French Immersion Homestay At Teacher’s In La Livinière, Occitanie

This was my first home stay Immersion experience. I chose La Liviniere as it seemed to offer an authentic experience, in an area not inundated with tourists. My week with Pierre mid-November exceeded those expectations. I was a bit nervous about how the week would go, but easily fell into a routine, and the week flew by quickly. First up was breakfast, then a French lesson from 0930-1230. The structured class part was actually very flexible and tailored to my needs. Pierre encouraged me to expand my vocabulary and to use tenses that I often avoid, and he reviewed expressions that are very common among native speakers. A home-cooked lunch followed, then an afternoon excursion. One afternoon was a hike around the village and vineyards, another was a drive to Minerve and walk around the village and the gorge, and the next was a drive to Lastours. A big storm prevented any outdoor activities one day, but we continued learning with Scrabble and other games. The week offered extensive opportunities to listen, learn and speak French. I hope to retain all the info, but know I would benefit from a repeat stay, as the area and Pierre have much to offer; a week was barely enough to scratch the surface!As far as logistics go, I did not have a car, but really didn’t need one as Pierre picked me up and dropped me off, and did the driving on the excursions. There is a bike available, but at the time of year I visited there was no daylight left to use it. There is currently one restaurant in village, as well as a small grocery store for dinner. 

My husband and I enjoyed a two week immersion stay in Southern France with Pierre. My husband was hesitant to visit France. He was definitely doing this trip for me.  By the end of the trip he was very happy that we had done this trip and would definitely be open to returning in the future. We went in October and the weather was perfect. 
I found the lessons challenging but have my notes and a good understanding of what I need to work on to continue to improve my French. 
Pierre provided us with some wonderful meals and we made use of the kitchen to fix  our evening meals when we didn’t go out. There are also good restaurant options nearby.
The outings that Pierre took us on were the highlight of our stay. Exploring the nearby towns and hearing the history was great. I enjoyed the castle especially at Carcassonne and my husband especially enjoyed the tour of an olive mill. We visited places that we probably would have missed if we had visited on our own. 
I highly recommend an immersion stay with Pierre.

If you’re looking for a teacher to guide your French studies through an immersion experience, Pierre is that guide. He can bolster your French studies whether you’re a beginner or have years of study already, preparing you for both professional or academic needs, as well as day-to-day life in France.” 

I spent a week with Pierre after a week exploring other southern French cities – Bordeaux,
Toulouse, and Carcassonne. The countryside is my place and really appreciated the very
peaceful village of La Liviniere. So interesting to live in a medieval 14th century village,
surrounded by vineyards and paths the Ancient Romans walked. Accommodations felt very
comfortable in chez Pierre. Pierre is a great cook and yes, his galettes were delicious. He is
incredibly knowledgeable of the history and the vegetation of the Occitanie. He has inspired me
to learn more. I appreciated his patience with my very basic French and the immersion at
Pierre’s was a great experience!

The best week, with the best teacher, in the best place to immerse oneself in the French language. Pierre offers a warm welcome in his lovely traditional house. One feels instantly at home, especially with his excellent cuisine and delicious local wine. He is attentive and patient, able to gently correct one’s mistakes without ever making you feel embarrassed. I can’t recommend him highly enough. La Livinière, surrounded by vineyards, is breathtakingly beautiful, with many excellent walks nearby. Further afield, Minerve and the Minervois are a delight to explore with Pierre, whose knowledge of the region’s history, culture, geography and natural habitats is exceptional. If it weren’t for three-hour intensive French immersion classes each morning, I’d have thought I was on holiday! 

This September I spent a wonderful week with Pierre in his house in the peaceful mediaevil village of La Liviniere, surrounded by vineyards and beautiful countryside.   Pierre was very hospitable and a good cook.He was also a good guide to the local region.  We visited the pretty village of Minerve and learnt about the sad history of the Cathars there.  On another day we went towards Narbonne to the wetlands of the Etang de Bages with its flamingoes and to the unspoilt village of Bages.  There was also a visit to one of the nearby vineyards to taste their wines and another to an olive oil co-operative to see their production process.  There are many footpaths around the village which we walked together.  Pierre was very generous with his time and knowledgable about local history and flora.  Of course, there was a French lesson every morning.  It was an excellent way to find out more about this part of the Midi and to learn a little more French. 

We decided to arrange a one-week study program with Pierre to help our son improve his French. My husband and I took our 16-year-old son and stayed at Pierre’s lovely home in a small, peaceful town in France.

