Where To Study: Roma or Firenze
Friday May 2, 2008
A community member in the About.com Italian Language Forums ponders: "I have the opportunity to visit Italy this summer for the sole purpose of studying Italian. Can anyone recommend a language school in Rome or Florence for a two-week session?"
If you're recently studied Italian in Italy, what school would you suggest, and why?
If you're recently studied Italian in Italy, what school would you suggest, and why?
Comments
I am currently studying Italian(about 5 weeks now) in Florence and I believe it is a great place to learn the language. I attend Eurocentre and live with a family here and have learned so much already. Purely for the purpose of learning the language, I would recommend Florence because their Italian is said to be the purest in Italy. I also found the people in Florence to be much more helpful when you are trying to speak Italian with them. In Rome, they are less patient with you. Florence is also much smaller than Rome and this makes it a much nicer place to live. Rome is larger, and has a higher crime rate , as well as congestion and pollution. I would check out Eurocentre because they have many wonderful english speaking teachers and are not limited to college students.
Hi All,
I just returned to New York after a trip to Europe. I took 3 months off work and decided to spend a month in England and the other 2 travelling around Italy and taking an Italian course. A friend of mine recommended to me that I should take a look at staying a while in the Amalfi Coast and so I took her advise and looked also for a school there. With my great surprised they organized everything for me included the accomodation, I took a 2 weeks intensive course and hade fun while learning. Furthermore the area is absolutly breathtaking, so many things to see and do during your free time Positano, Capri, Pompei.
The school name is Sorrento Lingue take a look at the website for an idea for what they offer.
I am in my early sixties and I am also looking to learn Italian in Italy. I would like to find a place with people of mixed ages or at least some older people because I don’t want to be 40 years older than everybody else around me. Any ideas? Thanks.
I have studied at the British Institute in Florence on two occasions - the last time was 4 weeks ago. It was an incredible school, and I made a lot of new friends in the very short time period (only 5 days, so quite unbelievable). You learn a lot of grammar points as well as interesting vocab and a lot about the culture, as well as there being cultural trips (such as to the Uffizzi Gallery, or leather factory, or watching a film). Seriosly recommend it.
I attended Scuola Tuscana in Florence back in 2006, and found the location (near Piazza Santa Croce), the instructors and the school personnel to be wonderful. We had students from all over the world: Japan, Switzerland, Germany, U.S., in our class, and I was amazed at how much information we covered. Highly recommend!
Hello! I studied last fall at Scuola Leonardo di Vinci in Florence. Can’t say enough about it. Everything was handled so professionally and skillfully from arranging my program (two weeks)to setting up accommodation (I asked that my host be either a single Italian woman or couple within walking distance of the school and got exactly what I wanted!) to the program and teachers–all excellent and I would highly recommend and would love to return. I have not yet been to Rome, but it sounds from other comments that Florence is a better bet for its size, pace, friendliness, etc.
Last summer, I took a one week intensive course at Dante Aligheri Scuola di Lingua in Siena. Perfecto! Students of all ages, genders, nationalities. An oral and written test placed us in our very small classes. Teachers, staff excellent and helpful. Extracurriculars availabe, also the ID card allowing admittance into many of the must sees in Siena.
The school will place you in an apt, solo, or with other students. I opted for placement with a family. Apply early to stay in an apt or with a family in the centre historico.
I spent a month in Florence attending KOINE a few years back and loved it. Small classes of mixed ages and nationalities. There were structured lessons in the morning and the option to take supervised study sessions in the afternoons. Great teachers too. Florence is a lovely city, very walkable and livable. Try to avoid peak tourist season (summer). Do it. It’s a great way to both vacation and study.