The latest Course, January to March 2008, was the forty-fourth. Among the 44 students there were six students whose mother or father had been on the Course. In 2007 there were eight, in 2006, five and in 2005 nine, and many, many more whose siblings are alumni. Over two thousand students have now attended the Course making a massive network, a large band of brothers and sisters aged from 19 to 61 who have in common the Venice Experience.

The Course has evolved over the years- the length, content and cost. About 85% come through word-of-mouth recommendation. We usually have from forty to fifty students each year, including a regular minority from the United States and from other countries, Sweden, Holland, France, Germany, Belgium, Russia, Argentina, China, India, Canada, Australia, New Zealand - adding a welcome international element.

In 2002 I published GONDOLAS AND GRAPES - Enterprises in Italy (Sibilline Press). It is about the founding of the Pre-University Course and our life in Central Italy. It is stocked by Heywood Hill, 10 Curzon Street, London W1Y 7FJ telephone 0207 629 0647 and John Sandoe Books, Blacklands Terrace, London SW3 telephone 0207 589 9473.

Since 1995, at the end of each Course, students have produced an entertaining newsletter for the benefit of future students- a students'-eye view of what the course is like. For further information, please see Student Voice.

In recent years we have organized various EVENTS - RE-UNIONS, GALA DINNERS, WINE TASTINGS, AUTUMN VENICE-LONDON LECTURES, ITALIAN JOURNEYS. Apart from these, there have been many re-unions in Venice, arranged by dynamic former students.

Please click here for Forthcoming Events.

A Register of past students has been compiled and is on the website. We will be adding a complete record of the programme of each Pre-University Course, from 1965 to 2006.

John Hall