Italian Language
LdM is one of Italy’s most prestigious Italian language institutions. The School of Italian Language has been dedicated to teaching Italian as a foreign language since 1973. LdM offers a variety of courses open to both academic and adult students with a passion for the Italian language and culture who want to further their studies, personal interests, and professional aspirations.
Italian language group courses are available in Florence and Tuscania in June and July.
The bustling city of Florence is ideal for language learners looking to live at the exciting center of fashion, tourism, and industry. Constant contact with cultural activities and easy access to the inspiring Tuscan countryside provide LdM Florence students with endless opportunities to develop and exercise their language skills.
LdM Tuscania offers language students the opportunity to experience a true immersion in Italian culture within the intimate setting of a medieval town. Tuscania is located in central Italy’s Lazio region, a short train ride from Rome, in the breathtaking countryside of the Maremma coastland bordering the Tyrrhenian Sea. Classes are held in the LdM school, an elegantly modern structure incorporated into the medieval stonewalls and located in the historic town center.
Group Courses
INTENSIVE
Florence (June-July)
Intensive meets from 1.15 pm to 3.45 pm, Monday through Thursday.
There are six levels, each of which takes 4 weeks to be completed.
Tuscania (June-July)
Intensive meets Monday through Thursday. There are six levels, each of which takes 4 weeks to be completed.
INTENSIVE COMBINATION OPTION
(Florence and Tuscania)
Students who prefer taking extra classes in addition to the group class, can integrate one extra individual class with an Italian professor per day each week (5 hours total).
Upon request: LdM Certificate or Certificate of Attendance, confirming participation in the relevant course of Italian Language and Culture.
Previous students are eligible for a 10% discount on tuition fees.
Individual Courses
Whenever a student has very specific linguistic objectives or particular time schedule requests, LdM offers individual courses tailored to meet individual needs.
One-to-One individual lessons per hour (50 minute lesson)
Closed group lessons of two people per hour (50 minute lesson)
Customized Schedule
Students can choose the amount of weekly hours, according to their specific needs (minimum 5 hrs., maximum 40 hrs.) On request, any individual schedule can be organized to include art history visits and lunch with the teachers (additional costs for this last option).
In case students already have sufficient confidence with the Italian Language, they can also request individual lessons focused on their professional fields.
LdM Certificate or Certificate of Attendance, confirming participation in the relevant course of Italian Language and Culture.
Certification Courses
Upon request, LdM Florence offers individual courses to prepare students for Proficiency Tests of Italian as a second Language (customizable schedule).
Language Levels
“Superintensive” courses are offered for 7 different levels (with reference to the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). Satisfactory completion of any one level requires 80 class hours of attendance. Students are enrolled in the most appropriate level on the basis of an entrance test at LdM. “Intensive” courses are offered at 6 levels, and to complete any one level students must attend 48 class hours.
Superintensive and Intensive Elementary 1 = A0-A1
The student who completes the course is able to recognize simple words and phrases, to interact with others at the survival level, and to fill out forms and write simple messages.
Superintensive and Intensive Elementary 2 = A1-A2
The student who completes the course is able to understand and articulate expressions of common and daily use in order to fulfill needs of a concrete type. S/he is able to interact with others in ordinary situations and is able to describe her/himself in basic terms. S/he is able to produce basic written texts.
Superintensive and Intensive Intermediate 1 = A2-B1
The student who completes the course is able to understand the basic points of spoken discourse in standard Italian and to navigate situations commonly met with in travelling. S/he is able to communicate in simple and routine interpersonal situations. S/he is able to produce written texts on topics of common and personal interest. The student is able to describe experiences, events, aspirations and hopes. clear expository texts about experiences and impressions.
Superintensive and Intensive Intermediate 2 = B1-B2
The student who completes the course is able to understand the key ideas of relatively complex written texts. The student is able to interact with a native speaker with sufficient fluency. S/he is able to express an opinion and describe personal goals. The student is able to write clear expository texts about experiences and impressions.
Superintensive and Intensive Advanced 1 = B2
The student who completes the course is able to understand long and complex texts, as long as the subject is fairly familiar, and to read articles and reports on current topics. S/he is able to interact with native speakers with spontaneity and to write clear and structured texts about the advantages and disadvantages of a topic or of different viewpoints.
Superintensive and Intensive Advanced 2 = B2-C1
The student who completes the course is able to understand long spoken discourses, television broadcasts and films. S/he is able to read specialized texts and to participate actively in a discussion. The student is able to write texts of a personal or professional character, bringing out the meanings and diverse facets of the topic. The student is able to perceive variations in sociolinguistic range and in accent.
Super Intensive Advanced 3 = C1-C2
The student who completes the course is able to understand without difficulty a wide range of texts, including theoretical and linguistically complex ones, and also to notice regional and social variations in language. She/he is able to participate in a discussion with spontaneity, to express her/himself with precision and is able to command complex language mechanisms in order to reformulate thoughts as best fits the context. The student is able to write clear and stylistically appropriate texts, and in addition to develop shades of meaning.
Magister Linguae
The “Magister Linguae” Certificate is an attestation of competency in Italian as a foreign language for a high level of linguistic competence. The possessor of this certificate is able to communicate in the most varied situations of daily life and show a command of the language in formal contexts, professional and educational. This Certificate is awarded after completion of the Superintensive Advanced 3 course at LdM, passing both written and oral examinations.
Italian Culture Courses
Italian Culture Courses (ITC) are part of the academic offering available at each LdM site, and allow students to combine Italian language learning with various aspects of Italian culture. Subjects range from tourism to cooking and from art history to Italian literature, providing a solid foundation in the humanities while deepening the understanding of past and contemporary culture in Italy. These courses are taught in Italian and require a specific level of competency depending on the specific course.
ITC courses are available on a semester and monthly basis following the yearly LdM academic course schedule.
For any further details regarding programs, requirements and course availability, please contact [email protected] or [email protected]
Cooking Courses
LdM Florence offers a new experience to all those who appreciate Italian cuisine and want to discover important aspects of the Italian way of life while acquiring culinary knowledge. Thanks to Lorenzo de’ Medici Cooking School, students and locals have the opportunity to take part in cooking demonstrations and courses held in the bustling Mercato Centrale, the beating heart of the San Lorenzo area. Lessons are held in Italian or English.
For updated programs, please, check the Cucina LdM website. For more details, contact [email protected], or call +39.334.3040551.
LdM students are entitled to a special discount on all cooking courses. Please contact the Cooking School for more information.