"I found the British Institute a fantastic place to study. The organisation and attention to detail with the programme planning were both excellent. The teachers were of a very high level and the atmosphere created by the School makes it a great place to study and learn."
Michael Forde, Director of Football Operations, Chelsea Football Club
Our Italian language courses range from beginner to advanced and, whatever your level, are designed to develop:
- Confidence in oral ability
- Capacity to understand Italian as it is written and spoken today
- Knowledge of contemporary Italian life and awareness of Italian culture
Our approach is to immerse you in the Italian language from the very first day.
Classes are interactive and you will be expected to participate in classroom activity with your fellow students through the use of spoken Italian, however limited that might be at the beginning.
The emphasis is on the practical aspects of the Italian language, and the aim at each level is to enable you to acquire understanding of, and familiarity with, grammatical structures and to build vocabulary in a communicative context in class, to be reinforced through self-study and homework assignments.
A course book is included in the fee for all our standard courses.
Classroom activities include pair and group work to build confidence in speaking Italian without fear of making mistakes. Listening and reading exercises are based on authentic materials where appropriate, with a strong emphasis on the city of Florence, so that you begin to learn about the city, its culture and customs through the study of the language.
Our teachers are all Italian native speakers, qualified to teach Italian as a foreign language to overseas students and with many years' teaching experience.
We encourage all our students enrolled for Italian language courses to speak Italian as much as possible outside the classroom, and regular conversation exchanges are arranged with Italian students studying English at the British Institute.
Other activities include Aiuto a one-to-one session with an Italian teacher to help you with any particular difficulties; Caffè e Giornali a weekly look at the Italian papers over a cup of coffee; and Cinema italiano, screenings of Italian films.
You can also combine your study of Italian with our History of Art courses focusing on the Art of Renaissance Italy.