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a voucher for studying Italian in Italy, with 2 very special offers:

1) La Dolce Vita 50+ course:
Italian language and culture course for 1 week plus 1 week accommodation in single room (in family with breakfast) for 550€ instead of 669€!
Offered in: Florence, Milan, Rome and Siena.
More information about the Dolce Vita 50+ course.

2) 2 weeks Italian language course
Italian language standard course for 2 weeks plus 2 weeks accommodation in single room (in family with breakfast or shared apartment) for 595€ instead of 690€!
Offered in: Florence, Milan, Rome and Siena
More information about the 2 weeks Italian language standard course.

If you are interested in, please, contact the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci Marketing Office by filling this form.

It’s not just a rewarding process but it increases your quality of life, it keeps you more mentally agile and younger. In fact, learning a foreign language (or more than one) improves memory, math skills, analytical skills, problem solving and increases critical thinking and creativity. So just keep your brain young! Keep learning.
Some facts about learning:

• 95% of people think that learning about new things boosts your confidence.
• 92% of people think that learning about new things is enjoyable.
• Seven in ten adults (71%) think that learning can lead to a better quality of life.
• 93% of us believe that it’s never too late to learn.
• 83% of us believe that learning will become more important in the next millennium.
• 72% of us think we should devote more time to personal development.

You have chosen to learn Italian which is widely believed to be the most beautiful language in the world. Culture, music, art, cuisine – the sights, sounds and scents of the cream of life are all encapsulate in the extraordinary Italian language. Italian is an excellent second or third language choice for anyone.
Regardless of your age or experience level, you have exactly what it takes to learn a new language to the level that you want, here some basic tips.

1. Get motivated and stay motivated. You have to want to do it. Whether you are learning because of a life-long desire, an upcoming vacation, a business trip, family relationships or whatever reason – you must keep this in mind and stay motivated.
2. First determine how much you already know of the language and how much you want to learn. If you’re starting from scratch with no knowledge of the language at all, then there’s no problem, you are at the starting line.
3. Set goals. Failing to plan is planning to fail. Set realistic goals for yourself. Not simply – “I want to speak Italian”, but be more precise. If you set more reasonable goals, you will succeed.

Remember that each day, each week you are getting closer to your final goal. Keep that ultimate goal in the back of your mind, and the short term goal in front.

• Try to use the new language a little bit each day by reading books, newspapers and magazines, watching movies and television, listening to music, writing to people and most importantly of all, talking to people. Be the language. Use it every day, as often as you can.

Can learning a language benefit everyone?
Yes. Languages don’t just pop up out of nowhere, they evolve from other languages and change over time. Many of the most widely spoken languages are related and share some vocabulary, and even if they aren’t, languages are always borrowing words from each other. I’m sure if you look around and evaluate your life you will see lots of opportunities to use different languages. We are all surrounded by people who use other languages, or opportunities we could benefit from by using other languages.
Many people learn a language to connect with their roots. Learning the language of our ancestors can help bring us into better contact with ourselves and open up a whole new understanding of ourselves and how we got to be who and where we are.Think of the possibilities when you learn another language. The increase in possible social contacts is tremendous when you add a whole way to communicate. That goes for love, friendship, travel or business.
Learning a language for business is a very common reason. The business opportunities that have arisen in the last few decades have made it almost imperative for a businessperson to have language skills. The reasons for students to learn languages are many but one thing we know is that helps improvement of memory, creativity, problem solving ability and analytical skills also are of significant importance to a student. Having second language skills also makes a student more competitive in the job market.
Some Language Learning Tips.

