Istituto Italiano

The Istituto Italiano is the ideal reference point for those who want to start or continue studying the Italian language and culture.The Institute, which is open all year, is well known for its competent, enthusiastic and highly qualified teaching staff, for its modern, multimedia teaching materials, for the wide range of courses offered, for its efficient organization, for the friendly atmosphere and for the many extracurricular activities that are available on a daily basis and free of charge. It is precisely these cultural, social and recreational activities that bring the students into close contact with Italian life. The school, a place to study, becomes the place to live the Italian experience, and thus the ideal setting for achieving excellent linguistic results.

The Institute is located in a magnificent XVII century building, the elegant Palazzo Testa, in one of the most beautiful streets of the heart of the city, Via Martelli. The Institute offers the students a wonderful and absolutely unique environment, with spacious, well-lit and comfortable classrooms, a well stocked library, a video-stereo equipped auditorium with a giant movie screen and an efficient secretarial office, always willing to help. The windows of the Institute offer an amazing close-up view of the Cathedral and the majestic Palazzo Medici-Riccardi.

Classes range from a maximum of 10 to 12 students, with an average of 6 or 7. The small classes mean that each student receives individual attention and achieves excellent results.The groups are formed on the basis of the students' actual knowledge of Italian, and therefore are perfectly homogeneous. The management always tries to keep the classes diversified by nationality; this creates more stimuli and encourages the students to use Italian as their "official" language.

The Institute's teaching method is based on the directives of the Modern Languages Project of the Council of Europe. Every class has two teachers, each of whom has a specific teaching role. This allows the students to hear and become accustomed to different voice inflections. The teachers use various methods that enable the students to learn all the nuances of the language without the stilted phrases that are so far from the modern, spoken language. The Institute's teaching methods call for the use of text books supplemented by other materials: leaflets, carefully selected audio-visual aids and a wide range of "original" texts. This material, the fruit of years of experience acquired by the teachers and the educational director, is continuously enriched and updated.

Upon request, any student can have one or more private lessons, free of charge, with a faculty member. These lessons are held in the afternoons and serve to clarify or delve deeper into subjects dealt with in the classroom. This special option allows students to keep up with the group lessons without any doubts or uncertainties.