Intensive language courses in Italy. I visited 4 over the last 3 moths.
Ciao Ragazzi,
Always see people asking questions about different schools so here is my experience. I just spent three months in Italy and got to spend 6 weeks doing intensive language courses at schools whilst I travelled around that most people will be familiar with. They all have the pros and cons but I’ve written a few notes on my experience so it will help yours. For me all the schools are comparable and where I go the next time I come back will pretty much come down to the city and the experience I want. I highly recommend staying with host families as an affordable way of travelling, for $200 a week you get a comfortable room with friendly and city proud people who want to ensure you have a great time. Italians love showing off their cities and language to foreigners.
Madre Lingua Bologna:
My favourite school of the trip and favourite city.
The class was split up into two sessions, grammar then conversation with a short break at a café in-between which is a relaxed start to the conversation session. Class sizes were small, maybe 8-10 and it generally was an older demographic of students, in saying that it was one of the more actively outgoing schools for after schools activities. Students would often catch up after classes and there was a lot of return students who have developed good relationships with other students and teachers. The after school activities were the better ones I noticed available from schools on this trip, think trips to Modena for balsamic vinegar tastings and budget friendly tortellini cooking classes. After both classes they make one of the rooms available and leave a teacher in there for an hour n half so students can complete homework and have assistance with any questions, I tried to make the most of this as its effectively a free Tudor which no other school offers. They often have discounts around Christmas which just require you to put down a deposit.
I was placed with a host family and had a nice room for $200 a week.
Parola in Firenze:
Really enjoyed this school and would happily return if I could time it off-peak with tourism at the start or end of the year.
The class was split up into two sessions, grammar then conversation but they have affordable private lessons. If I was to go back, I would just partake in the grammar class each morning and then request a private session with the same teacher. I feel like this would benefit me more and I would try and make up the conversation through an online resource. Class sizes were comfortable around 12 people give or take and I thought they had good course content and moved through at a good pace. The after school activities were good and Gian Luca who runs the school really goes above and beyond trying to ensure you have an enjoyable stay. The only downside for me personally with this school has nothing to do with the school itself, Florence is crazy with tourists. Everywhere you turn are people waiting in line for something they saw on Tik Tok and want to repost, it makes it hard to quickly do anything like quickly grab a bite when pressed for time. The sheer density of tourists in Florence counteracts the immersion effect of studying in Italy, everyone in the street is speaking English and most venues will speak to you in English.
I was placed in a host house for $200 a week and she was lovely, she wouldn’t let me speak English and really helped with my Italian.
Scuola Leonardo Davinci Milano:
Very professional program, if I was going to be in Milano for a lengthy amount of time this would be a good school.
I was only here for a week and found the program very professional and they moved through it quickly. It’s the biggest school I attended and they even run morning and evening classes.
The start was a little frustrating, I arrived early Monday morning because they insist on doing a speaking test in addition to an online grammar test. I pushed for doing it over the phone in the lead up to try and streamline the process and I ended up waiting 2 hours to do my test which was just being asked in Italian where I’ve studied. I was then told to go to the wrong class and wasted a day.
There content and program they teach is very clear and its obvious they are designed for getting students through their CILS. It was a very young demographic of students compared to any of the other schools I’d visited. The week I was there none of the activities appealed to me, they were mostly eating out in groups.
Found my own accommodation while I was here because apparently I booked too late.
Scuola Leonardo Davinci Roma:
Good school with a good mix of students. Would happily study here again if I found myself staying in Roma.
The content was like the Milano school but slightly different, completely different set of books we worked off. This was the first school I attended where they really focused on repetition and not rushing through a number of things in a week instead thoroughly teaching a few things. It suited my learning style and I felt confident in what I’d learnt by the end of the week. The activities midweek were mostly eating out based in groups, perhaps its harder in the larger cities to organise activities cost efficiently that aren’t just meeting up for food/drinks.
I stayed with a host family here that was $300 for 6 nights not the usual 7.