Talk to yourself. It may be obvious, but the best way to get better at a language is to speak it! Even if there is no one around to speak to, talk to yourself. This simple language learning tip will help this everyday vocabulary sink in and become second nature.
Talk to friends. This is going a step further than talking to yourself. Even if they don’t speak the language, talk to the people you know in your new language. Warn them in advance that you are practicing your new knowledge and they’ll know what’s coming. Even a simple ‘good morning’ or ’see you later’ in your new language will make those phrases more natural to you.
Listen to music. Listen to music in your new language. You’ll hear the language used in a real context and this will help you pick out the rhythm and pronunciation even better. You will also come to further understand and better appreciate the culture behind the language.
Make Mistakes. The easiest language learning tip to try! Go ahead and speak and write and don’t be afraid to make mistakes, because I guarantee you will! In fact, you will learn as much from your mistakes as you will from your triumphs. Speaking with other people who have already gone through or are still going through the process of learning the language can be extremely helpful.
Talk to complete strangers. Put yourself in situations where you will have the opportunity to speak the language you’re learning.
Television. If possible, watch TV in your new language.
Movies. Try to watch movies in your new language. Much like listening to music, watching TV and a few other language learning tips, movies will give you a real-life context to test your knowledge of the new language.
Learning a language isn’t just learning some new grammar concepts, vocabulary and different sounds. It gives insights into other cultures. It creates a more positive attitude toward people who are culturally different and gives us a better understanding of what it’s like to be an immigrant. Accomplishing this life skill will give you increased prestige in your own culture and a markedly increased status in other cultures. It’s a required skill to become a World Citizen. Ultimately, learning other languages gives us a better understanding of our own language and our own culture, and a new viewpoint to look at the world in which we live and define our place in it.

Yeniret Prokesch

The teaching method is based on the acquisition of the four fundamental skills: understanding the language through listening and reading and producing texts in oral and written forms, combined with the study of grammar and syntax .

The school has over 30 years of experience and focuses on teachers preparation and continuous didactics updating. Moreover a long experienced organization enables the staff to run a great variety of professional and business courses: Italian language, Literature, History of Art, Applied Arts, Fashion, Music, Wine, Cooking and Italian Lexicon relating to banking, law, marketing, tourism industry etc.

Why Florence?

An international town with wonderful surroundings, Florence is undoubtedly a perfect place to spend a study period, combining culture and leisure and experiencing a different world.  The great variety of courses offered will give you the opportunity to find the right ones for you, enriching your culture and your curriculum vitae too.

As every year we organize something new, this time we set up a Drama course as we think that acting is one of the best and motivating way to learn a foreign language!

After a brief history of Italian Theatre, the course examines the complex world of acting communication by analyzing the body language (voluntary and involuntary), the sphere of feelings and emotions, their expressions through the great tool that distinguishes the human being: the word. Probably for the first time, you will find that arms, hands, face and posture are not neutral but can dramatically hinder or, conversely, become masters of the scene.
In addition to learning a lot of Italian, this course offers the opportunity to get involved in a new activity and the ability to discover new emotions.

Field trips are part of the course: we visit the famous scenes of the Pergola Theatre, where an experienced guide shows us the parts of the theatre and its history, tells how the sounds were made during a theatrical performance before the advent of electronics showing old machines, still functioning, stored inside the theatre etc.

Studying in Florence is certainly an unforgettable experience not only made of books, but also of images, sounds, gestures, new experiences …

Taking on learning a new language is no small task. Add to this, living in a different country with different customs (umm…I know it’s Sunday but I was hoping to go to the grocery store…) and being far away from family and friends, one is left to think that there really must be something rewarding to learning Italian and in fact there IS !! At the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci Milan, where every week students from all over the world start classes ranging from complete beginner to advanced, we thought it was a perfect opportunity get to the bottom of why Italian and why Scuola Leonardo da Vinci Milan? Here are our questions and our students candid responses:

Why did you choose to study Italian here? What was or is the most difficult thing about learning Italian for the 1st time and how did you get through it?
I really like Italian food and Italian cooking. I speak Spanish so I wanted to add Italian to the languages that I speak. I visited Milan before and liked it, so I decided to return to Milan to study. The most difficult thing for me, at the beginning of my studies, are the verbs and how to conjugate them. If I don’t understand something, the teachers are always patient and helpful, then I review it and it’s not confusing anymore.
Jamie (Boston, USA, Level 1)

