Koine Italian Language schools

[Gala Placidia]

Carmel, a few years ago I was a director of marketing for an English school for overseas students, and I taught languages for many years, so I think that I can confidently advise you to opt for the accommodation with an Italian family as this will help you with your immersion in the language. Don't go private or shared accommodation as you will loose that advantage of being forced to speak Italian outside the school hours.

[Lisa C.]

Hi Carmel,

I don't know how much time you have to spend taking a course, but my husband attend the school for foreigners that was offered in Perugia prior to his attending the U. of Pisa. I believe there is one in Firenze as well. It was for 3 months and was very intensive immersion. He was in class from 8 - 5 daily. I believe the first half of the day was spent speaking only in Italian, and the second part was learning grammar. He speaks Italian fluently and when we lived in Italy, most people did not know that we was not Italian. I think the school is University run but I can find out more if you are interested. He found his own accomodations with an Italian family who let rooms out.

[carmel]

Thanks Lisa
I would be interested. It sounds more intensive than most.

[Lisa C.]

Hi Carmel,

I googled them and found this information in addition to their website:

Università per Stranieri di Perugia

Courses on offer
The Italian Language and culture courses, open to foreign citizens and Italians living abroad, as in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), are divided into 3 stages: Beginner's, Intermediate and Advanced course, each of which has two levels.

The basic courses are as follows:

1st level Beginner's Course - 1 or 2 months - CEFR level A1 - CELI complete beginners
2nd level Beginner's Course - 3 months - CEFR level A2 - CELI 1
1st level Intermediate Course - 3 months - CEFR level B1 - CELI 2
2nd level Intermediate Course - 3 months - CEFR level B2 - CELI 3
1st level Advanced Course - 3 months - CEFR level C1 - CELI 4
2nd level Advanced Course - 6 months - CEFR level C2 - CELI 5

Here is the contact information and a description:
Università per Stranieri di Perugia - Piazza Fortebraccio 4, 06123 Perugia - Centralino +39 075 5746 1

About.com: http://www.unistrapg.it/

Learning the Italian Language and Culture in a Sumptuous Setting
The big, beautiful palazzo opposite a 2,000-year old Etruscan arch embedded in Perugia's ancient walls houses a unique institution with a very specific mission. In a setting that spans the millennia, 18th-century Palazzo Gallenga Stuart is headquarters of the Università per Stranieri di Perugia, a linguistic crucible where a multiplicity of languages is melded into one. This is the world's oldest and most prestigious center of Italian language education, a center not only for learning Italian but also for learning how to teach it as a foreign language.

Diverse Student Body
At any time of year, the University's grandly frescoed halls and state-of-the-art language labs are a crossroads for students from all over the world. The school's multicultural student body brings cosmopolitan verve to Perugia, a hilltop city with a commendably preserved medieval heritage and an easygoing provincial lifestyle. At present, though the approximately 5,000 members of the student body are mainly German, Greek, American, and Korean, class rolls include learners from Australia, Japan, Brazil, and some African countries. Enrollment from China has doubled in the past few years, and there has been a marked increase in students from Eastern European countries. By far the most numerous group of students is from the Europe Union, representing almost 40 percent of total enrollment in 1997.

What brings them all together is a lively, well-conceived program of study of the Italian language that also offers insight into Italy's cultural riches. And students don't have to go far from their classrooms to find a wealth of historic and artistic treasure. Hilltop Perugia has a hauntingly evocative medieval core, sharply sloping streets and a main pedestrian-only thoroughfare called Corso Vannucci, studded with old-world cafés and some of the most austerely impressive medieval public buildings in Italy. Nearby hill towns, among them Assisi, Gubbio, and Spoleto, and boast similar enticements. Rome and Florence are only about two hours away by train.

If you have any specific questions for my husband please let me know. I don't know how much the program may differ from when he took it which was about 33 years ago, but his Italian is great. Good luck!

[carmel]

Thanks again Lisa
I'll have a look at their website. I can't spare more than 6 weeks so may consider it this summer if possible. I agree with Gala, that staying with a family should optimise opportunities to practise what one has learnt.

[Lisa C.]

You're welcome Carmel. Yes, I agree too, that living with a family is the way to go. Let me know if there is anything else you'd like me to ask my husband about his experience at the language school.

Lisa