Scuola Leonardo da Vinci® in Italy was founded in Florence in 1977 as an Institute of Italian Language and Culture. Since its beginning, combining language with culture was the school’s central concept and trademark. For this, teaching the Italian language at Scuola Leonardo da Vinci is heavily supported by cultural aspects including: courses (art history, Italian food, Italian cinema) and crafts (weaving, pottery, leather work, jewelry).
Scuola Leonardo da Vinci, in 1984, also contributed to the founding of the Accademia Italiana di Lingua (AIL), the professional association of schools, institutions and experts in the field of teaching Italian as a foreign language. The AIL created the first diploma of modern Italian which effectively tests the language abilities of the candidates; according to the guidelines of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Over 14,000 candidates from Italian offices and those abroad have participated in the AIL exams.
Today Scuola Leonardo da Vinci looks toward the future and specializes in offering courses specifically designed to target age, profession and availability. At the same time the school still brings forward its initial idea that there is no language without culture and by that it has reinforced its research of new methodologies for training teachers of second and foreign language.
Why choose Leonardo da Vinci schools
- Founded in 1977, we have years of experience and specialise in teaching Italian in Italy
- All the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci schools are located in the city center
- Professional and young teachers all of whom have studied at the University level and who have been specially trained in teaching Italian to foreigners
- Our Italian Schools in Florence, Rome, Siena and Milan have obtained the International quality assurance Certificate ISO 9001:2008, as a quality school of Italian language for foreigners, and have regular inspections to ensure that high standards are maintained.
- Members of ASILS (Associaton of language schools of Italian as a second foreign language)
- Italian at every level, all year round
- Small study groups
- Courses start every week for non beginners, see Italian language courses starting dates
- After 1, 3, 4or 6 months the AIL-exam “Firenze” (Accademia Italiana di Lingua) DELI A2 / DILI B1 / DILC B1 / DILI B2 / DALI C1 / DALC C1 / DALI C2 can be taken
- A whole range of activities offered for students to gain insight into the Italian culture
- Variety of students from over 50 countries study at the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci schools
- Friendly and helpful staff that give personal attention to each student
- Equipped for handicapped students.
- Read the opinions of students who have studied in our schools. If you are an absolute beginner, read our suggestions in the section: Italian language for beginners!
Italian language school in Florence
The Leonardo da Vinci school is located in an historical palazzo, situated in the heart of the city of Florence, with a magnificent view of the Cathedral. From here you can reach the most beautiful and famous places in the city in only few minutes walk.
Our school in Florence occupies an entire building of 3 floors and with 15 spacious and light classrooms. The first floor is dedicated to recreational activities, where you can read the paper, have a coffee with your friends and do your homework. On the first floor there are the classrooms, the secretary and the multimedia classroom with free internet service.
The intensive Italian language course is our standard course, and consists of 4 Italian lessons a day, totaling 20 lessons a week.
The lessons are held from Monday to Friday in groups of no more than 14 students, led by qualified teachers, who are passionate about their work.
The lessons begin every Monday for students that already have some knowledge of the Italian language, and every two weeks for absolute beginners.
Our lessons are principally based on spoken communication, but also deal with the more formal aspects of the language (lexis/vocabulary and grammar). Lots of time is dedicated to activities that encourage dialogue and discussion about various topics, from art and literature, to modern city culture.
Textbooks are provided by the school and are included in the price of the course. The teachers use not only these textbooks, but also other support materials (newspaper articles, songs, films and other authentic material from everyday life) to give students the opportunity to engage with different forms of contemporary communication and to improve their communication abilities.
You can attend a course, even for only one week, in all of the Leonardo da Vinci school locations. You can choose between the following options:
- 1 week intensive course: 4 lessons a day, 20 per week.
- 1 week extra intensive course:: 6 lessons a day, 30 per week.
- 1 week extra intensive course, plus 5 or 10 extra lessons:4 group lessons a day, plus 1 or 2 individual lessons a day, 25 or 30 per week.
Our expertise and fantastic quality of teaching, all in the space of one week.
Recommended for those students who do not have a lot of time available, who want to refresh their knowledge of Italian or, lay foundations for learning the language in the future.
The one week courses are organized in the same way as our medium and long-length courses, with lessons that start every Monday for students that already have some knowledge of the Italian language, and every two weeks for those that are absolute beginners.
Classes with a maximum number of 14 students allow you to fully take advantage of your stay in Italy and your free time, thanks to all of the activities organized by the Leonardo da Vinci staff, which range from guided visits, to evenings spent together, enjoying life and each other's company.