Why did you choose to return to Scuola Leonardo da Vinci Milan for a second time?
I decided to come back to the school because I liked it, now I know people here…even the directors of the school I got to know. Also I like Milan, the last time I was here I made a lot of friend. This time I was also able to stay in the same apartment living with the same family that I already lived with. I had a good experience in the home and as well as at the school. This is why I come back !
Robert (Vienna, Austria, Level 6)

How do you balance learning Italian with all the places you can visit during your stay in Italy?
Living in Milan is pretty much studying itself. You don’t necessarily get to know things during the class. Whatever you do, buy milk in a shop, refill your phone, buy train ticket,
you study. The school organizes lots of trips, meetings, parties, etc. I always try to practice mu Italian with other students of the school, which means I am studying and having fun at the same time. That would be my tip for Italian learners: try to practice your Italian always, not just during classes !
Alisa (Moscow, Russia, Level 6)

Why did you choose Scuola Leonardo da Vinci Milan when there are so many language schools in Italy?
I find this school to be very modern…where you can really learn Italian and not get board ever. You can also learn about culture, life style and traditions and not just the language. Here, there is no time to feel lonely. Almost everyday the school organizes excursions and meetings so that the students can socialize also out of the language classes. In that way, the school creates the possibility for the students to practice the language in a friendly environment that is very useful !
Elena (Moscow, Russia, Level 3-6)

Why does the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci Milan succeed in teaching Italian to foreign students ?
We succeeded in helping students to learn Italian because we use the “communicative method” which permits us to teach the language through every day situations and real life contexts. Our approach is humanistic and that is why we take into account that every student is different and has it’s own learning style. The main importance is placed on oral comprehension and expression and the grammar is learned in a natural, deductive way.
Claudio (teacher and trainer)

What surprises you most about the students here at Scuola Leonardo da Vinci Milan?
What surprises me the most is their sincere interest in the Italian language and culture. Students that have studied Italian in their home country, arrive with a solid knowledge and it makes me happy finding out how well Italian is taught abroad.
Roberto (teacher)

The renowned and qualified Italian language School Leonardo da Vinci suggests now the Winter Courses to learn Italian language just here in Italy. Our schools, situated in some of the most important and charming cities in Italy, (Florence, Milan, Rome and Siena) offer a wide range of Italian language courses to attend.

Our school can offer elementary and basic courses for beginners, such as Standard Italian Language Courses or Part Time Standard Courses, where students will attend Italian language lessons depending on their starting level and will learn the basic Italian grammar and the first steps to communicate and speak Italian language everyday. The duration is from 2 weeks on and it is prolongable.

As an alternative there’s the Academic School Year in Italy, for students who decide to stay here in Italy for a long time. This course is thought for beginner and elementary students, lasts for 32 weeks and leads to the internationally-recognized AIL (Accademia Italiana di Lingua) diplomas.

If your aim is instead to pass the AIL tests, our Preparation Courses for the Italian Examinations “Firenze” AIL will be surely useful to you! During this course in fact, it is possible to attend 4 daily lessons of grammar review and conversation plus 2 lessons of test taking strategies and exams preparation, which will help you to establish your knowledge level and the time necessary to prepare yourself for the exam.

On the other hand, if you would like to attend courses at Italian University in September, the Leonardo da Vinci School also offers many different specific preparatory courses to attend now in winter, useful for your preparation on the specific language of your studies field and subjects (such as Architecture or Medicine). The school in fact suggests the Preparatory Courses to Italian University, which will start from 9th March 2009 on.

Whereas, if you decided to study fashion in Italy, our schools offer the original “Preparation Courses for Fashion and Design Academies” for those students full of creativity who love art and fashion and want to prepare themselves in the specific Italian fashion language.

The school organizes also Courses for Italian-language Teachers, for teachers who want to learn the secrets to teach Italian as a second language to foreign students, a really original and peculiar cutting edge course.