Pierre introduced us to the natural beauty of the area and offered us a truly enriching experience. Keeping up with his pace wasn’t always easy, but it was absolutely worth it. He is an excellent cook, incredibly patient, kind, and attentive. Our son really enjoyed studying with him and found the lessons both fun and helpful.

We sincerely thank Pierre for his warm hospitality and support throughout our stay. Thank you for your hospitality and expertise

My week with Pierre was wonderful – filled with learning and adventure. French immersion is such a great way to deepen one’s knowledge of language and culture and staying with a teacher who is as knowledgeable and welcoming as Pierre made for an enriching experience. He encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and to reach for a higher and more complex level of French. I was able to broaden my conversational abilities to incorporate words and expressions that are used by native speakers instead of sticking to the stock phrases that were comfortable and familiar.

Because of Pierre’s extensive knowledge of the region, I was able to visit and see places and things which I would not have discovered on my own. Every place we went was breathtaking in its own way. The region around La Liviniere is spectacular and varied and Pierre’s enthusiasm is catching. I would love to return!

I happened to see a link on another website about French Immersion and since I knew the other site I felt comfortable contacting Pierre. Since I was a French major eons ago, this sounded like something I needed. So I persuaded a friend to tag along and we set sail for France! I have always loved the French language and the country.
It turned out to be an amazing week of waking up the French corner of my brain, and experiencing France with a native in his quaint medieval village of 500 people and 1 restaurant. We learned how the French really talk and that a lot of things that are taught in school are not really used at all. We visited some amazing sites and got free history lessons from Pierre as well as botany lessons during our walks around the countryside. He is well versed in so many things as well as an accomplished chef. He was able to work with my friend and I equally, even though there is a vast difference in our levels of French.
I would highly recommend spending a week or two with Pierre in his medieval village and just relax and step back in time. It will not disappoint! I am already trying to figure out how to go back before I lose the progress I made. Merci Pierre pour une semaine parfaite!

It was such a treat to study French at Pierre’s. I felt like a teenager again, without a care in the world, away on a language adventure. I was able to disconnect fully from my daily responsibilities to focus entirely on learning. Pierre’s explanations and deep dives into the French language are methodical, patient, clear and complete. His attention is always focused on his students’ learning, as evidenced by his corrections and artful ways of threading the morning’s lessons into the afternoon’s conversations. The best bonus is that Pierre is a great cook and you will sleep deeply under the peaceful silence of La Livinière’s small-town nights.

My decision to study in France was a last minute one, and I was very grateful that Pierre
was able to fit me into his busy schedule. I had read the many positive reviews and was
intrigued by the descriptions of medieval villages, hikes to castles and through
vineyards and lavender fields. As a retired teacher of ESOL (English for speakers of
other languages), I was also impressed by comments about his teaching style and
knowledge of history.
The experience totally lived up to my high expectations. We fit so much into a week,
both in instruction and in immersion to this amazing place. We went to the Cathar
village Minerve, and to the fishing village Bages. We hiked trails to a millstone quarry,
to a marble quarry, and to Les Châteaux de Lastours.
Tuning in to my interest in birds, Pierre previewed names of birds with me enroute to our
destination to salt marshes. I filled pages of notes on history and language and took
countless pictures of historic sites and wildflowers.
Pierre is a gifted teacher and helped me to have a much more comprehensive
understanding of the language. After a detailed explanation, he’d often say “c’est
logique.”
Ah, this makes sense! I had many aha moments.
Grammar comes more easily to me than everyday language does, so I’m very happy to
have come across the French Today website. Pierre gave me a great start on improving
my oral language, with challenges to use newly learned filler words in daily experiences.
En fin, there’s still much left to see and do. I highly recommend the experience to
others, and hope to return someday myself.

Pierre is a kind, calm, gentle, attentive teacher. I like the way he explains things, better than any book or the other teachers I’ve had over many decades. He speaks English fluently and so is able to make clear why things are different (or the same) in French vs English. He meets you at your French level though he is happy to have people at 2 different levels, which he says can work very successfully. His ever-present sense of humor was the icing on the cake.

Here’s more info about his program: You choose your timeframe, generally one or two weeks. You (and anyone you bring) will be the only student/s. Pierre provides breakfast and a cooked lunch every weekday. You have an informal lesson in his house each morning for 3 hours followed by an afternoon outing.

Pierre is a superb tour guide, eager to share his passion for the French culture, history, geology, and nature that surrounded us. We saw pink flamingos, hilltop Cathar castle ruins, a magnificent 12th century Cistercian abbey at the base of the Pyrenees, a charming coastal village that we would never have found in the guidebooks. He took us on hikes past organic vineyards striped with white or yellow swaths of wildflowers and surrounded by ancient stone walls.