The Leonardo da Vinci school offers Italian courses split into 6 ability levels, from beginner (A1) to advanced (C2), according to an assessment system validated by the European Council. Communication is our method of teaching - from the first day you speak Italian!
The super-intensive Italian course is our intensive course of 4 Italian lessons a day, together with 2 extra group lessons a day, giving a total of 30 Italian lessons a week.
The lessons are held Monday to Friday in groups made up of no more than 14 students. The lessons are led by different teachers, who deal with both the formal and more communicative aspects of the language.
The lessons start each Monday for students that already have some knowledge of the Italian language and each two weeks for students that are absolute beginners.
The super-intensive Italian course, due to its 2 extra hours of lessons, helps to quickly develop the practical, communication abilities of the students, dedicating special attention to the communicative aspects of the language.
If your aim is:
to speak in a more fluent and precise way, to widen your vocabulary, to feel more confident in your communication with others and to improve your understanding skills, and to achieve all of this in a short time, this is the ideal course for you.
Classes are composed of people from all over the world and from different age groups ().
For students that want to learn quickly and intensively, benefitting from the intimate environment of a small group - the intensive language course in small groups is tailored to meet your individual needs.
As part of a group of only 5 people, you attend 6 daily Italian lessons.
The intensive course in small groups is held only in Florence and Rome.
Learning a foreign language well means not just attending any course, but choosing which course is right for you, your own needs and your own personality.
In a more intimate environment, where there is the confidence and friendly atmosphere created by a small group, it is often easier to get involved in the various communicative activities. These aspects often become key, allowing you to achieve significant improvements.
Working in a small group allows the teacher to dedicate more time to the individual needs of each student, solving their doubts, filling in their grammatical gaps and following their daily progress.
The intensive Italian language course in small groups consists of 6 Italian classes a day, with a total of 30 lessons per week.
The lessons start each Monday for students that have some knowledge of the Italian language and every two weeks for absolute beginners.
Our courses are designed to respond more to general needs and problems, than to specific issues and have diverse learning objectives.The courses are subdivided into 6 ability levels, from beginner (A1) to advanced (C2), according to an assessment system validated by the European Council.
The plus 5 or plus 10 courses allow the student to learn in two different ways: on one hand there's studying in group, where you can benefit from the communicative dynamics, and learning together with others, in a group of a maximum of 14 students. On the other hand, you can also follow a personalized and intensive study program taking advantage of the expertise and attention offered by a private lesson.
For those who have a high level of knowledge of the Italian language, private lessons are ideal to learn in depth about the culture of Italy, its history and the lifestyles of the Italian people.
If, on the other hand, you are preparing to do an Italian language certificate exam, a university test, or an important work interview; with the reinforcement and in-depth learning offered by private lessons, you will certainly succeed and reach your goals.
Our staff are always available to help to organize extracurricular activities during your stay: guided museum visits, monument and church visits, tastings, lessons on various Italian topics (e.g. cinema, literature, opera, or food) and visits around the city.
The Leonardo da Vinci school has locations in 4 marvelous cities - Milan, Rome, Florence and Siena. Each location offers Italian language courses with the same dates, the same prices and which follow similar programs. So, why not take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity?
The 'Tour of Italy' course is a study programme that can be done in 2, 3 or 4 weeks. You learn the Italian language and fully experience Italian culture, staying in all or some of the 4 available cities, as chosen by the student.
The Italian language course is our Intensive course and consists of 4 Italian lessons a day, with a total of 20 lessons a week. Find out more about the details of our intensive Italian course, the location of the course is chosen by the student.
The minimum stay in each city is one week.
The part-time Italian course consists of two weekly sessions of one and a half hours and is directed both towards students that want to study Italian for the first time and those that want to improve their knowledge of the language.
The course is available in 3 different levels; beginner, intermediate, and advanced and lasts a minimum of 8 weeks, which can be extended.
Lessons are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 18.30 to 20.00 in our school in Milan and from 18:00 to 19:30 in our schools in Florence and Rome, in classes of no more than 14 students. The course must be attended by a minimum of 4 students.
Would you like to study Italian with us from the comfort of your own home, spend time in a good company and live an unique italian cultural experience?
Our Italian online courses are designed to adapt to your needs. Have your Italian experience delivered at your own home .
The Leonardo da Vinci School offers online Italian courses meeting all your needs and providing maximum time flexibility. Lessons are held in different bands, both in the morning and in the afternoon (GMT + 2).
The lessons are taught on a professional and free platform.