Finally, we have many different special courses you can attend right now in winter, such as the new Courses for Musical Specialization, for those whose desire is to learn to play an instrument or to sing like a star, or the Italian Preparatory Courses for Fashion Show, for the fashion lovers who want to live an unforgettable experience among the Italian runways.

So guys, to spend a winter in Italy is not an impossible dream, right now you can decide when, where and how to learn Italian language here in Italy.

For dates, prices and all the information about the Winter Courses, take a look at our website: www.scuolaleonardo.com.

After the great success of the Italian language lessons on ‘Second Life’, we decided to explore the web 2.0 and the online communities world to make the relationship with our students and between them stronger.

In our schools there are students who come from 50 different countries spread all over the world and sometimes it’s difficult to keep in touch with everyone. Thanks to innovative platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and LinkedIN, we want to liaise with our students and maintain the relationship established during their time in one of our schools (Florence, Milan, Rome, and Siena).

We would like to invite you to become our fans on Facebook and join former students groups or to sign up to the groups on LinkedIN, watch our videos on YouTube or have a look at our pictures on Flickr. These spaces will become places where you can keep in touch with your school friends, meet your teachers again, find pictures and videos directly from the school and much else besides…

In addition, the school has just created a new account on Flickr, an original website where you can find a lot of interesting and lovely pictures uploaded by the School Leonardo da Vinci about the schools in Florence, Milan, Rome and Siena, the classrooms, students, teachers, the free time moments and many more. So, if you are curious to see and discover the places you will visit, the classroom where you will attend your Italian lessons, and also to seek out the really relaxed and friendly atmosphere that surrounds the Leonardo da Vinci school, than take a look at Flickr on our account!

Finally, we couldn’t forget about the famous Youtube, the platform where we uploaded our schools’ videos. Search the two Leonardo da Vinci’s videos, an alternative and quick presentation to make you see with your eyes the cities where our schools are located, the streets, the squares and monuments of Florence, Milan, Rome and Siena. Moreover, you will have the opportunity to see what happens during the Italian language lessons and during the special and traditional courses, such as the Professional Italian Cooking Course or the Painting Course, some students flats, charming and unique Italian landscapes and look at the interesting activities organized for students in Florence, Milan, Rome and Siena in order to spent at best their free time in Italy.

Our School makes use of Web technology and web design that aim to enhance creativity, communications, secure information sharing, collaboration and functionality of the web.

So…What are you waiting for? Hurry up and become a member of our community! You will find again the friends and colleagues who attended a course at Scuola Leonardo da Vinci. Become our fan on Facebook, sign up to the groups on LinkedIN, search and watch our videos on Youtube, and see the wonderful photos on Flickr!

Milan, industrial emblem of our country, is also the most internationally renowned Italian city in the world. Here you can meet people from every region of Italy and from every country of the world, because through the years it has become a cosmopolitan city placed in the center of the world’s trade and business.

But it’s not only business, evolution and progress. Milan has also an ancient heart in the center of the city to discover, which offers a interesting variety of high buildings, palazzos, churches, and historical monuments, such as Royal Palace or Sforza Castle, that is why so many people from all over the world want to see this wonderful city.

Milan is a lively city day and night, in fact it offers a wide range of restaurants, discos, cinemas, bars, charming cafes with theatre-like furniture, and last but not least,  “La Scala”, the most famous opera house in the world, the Duomo and a lot of other important sights. Is it enough? Milan seems to be a perfect location for students who decide to have a unique experience abroad, for studying a language and meeting a different culture.

But why study Italian? A knowledge of Italian is important for people who works in the arts, technology, business and many other professional fields. It is also useful for students planning careers in art history, music, linguistics, education and international relations, just to name a few. Italy is also world leader in the culinary arts, interior design, fashion, graphic design, furniture design, and people who is planning careers in these fields would benefit greatly from knowing Italian language.

And why not choose to leave for Milan on the occasion of the traditional “Oh bej Oh bej” Fair? This traditional and ancient fair takes place once a year on 7th December, to celebrate the day dedicated to its patron, Saint Ambrose. It is a wonderful occasion to see this particular event, which is a real festival of colours, lights and fragrances, and lasts for 3 busy and intense days, where citizens crowd the city’s streets and there’s lot of stalls.