I loved the feeling of being taken care of by Pierre – no worries or planning required by us. We knew that, each day, he would mix language learning with exploring a beautiful region as our very capable teacher, chef, chauffeur, and tour guide. A truly exceptional experience. 

La Livinière is a wine lover’s paradise! That was an unexpected but very pleasant bonus to the main reason I ended up there—learning French.

I chose Pierre for my French immersion course because he dedicates a lot of time to his students, and I was not disappointed. Exploring the region with Pierre turned every day into a continuous lesson—starting with grammar in the morning and then putting it into practice while hiking or visiting local sites.

Here, you won’t just find typical lessons. You’ll have a companion and guide who takes you to charming little villages—all while speaking French. This means you’ll be fully immersed in the language, hearing and speaking it constantly, with someone who gently corrects you along the way. That’s an invaluable opportunity!

La Livinière itself quickly became one of my favorite places. I love these old villages, untouched by time. Another reason I chose Pierre and La Livinière was my desire to experience authentic French country life without the distractions of a big city.

What I didn’t expect was just how much wine and how many vineyards I would find! You could knock on every second or third door and likely meet a winemaker—many from all over the world. One of my favorites, for example, is from Norway!

In this small village, you’ll find the whole world—along with an amazing teacher who tailors the course to you personally.

Pierre was a wonderful host and his village is charming, in the heart of Minervois wine country. It was a pleasure to go on excursions to some extraordinary places – not least as I find the Cathar history fascinating, and some of the castles nearby are truly unique. We played tennis and I was able to go on very pleasant jogs in the countryside. The village benefits from an excellent, and inexpensive restaurant as well as a grocery store if you want to cook at home in the evening. Pierre’s own cooking was delicious – simple, healthy and excellent. Pierre was very responsive to my needs: I had passed a C1 exam several years ago but have some engrained errors. It was incredibly helpful to identify them with Pierre who helped me knock them out. He was also very helpful in giving me some ways of speaking more naturally. It was priceless (so it’s helpful his prices seem to be among the best value you can get!) to be able to sit down for a few hours every morning and tackle elements of grammar and colloquial usage that I’d never got my head around and then practice while walking in the afternoon. The sleeping quarters are spacious but very simple. The WiFi allowed me to work easily. Thanks Pierre!

My partner and I met up with Pierre and his daughter at the
gare de Carcassonne for a fortnight of immersion. Pierre and
I last met in October of 2019, so we were renewing our
contact.  My goal was to enjoy a full immersion, to discover
more about the Languedoc region and the village of La
Livinière, to improve my conversational skills and confidence,
and to develop my knowledge and use of correct French
grammar. Pretty big goals!
Pierre is a very experienced language teacher with a
background in etymology of languages and history. Each
morning, we met upstairs for French lessons where Pierre
made written notes, gave me extended examples, some
French everyday expressions, and explained more complex
points of grammar. I had access to some excellent textbooks
on Pierre’s bookshelf, in case I wanted extra practice.
The fortnight was a complete immersion in Pierre’s day-to-
day life. We shared breakfasts, lunches and some evening
meals (complete with apéros) with Pierre and family, where
we three chatted in both English and French about word
origins, European history, as well as daily life and habits of
the southern French people. We had two guided tours with
Chris, a local naturalist who farms lavender and olives, and
has worked with le maire to created signposted trails around
La Livinière. We interacted with Pierre’s petite fille, who is
très mignon – this enabled us to have an insight into true
family life!

During our free afternoons, we shopped at the village
épicerie, chatted with a few locals, visited the next-door
village of Siran and followed marked trails through the olive
groves and vineyards. On our excursions with Pierre, we
uncovered just some of the natural and historical riches of
Languedoc. We explored the hilltop medieval town of
Minerve, hiked between the Cathar châteaux de Lastours,
descended into the amazing natural gouffre géant de
Cabrespine, and experienced an olive oil dégustation with
Naz at the local co-operative. Before an exploration of the
amazing salt marshes around Peyriac-de-Mer, we had lunch
in the eel-fishing village of Bages. We watched the sun
setting from the hilltop quarry at Saint-Julien-des-Meulières
which was once the source of all the meulières for southern
France. A visit to beautiful Narbonne was a great way to end
a full-on fortnight.
We loved the region of Languedoc, enjoyed the little village
of La Livinière and can recommend the wine of Minervois.
Our thanks to you, Pierre, for a fortnight of complete
immersion in all aspects of southern French life !