The lessons are in Italian right from the start: our teaching focuses on communication, allowing you to learn Italian in a natural way, through a study programme that combines development of communication skills with in-depth study of the morphosynthatic structures of the language.
At the end of the course, each student will be required to complete a final thesis, on a topic linked to Italian culture (art, history, Italian business.)
Gap Year: detailed programme
1- Linguistic component
480 lessons of the intensive Italian language course (4 lessons a day, 20 a week, from Monday to Friday), 80 lessons to prepare the AIL diploma.
2- Culture component
- History of Art (24 lessons)
- Business Italian (12 lessons)
- Italian Fashion (12 lessons)
- History and Civilisation (32 lessons)
The programme begins with 240 lessons of the intensive Italian language course. In this part, your personal Italian skills will evolve and improve, from beginner and/or basic level, to achieving an intermediate level.
In addition to the Intensive course lessons, a month before the date of the DILI-AIl certificate exam, 40 extra lessons dedicated to exam preparation will be organized.
In the second part of the 'Gap Year' programme, with the students having already achieved a good level of language ability, linguistic horizons will be broadened.
Now, the intensive language course will put more emphasis on written language, communication skills will be perfected and grammatical skills will be consolidated (the programme will be carried out in 240 lessons including 4 weeks of preparation for the advanced DALI-AIL exam.)
Professional courses deal with extensive and well-structured subjects that cannot be covered within the space of a few lessons.
When a student needs to deal with specific topics linked to their profession, we recommend informing the school before arrival, so that the course programme can be better prepared.
These courses consist of a programme with a minimum duration of 2 weeks, which consists of 4 lessons of the intensive Italian language course plus 2 private lessons during which you deal with specific topics of the chosen professional course.
The text books and materials used in the professional courses are provided by the school and are included in the price of the course.
The teachers are experts in the language of the chosen sector and use a vast range of support materials (e.g. articles from economic newspapers, examples of commercial letters and other authentic material from different professional areas) that allow the student to engage with real texts with real practical use.
To participate in these courses, it is advised that you have an intermediate level of knowledge of Italian.
Our professional courses :
- Business Italian professional course
- Italian for banking business
- Italian language for law
- Italian for Healthcare
- Italian for Hotel Industry
- Italian for Flight Attendants
- The Language of Tourism
- The Language of Fashion
- The Language of Architecture
- Italian Literature
- Italian Cinema
- The Language of the Opera
- The History and Language of Theatre
- Tableside Italian & Wine
Among its services, Scuola Leonardo da Vinci offers its students the free service of finding and booking accommodation. Since this is a very important factor for their stay, Scuola Leonardo da Vinci in Florence pays much attention towards the care and research of housing for its students. The students can choose from a variety of accommodation options including:
SHARED APARTMENT
These are apartments where students of Scuola Leonardo da Vinci live together sharing common spaces such as the kitchen and bathroom. Students can choose whether to stay alone in a single room or share a space with another student in a double room. If a student wishes to come to Florence together with a partner who does not attend the course, we may provide the opportunity to book a double room together. The apartments offered by Scuola Leonardo da Vinci in Florence are located in the city centre or in a residential area of Florence (maximum travel time of 30 minutes by public transport to and from the school).
FAMILY
“La Mamma Italiana!”For those who want to immerse themselves in the Italian language and culture, the kind of accommodation and experience recommended is definitely the “Family”. Most of the families that host our students have collaborated with Scuola Leonardo da Vinci in Florence for many years and for this they have a lot of experience in welcoming students from all parts of the world. Students may choose from two options: either half board (breakfast and dinner included) or breakfast only (in the second option students are not allowed to use the kitchen). The families are usually found near the school or in residential areas of the city with a maximum travel time of 30 minutes by public transport to and from the school. This type of accommodation requires some flexibility and adaptability to different habits however, it is definitely recommended for learning the language, customs and Italian manners. Our families are carefully selected and are eager to make their guests feel right at home.
PRIVATE APARTMENTS
Recommended for those who desire a bit more discretion, these apartments are located in the historic centre of the city, close to the school. They consist of a: bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and dining room. Upon request, the school can arrange private apartments for one person or for groups of friends or families. For this type of accommodation, it is suggested that you contact the school and make the request in advance, therefore we can verify the availability of the apartment and/or send you more options to consider. The price varies throughout the year depending on high or low season and the current events in Florence. For this reason please contact the school directly.
HOTELS, B&BS OR RESIDENCE
Scuola Leonardo da Vinci is working with several hotels, B&BS and Residences in Florence which provide discounted prices to customers of the school. For students who wish to attend an Italian language course and stay in this type of accommodation, the school offers the booking service at special prices.