & third choices for an Italian Language Homestay along with dates and language level. Melissa will respond as soon as she receives the form. If for some reason you don’t hear back immediately, please send a follow-up email to Homestay@studentessamatta.com
Inquire about Eleonora’s special rate for
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Fantastic opportunity to live and explore the town of
Ferrara located in Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy
Eleonora’s Homestay in Ferrara, near Bologna, is an opportunity to live in a part of Italy known as Emilia-Romagna, in northern Italy. It is situated about 27 miles northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volan, a branch of the main Po river. The town has lots of medieval charm and features numerous palaces dating from the Renaissance when it hosted the court of the House of Este.
Get to know Eleonora your homestay teacher in Ferrara. Eleonora is a forty-year-old Italian teacher who has taught English in the Ferrara high school and is in charge of the School’s Erasmus project. She has a degree in modern languages and literature and studied in San Francisco, at Mills College in Oakland. Upon returning to Itlay she continued her Post Graduate training in Tourism-related Economics at the University of Venice. As a permanent part-time teacher, she has the flexibility to arrange her schedule to devote her attention to her homestay guests.
Cooking is Eleonora’s other true-passion: “my family goes crazy for my home-made biscuits, of course, the delicious “cappellacci al ragù”, a special dish typical of Ferrara.”
Eleonora’s family. Returning to Ferrara, Eleonora met her husband Marco, and together they have a delightful little boy named Alberto. The family lives on the outskirts of Ferrara, an easy bike ride to the city center. Eleonora’s mother, Laura, also lives with the family. She lends a hand when Eleonora is teaching. In addition to the human members of the family, there is also, Scarlet, their gentle and lovely 5-year old Labrador chocolate Retriever and a 26-year old turtle that lives in the garden.
Eleonora’s home. The house in Ferrara is made up of two separate apartments. Guests will enjoy the comfort of a double/triple room plus a private bathroom situated on the first floor. The first-floor apartment consists of a large sitting room, studio, large bathroom with a modern walk-in shower, and a private bedroom that overlooks the backyard.
Transportation to and from Ferrara. The family has three cars and it will not be a problem to drive guests wherever they want to go, including picking them up at the station upon arrival. They can also arrange to pick up and drop off guests in Bologna at the Guglielmo Marconi airport. Eleonora can also provide guests with bikes and they can explore the city on their own.
What to expect from a Homestay in Ferrara with Eleonora. A homestay with Eleonora can be 1 day to several weeks. Full room and board are included, along with pickup and drop off at the Ferrara or Bologna train station, or the Bologna airport. Bikes are available for your use. Private rooms with one, two or three beds and a private bath with shower. There will be a Welcome Aperativo/drink, a grigliata/barbeque in the garden with friends. Breakfasts, lunch, and dinner are included and the morning meal will consist of cappuccino and local pastries. In the company of Eleonora, there will be guided tours of Ferrara’s centro storico, and its monuments. A day trip to Ravenna to see the famous mosaics, as well as a visit to a mosaic laboratorio to learn how to make mosaics, lunch to taste the local specialty “piadina romagnola.” Before you depart there will be a farewell dinner, cooking lessons, and an evening of playing table games with the family. During the month of May, you can attend the Palio di Ferrara and the Estensi Gardens. At the end of August, you can attend the Buskers Music Festival.
Lessons. Eleonora will teach you 5 – 15 hours a week. She strives to make her lessons fun and interesting based on each student’s specific interests. Lessons will be personalized and tailored to each student’s needs or requests. Eleonora will provide learning materials (texts to read, worksheets, flashcards, games, films and video, and conversation practice). She will customize her lessons for all levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.
Eleonora also offers the possibility, during the summer, of staying in Comacchio a nearby seaside resort. Eleonora and her husband own a small 3-bed flat in Lido degli Estensi. It is a lively little town full of shops, fish restaurants, and local markets.
What Ferrara has to offer. Eleonora is passionate about her town of Ferrara and will be an excellent tour guide taking you to the Este Castle, which dates back to the Renaissance. Ferrara is known as the “city of cyclists” so there are plenty of walking and biking trails on the ancient city walls surrounding the city. You will visit the Duomo of Ferrara, the beautiful cathedral that combines Romanesque and Gothic styles and visit the “Ghetto Ebraico” the cradle of the city, a gathering of narrow streets and buildings where the Jews lived until World War II and after. There will be visits to Palazzo dei Diamanti, a palace built in white and pink marble blocks, as well as to the Renaissance parks called Parco Massari, Parco Pareschi and Piazza Ariostea.
Ferrara’s Festivals. If homestay guests arrive at the right moment, they can participate in local festivals. There is the Balloon Festival that takes place in Ferrara’s city park at the beginning of September and the Buskers Music Festival in which artists from all over the world perform in the streets of the city. There is also the Palio di Ferrara, an insight into the real-life, habits, feasts, and costumes of the Renaissance Este family. This event also features the Palio di Ferrara, similar to the Palio di Siena, but features a Renaissance parade, including a horse race, the Putti and Putte race, and the sbandieratori (flag-jugglers) performance.
To Book a Homestay with Eleonora: Eleonora offers a special price for her Homestay experience in Ferrara to readers of the Matta Blog. To find out more about Eleonora’s Homestay prices and to check availability contact melissa@studentessamatta.com
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