James J. Historia

We have been living in Italy for the past eight years in a small hilltop village in the Colli Sabini called Casperia. Up until recently, all of our Italian was "autodidatta", that is self taught. We made a point of immersing ourselves in the community, the culture and language. For at least six years we watched only Italian TV and listened to Italian radio. We made some good progress in the language but were at a point where we realized we were sort of coasting. I started following various YouTube Channels and Instagram accounts for Italian learners. These have been a big help but I realized I needed more help. A friend recommended the Saga Baldora Italian language course offered by Gymglish and I took my first free lesson on November 6 of 2022. I was hooked from the very first lesson. I loved the story line with all the quirky characters and funny situations they get in. More than that, I loved how the lesson content adapted not only to your responses and scores but also to requests for more focus on specific areas of grammar, verb conjugation, vocabulary, etc. At the end of the trial period my general proficiency level was rated 4.5 which I guess was a B1. My grammar level 4.9 and my vocabulary level 4.1. I really think the course is brilliant and it has helped me to improve my Italian immensely. Over the past six months I have completed 56 lessons and my general proficiency level is now rated at 5.5, a C1! My grammar proficiency is rated at 5.5 and my vocabulary is at 5.4. I couldn't be happier. Yes, it is hard to find a language learning programme that works for everyone. We are all different. We all learn differently and respond differently to different methods and approaches, but the Saga Baldoria Italian Lessons have been amazing for me. They are fun and I am learning and retaining so much. Grazie di cuore.