Intensive Italian Language Courses in Florence, Italy

Accademia del Giglio, Florence:
Based in Florence, in the Tuscany region of Italy, Accademia del Giglio is a private school that teaches the Italian language and Italian cultural courses. Our programmes are specifically aimed at helping international students to gain proficiency in the Italian language, understand the many aspects of Italian culture and acquire artistic skills. The school places considerable emphasis on the quality of its teaching. All our teachers have a degree from an approved Italian university, are native Italian speakers who can also speak English and / or French, and have at least 4 years’ teaching experience.

Italian Language Courses:

- Intensive Italian language courses in small classes
- Super-intensive Italian language courses
- One-to-one Italian language tuition
- Home tuition Italian language programme
- Online Italian language courses
- Our courses for non-beginners normally start every Monday.

Intensive Italian Language Courses:
Intensive Italian language courses take place all year round, from Monday to Friday, usually from 9am to 1pm (20 hours a week) or from 9am to 11am (10 hours per week). Students take a placement test in order to be placed at an appropriate level. There are seven levels: beginner, elementary, pre intermediate, intermediate, upper intermediate, advanced, proficiency, according to the European Language Portfolio.

After attending the several levels listed below, the student will be able to:

Beginner Italian Language Courses:
1. Understand simple conversations and the general meaning of short written texts, containing everyday idiomatic expressions.
2. Ask simple questions and give brief descriptions of personal events, including hesitation or inversions in the sentence structure in the present and past tense.
3. Write short sentences and fill forms.

Elementary Italian Language Courses:
1. Have simple conversations, allowing for occasional hesitations.
2. Understand the language spoken by a native speaker on issues of general interest.
3. Ask question and report simple events.
4. Understand the general meaning of short written passages containing simplified syntactical structures.
5. Know the main verbs, pronouns, polite forms of address and the future tense.

Pre-Intermediate Italian Language Courses:
1. Have conversations on issues of general interest and phone conversations allowing for occasional mistakes.
2. Read short newspaper articles and understand their general meaning.
3. Express doubts and wishes.
4. Write standard texts, such as letters or summaries which reveal a satisfactory knowledge of pronouns, the conditional and the imperative tenses.
5. Know simple idiomatic expressions.

Intermediate Italian Language Courses:
1. Have fluent conversations on issues of general interest.
2. Understand standard texts fully and the general meaning of literary texts.
3. Write standard texts providing opinions and suggestions, thus showing a satisfactory knowledge of the conjunctive.
4. Know how to use several idiomatic expressions.

Post-Intermediate Italian Language Courses:
1. Have a fluent conversation with a native speaker and follow a conversation among native speakers.
2. Fully understand any text, standard or literary. Understand the general meaning of specialistic texts.
3. Speak using a wide vocabulary and appropriate terminology, in order to express a personal view of facts, wishes and opinions.
4. Write medium to long texts on any subject without mistakes, thus showing a good knowledge of tenses and forms.

Advanced Italian Language Courses:
1. Understand native speakers having a conversation on specific subjects and be able to take part.
2. Understand specialistic texts, allowing for the occasional consultation of a dictionary.
3. Write texts of any length on any subject, thus showing a good mastery of subordinate sentences and different styles.

Proficiency Italian Language Courses:
1. Report and comment on facts fluently and by making use of a wide and specific vocabulary
2. Understand different accents of the Italian language and spot nuances and shades of intonation.
3. Understand specialistic texts, capturing the details and slight differences.
4. Be able to take notes and react promptly or report on written and oral messages.
5. Write long essays thus showing a good awareness of written styles.

Super-Intensive Italian Language Courses:
These courses offer a combined programme of intensive Italian language followed by one-to-one tuition. Mornings are spent in the core class (beginner, elementary, pre-intermediate, intermediate, post-intermediate, advanced, proficiency). In the afternoon students take individual lessons and can choose from a number of special modules appropriate for their level.

Additional Courses:
- Seminar on Italian art history
- Courses in drawing and painting techniques

Our courses in Italian and Art techniques (drawing and painting) are open all year round.