So, if you are uncertain about the date to leave, it would be really interesting to come to Milan on the occasion of this special event!

Our Italian language school in Milan offers several types of courses to learn Italian language, culture and traditions. There are courses of any kind you can choose among: you will be spoilt for choice! General Courses, Intensive courses, History of Art Courses, Culinary Traditions Courses, Business and Professional Courses, Art Fashion and Design Courses, and many more…all to discover on the Leonardo da Vinci School’s website.

In addition, there are also the brand new Italian Christmas Courses which will start on 15th December and will last one week. But if you want to leave next year, all you have to do is having a look at Dates & Prices 2009, which are available on our website, together with all the information about the courses.

Yes, because during all year round, our Italian language courses will start every week until 7th December. Take a look at our page about “Dates & Prices 2009” on  Italian language school website, choose the perfect moment to leave and start a unique experience here in Italy.

A learning vacation is something that everyone (of all ages) should try at least once in the life, so why not choose such a wonderful country as Italy for your stay?

Our schools are located in the most suggestive and famous cities in Italy: Rome, Milan, Siena and Florence, and this is a great opportunity to take advantage of.

You will have the chance to visit the most famous monuments and artworks in the world, to do shopping in the capitals of fashion, to visit the cosmopolitan and renowned city of Milan, to enjoy our delightful cuisine (and maybe learning to cook Italian dishes), to see Tuscany rolling hills, to go for a walk through Piazza del Campo in Siena, to visit the world-famous Uffizi gallery in Florence, or to take photos to the great Coliseum in Rome.

There’s a wide range of language courses you can choose among, and also many activities to take part to, which are carefully organized by our staff to integrate and mix culture with language, because we think this is the best way to make our students learning Italian language and understanding Italian culture.

Our teaching staff consists of young teams of experienced language teachers, all of whom studied at University and who have been specially trained in teaching Italian to foreigners.

From 5th January 2009, every course will start every monday during all year round, so it is easy to find the perfect moment to start a new exciting experience in Italy!

For more detailed information visit our webpage about Italian language courses dates and prices 2009 on our website www.scuolaleonardo.com

Each year, thousands of students come from all over the world to study in the charming city of Florence. Why so many international students? Well, the world famous art and architecture is certainly the major reason, but not the only one.

Florence has much more to offer. Its delicious Italian cuisine, a world-class education, thousands students and young people, vivid nightlife made up of clubs, pubs, discos and cinemas, and not to be missed, the hospitality and warm character of its inhabitants, who will make your stay easier and more comfortable, so that you’ll have many opportunities to make new friends.

Florence is a city which bustles with industry and crafts, commerce and culture, art and science. Being on the main national railway lines, it is also easily accessible from most important places both in Italy and abroad.

In addition, you absolutely can’t miss the unique opportunity to visit the several world-famous monuments and museums spread all around the city: Palazzo Vecchio, the Pitti Palace, the renowned Cathedral (Duomo), the “Cupola”, Giotto’s Belltower, the Ponte Vecchio (the picturesque bridge with its cluster of shops), the Medici Chapels, and even the Uffizi Gallery, the Accademy Gallery, the Museum of the History of Science.

Our Italian language school for foreigners Scuola Leonardo da Vinci is located in the historical heart of the old city of Florence, and from here you can reach the most famous squares and sights in a short walk. Our staff’s Italian teaching does not consist in just teaching grammar and vocabulary. They want to allow their students to gain insight into the Italian way of life and culture.

This is why they offer, in addition to the language courses, a whole range of optional activities to their students (excursions, walking tours, guided tours, visits to famous museums, etc). We offer programs for all ages, young and senior, students and teachers, beginner to advanced.

By the time you come back home, you will possess knowledge of a beautiful language and have many more opportunities in your life.
Still undecided? Florence awaits you to share this marvelous experience. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about our programs.