On 22 September 2025, we brought on board new members to the group. Studies have shown that learning a new language is good for your brain's health and Italian is amongst the easiest new languages to learn. So several have taken up the opportunity to help ward off dementia, not only by learning a new skill but having social contact and some fun all while trying something new.

We meet on Zoom on Mondays at 10:00 am for an hour, which is especially attractive to those with a busy schedule and/or those who find getting out of the house to be a challenge. We are a friendly group (none of us are proficient at Italian and we are better at reading it than conversing in it). The experience is not at all meant to be like that of a traditional classroom. As a bonus you get to hear about what other members in the area do with their lives…. but in Italian of course.

During the online hour, some members share a short, previously-prepared piece in Italian (for example, what you've done in the past week) and always by using a free online translator (for example, Google Translate or DeepL).

None of us are proficient in Italian and most panic at the thought of having to construct a sentence out of the blue, but our aim is to have some fun while we attempt to improve our self-learning together.

I am delighted to say that the group is now full, but sadly not currently taking on board new members.