Specific Italian language courses

This course aims to improve students’ communication skills by means of close analysis of international affairs and management-related topics. It also intends to make the student familiar with the commonest situations inside an Italian company, as well as specific texts of business Italian:

– agenda setting, writing letters, faxes and e-mails;
– problem solving and negotiations (agreeing and disagreeing), presentation of an outlined project;
– differences among small, medium and large size companies;
– reading comprehensions of contracts, economic analysis, circulars issued by banks and insurance companies;
– use of articles taken from specialized newspapers and magazines, such as Il Sole 24 ore.

Those who wish to attend this course are requested to have at least a sound knowledge of Italian, that is a B1 level according to the European Language Portfolio. In addition, the students are also offered the opportunity to take the officially recognised tests CIC I and CIC A.

This course provides students with essential skills which enable them to understand and write texts and letters in relation to tourism-related topics, and to enhance their communication skills.

It covers a range of work areas (hotels, restaurants, travel agencies) and focuses on the employees dealing with customers in a variety of typical situations:

– professional communication skills (dialogues, hotel and travel reservations, writing letters, faxes and e-mails);
– various types of tourism, means of transportations in Italy, economical and touristic geography of the country, accommodation and restaurants, new trends and classic tours;
– writing extended prose to meet a specified purpose, e.g. the composition of a promotional letter, brochure, report, memo, exploratory letter, press article, etc.

Those who wish to attend this course are requested to have at least a sound knowledge of Italian, that is a B1 level according to the European Language Portfolio.

This course approaches the techniques of translation by examining a large collection of texts and by focusing on the translation of idiomatic expressions, as well as of literary excerpts, business articles and short scientific essays. Reference books: Cento Passi da tradurre a cura di Edwige Schulte, Liguori Editore; Translation revisited, a cura di Nicholas Brownlees e John Denton, edizioni Cremonese.

This course normally consists of three parts: the first part is devoted to specific terminology, the second part to Italian fashion and the last part to a discussion on the binary concepts of fashion and society. Lessons may deal with the following main topics:

– brief history of Italian fashion;
– clothing and accessories, colours and textiles, at the tailor’s shop;
– Italian brand names and fashion designers;
– reading comprehensions from fashion magazines and blogs;
– the presentation of a model, strategies of marketing;
– visit to the Gallery of Costume in Florence and to the Textile Museum in Prato.

Those who wish to attend this course are requested to have at least a sound knowledge of Italian, that is a B1 level according to the European Language Portfolio.

This course addresses to those who are eager to approach the study of gastronomic sciences. It is ideal for those who wish to become familiar with Italian food and beverages as well as improve cooking terminology with ease and accuracy, both orally and in writing.

– Brief History of various regional cuisine traditions from the Romans to nowadays;
– comprehending and writing the main recipes, Italian cooking and drinking habits;
– economic and gastronomic geography of the country;
– different places to eat and drink;
– understanding articles taken from cooking magazines or websites such as slowfood.com, videos of recipes from our blog.

Those who wish to attend this course are requested to have at least a sound knowledge of Italian, that is a B1 level.

Preparatory courses to the admission language and culture exams for the most important Italian universities and academies.

This course has been conceived for those teachers of Italian as a foreign language who wish to improve their quality of teaching, acquire updated information on Italy and its culture, as well as learn and experiment new teaching methods for their future language classes. Please visit this page for the detailed programme (in Italian).

Preparation to official exams testing the student’s knowledge of the Italian language, i.e. CILS or CELI exams.

Specific courses

SP/1 1 hour of one-to-one tuition €40
SP/10 10 hours of one-to-one tuition €380
SP/20 20 hours of one-to-one tuition €750
Enrolment fee €45

Course material
Hot beverages and snacks
A certificate at the end of the course

Reception formalities are completed at the school on first day when students meet the Assistant Director. They are then introduced to their morning class teacher and receive a personal folder containing a detailed course programme plus other useful general information.

At the end of the Course every student is awarded a certificate of attendance with a detailed report on their work during the course and level of attainment (according to the European Language Portfolio). In addition advice is given on what, in our opinion, is the next stage necessary to further improve their level of Italian.