Course description

Spanish and culture: Wine and Poetry, Art and Language is a special Spanish language and culture course for foreigners and Spaniards. It is one of the special courses that CIAM organizes throughout the year.

In this course students will use Spanish and interact with people in the community, writers, linguists and creators of cultural experiences who will help students discover the landscape of Castile and Leon.

Students will learn and use Spanish through wine tasting, wineries and the largest wine museum in the world, along with poems, landscapes and the Romanesque art. Participants will learn Spanish at the time they build unforgettable memories.

The landscapes and the city of Soria have inspired some of the best Spanish and foreign poets and writers, especially Antonio Machado. In addition, the wines of the region belong to one of the most prestigious designations of origin: Ribera del Duero. Just a short distance up north we can find the vineyards and wineries of the qualified designation of origin Rioja. Between one area and another, Ribera del Duero and La Rioja, our journey takes place. Our journey goes through poetry, landscapes, a small Romanesque church lost in the immensity of a territory which is unknown to mass tourism and a hermitage in a small town. This is the journey of our program at CIAM, in which our students can use Spanish in a small city where it is easy to enjoy and be part of the daily life of the community.

Recipients

Spanish learners of all levels (A2-C1) and Spanish people who want to discover the artistic and cultural heritage of Soria through social and cultural interaction: language, culture, poetry and the art of wine-making.

Elements of the program

It includes:

In terms of education and training:

• Reading and culture workshops on language, art, poetry and wine;
• Cultural visits to the lands of art, language and wine;
• Visit to two wineries and the Vivancos Wine Museum;
• Walks through vineyards and social interaction in Spanish through wine-tasting and meals.

The elements of the course are distributed as follows:

• 7.5 hours of reading and culture workshops on language, art and poetry;
• Soria, its landscape and its presence in the work of the writer Antonio Machado;
• Soria, art, language, and the technique of growing vines and making wine;
• 1 open-air workshop on Romanesque art in the city of Soria, including a walk along the Douro River;
• 3 cultural visits to the lands of art, language and wine: Burgo de Osma, Peñafiel and San Millán de la Cogolla;
• Visit to two wineries and the Vivancos Wine Museum. Walks among vineyards;
• Wine tasting;
• Meals (not included in the price).

In terms of the stay:

• General orientation before arrival, upon arrival and orientation prior to trips and other complementary activities.
• An instructor for cultural activities and trips.
• Classrooms equipped with multimedia equipment (computer, projector, Wi-Fi, etc.).
• A self-study room.
• Use of printing service for students and offices for accompanying teachers.
• Wi-Fi in all the facilities;
• Availability of a small kitchen for students and teachers.
• Accident insurance.

Optional and not included in the price of the course:

• Accommodation at the Duques de Soria student dormitory on a full-board basis.

Goals

• To use Spanish as a language of communication and social interaction;
• To develop social strategies for language learning;
• To read and analyze texts of one of the main authors of 20^th century Spanish literature: Antonio Machado;
• To become familiar with the language and the art and technique of growing vines and wine-making;
• To get to know the different wines of Spain, to learn about the designation of origin and to identify the different aromas of wine;
• To reflect on one’s own learning experience through interaction to build cultural, literary, artistic and natural knowledge;
• To taste wine, explore the landscape, observe art, and appreciate literary texts while using Spanish as a language of communication and social interaction.

Contents

The course contents are organized according to the following distribution:

Wednesday morning (10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)

• Reading workshop: Analysis of literary texts about Soria and its landscape in the poetry of Antonio Machado;
• Lunch (not included) at the Parador de Soria and walk through the Douro River.

Wednesday evening (5:00 to 8:00 p.m.)

• Art workshop: Activities to learn about the Romanesque art and to appreciate its cultural value.
• Cultural experience and visit to the most relevant and unique artistic places in the city of Soria: Santo Domingo Church, los arcos de San Juan de Duero, etc.;

Thursday morning (10: 00 am to 1:00 p.m.)

• Culture workshop: the language, art and technique of wine-making;
• Wine and cheese tasting.

Thursday evening (4:00 to 9:00 p.m.)

• Cultural experience and visit to Burgo de Osma, the Gormaz castle;
• Visit to a small winery in Vildé with a walk through the vineyards and a snack (organized but not included in the price).

Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

• Cultural experience and visit: visit to Peñafiel Castle, Plaza del Coso and walk through vineyards;
• Visit to the Protos winery -designed by the architect Rogers- in Peñafiel and wine tasting included;
• Lunch (not included in the price) in an old mill: Molino de Palacios.

Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Discover the origin of the Spanish language and the language of wine

• Cultural experience and visit to San Millán de la Cogolla, visit to the Suso Monastery and visit to the Yuso Monastery library.
• Visit to the Vivanco Wine Museum (visit to the Museum and wine tasting included in the price), walk through the vineyards;
• Lunch (not included in the price).

Methodology

It is a cultural and enjoyable experience which aims at helping participants develop artistic sensitivity and getting familiar with the landscape, art, and the technique of cultivation of the vine and wine. The dynamics for social interaction allow full participation and reflection on the experience.

Speakers and guide

J. A. González Sainz is a writer, translator and teacher. Graduated in Hispanic Philology, he has more than 30 years of experience in teaching Spanish at various universities. His latest book is El viento en las hojas (Anagrama, 2014). Previously, the novels Ojos que no ven (Anagrama 2010)  translated into English in 2015 (None So Blind, Hispabooks Publishing), Volver al mundo (Anagrama, 2003) and Un mundo exasperado (Anagrama, 1995) stand out. With Un mundo exasperado he received the XIII Herralde Novel Prize (Barcelona, ​​1995). In 2006 he was awarded the XXV Prize of Letters of Castile and Leon (Valladolid, 2006), and in 2015 the VII D’Achtal Observatory Prize for Literature (Madrid, May 2015). He has also written a long series of articles (El País, El Mundo, ABC, Letra Internacional, etc.) and stories, among which it is worth mentioning the contents of the book Los Encuentros (Anagrama, 1989). He is also the founder of CIAM, where he works as a teacher. He has translated the works of several Italian writers and philosophers, particularly Claudio Magris, and also D. Del Giudice, G. Ceronetti, E. Severino, G. Stuparich and S. D’Arzo. In the field of teaching Spanish as a foreign language, he has focused on the development of workshops on the importance of attention in learning in general and in foreign language learning in particular.

Miguel Ibáñez Rodríguez is a professor at the University of Valladolid, Campus de Soria, coordinator of the GIRTRADUVINO research group and author of several publications such as Lengua de la especialidad y su terminología (Interlingua, Granada, 2010), El lenguaje de la vid y el vino y su traducción (University of Valladolid, 2006), 43 palabras de la vid y el vino (Gobierno de La Rioja, Logroño, 2010), La traducción vitivinícola, and Un caso particular de traducción especializada (Editorial Comares, Colección Interlingua, Granada 2017).

Ismael Navarro is an official tour guide of Castile and Leon, and has twenty years of experience in the creation and construction of cultural experiences. He carries out his work in Spanish, English and French, mainly in Soria, where he lives, but also in other areas of Castile and Leon and Aragon. His purpose is to help the participants have fun, learn to recognize the traces of the crusades in San Juan de Duero, enjoy the ghost stories of the poet Bécquer, learn about the love story of the poet Antonio Machado and Leonor, discover the Romanesque art of the province, and enjoy Soria, Castile and Aragon as much as he does.

Certificate

At the end of the experience, students will receive a certificate of attendance or participation that will specify the name of the program, the objectives, the contents and the hours of education and training.

Accommodation

Participants can stay at the Duques de Soria student dormitory, in a single room with bathroom and in a full-board basis (limited availability).

Participants can also stay at a hotel or hostel in the center of Soria. They are responsible for reservations, although may ask us for help.

Price

Individual price
Course Wine and poetry, art and language	350 euros (enrollment before May 31)
Course Wine and poetry, art and language	400 euros (enrollment after June 1)
Course Wine and poetry, art and language	Special price for groups
Accommodation at Duques de Soria student dormitory, in a single room in a full-board basis (6 days)	210 euros
Accommodation at a hotel/hostel	Contact us for price

Enrollment

To enroll in the program:

• Fill in the online form and submit it.
• For the program in June, we recommend paying the pre-booking before March 30 and the booking before May 31, as it is 50 euros cheaper.
• To apply for a program for a group, contact info@ciantoniomachado.com or call 0034 975 229911.

Terms and conditions of enrollment.