Learn Italian & live in your private teacher's home around Florence with Home Language International!
Home Language International (HLI) is a family-run business offering language courses in more than 20 languages in over 30 countries worldwide, including Italian lessons at an experienced private teacher's home in Italy. More than 5,000 students take advantage of our services every year. Ian Josephs, Danielle Josephs, their 5 adult children and an expert team of dedicated staff all put in very long hours for HLI.
You stay in an experienced teacher's family home, have one-to-one Italian lessons and then continue to use the language during the rest of your stay in Florence. Because you are the only student, you are guaranteed individual attention. The lessons are completely designed for you, so the teacher will focus exactly on what you need. Mealtime conversation, television and social contacts are all in Italian.
All of our teachers in Italy have a university degree (or equivalent) and/or a recognised teaching certificate. All teachers have been visited by one of our local organisers. Their qualifications have been checked and their homes throughly inspected. During your stay in Florence, a local organiser will monitor your progress and make sure your experience is both happy and successful.
Home Language International (HLI) is accredited by the Accreditation Body for Language Services (ABLS), Association of Language Travel Organisations (ALTO), and UNOSEL.
ITALIANOFULLIMMERSION is not just a language school, it is an immersive cultural experience that will change the way you see the world. Our approach to language learning is based on the idea that language is best learned in context, through meaningful interaction with native speakers and immersion in the culture. Our experienced and passionate teachers will guide you through your language journey, helping you to develop not only your linguistic skills but also your cultural awareness and appreciation.
At ITALIANOFULLIMMERSION, we understand that language learning can be challenging, which is why we have created a supportive and welcoming environment where students feel comfortable practicing their skills and making mistakes. Our small class sizes and personalized attention ensure that each student receives individualized support and guidance throughout their studies. Additionally, our extensive range of courses, from intensive language courses to cultural immersion programs, means that students can find the perfect program to meet their unique needs and goals.
As a student here, you will have the opportunity to connect with other students and locals through our social events, cultural activities, and excursions. Whether you are cooking traditional Tuscan cuisine with new friends, exploring the art and architecture of Florence, or simply enjoying a glass of wine at a local enoteca, you will find that studying at ITALIANOFULLIMMERSION is an experience that will stay with you for a lifetime.
Our staff and our goal -
The Founders of the school, Anja Schultz and Andrea Moradei, having had more than 30 years of experience in the field of Cultural Tourism, have created this new initiative, better-designed to satisfy the needs of both Italians, and foreigners.
From Italian Language, to Art, Photography and the Crafts
From an initial idea of offering a range of activities concentrating on Italian Language and Culture for foreign students, the need became obvious to open a general Cultural Centre, aimed at both Italian and foreign users, offering firstly a Learning opportunity, which can subsequently become a Professional opportunity.
Professional staff for every area of study, at your disposal
Sessions with professionals of all types: Photographers, Graphic Designers, Painters, Sculptors, Video Makers and Craftspeople have enabled us to delve deeply into a wide-range of subjects, with the idea of also enhancing future job opportunities.
For non-Italians we have created a series of custom courses to be able to learn the Italian Language, directly inspired by, and designed for, the various reasons that you’d like to speak Italian. In the light of this new approach, it was obvious for us to include a collaboration with our Centro Italiano in Naples, who have been working in this field for many years, with great success.
These are our collaborators:
Eleonora Nistri -Language and Italian culture
Franco Guardascione – Photography
Francesco D’Isa – Graphics for Advertising and Creative Writing
Marcello Fittipaldi – Video production and Web design
Serena Guidobaldi – Food Storytelling
Accademia d’Arte – Art
Le Arti Orafe – Goldsmithing
Decorazioni e Pitture – Artisan Production
Abacus – Bookbinding
Our location -
The classes at Centro Italiano take place in a historic building, in the tree-lined Piazza D’Azeglio, a 19th century square.
Two minutes from the school you’ll find the S.Ambrogio district, with its old food and flea markets. It’s an area that has maintained its own identity, where mainly Florentines live, and it’s away from the flow of group tourism. Small shops, artisan workshops, cafes, restaurants and theatres make this part of Florence particularly pleasant and lively. Not far away are Santa Croce square, the Dome, the University, and some of the city’s most important museums. The area is served by most city bus lines, so you can quickly and easily reach any part of the city. The school offers spacious and bright classrooms, free WIFI, and a peaceful garden.
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 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.
Scuola Leonardo da Vinci offers a wide range of high-quality Italian language courses, conceived for any level, from beginner to advanced, all the year round! Courses start every Monday except for beginners and students can stay for 1 week only as well as for many weeks and months. Our school organizes interesting leisure activities every week during afternoon and evening.
Our 40 years of experience make us a well-established and reliable reality in the world of language schools. We are very proud of our professional and friendly staff, who do their best to make every student's stay unique in terms both of language learning and of cultural experience.
Our teaching method is influenced by modern didactics and is designed according to the 'Concept of Foreign Languages' of the European Council and the guidelines of the ''Accademia Italiana di Lingua (AIL)".
We follow a communicative method: from the first day of lessons and at each ability level, only Italian is spoken in class. We put particular emphasis on spoken language and on communication, but also deal with the 4 base abilities (reading, writing, oral comprehension and speaking).
Lessons are interesting, interactive and also fun, organized in a relaxed atmosphere in which learning is done naturally. Text books are supported by authentic material, like newspapers, magazines and video, that facilitate learning about contemporary Italy and the many different aspects of Italian culture.
Our teachers, experts in teaching Italian to foreign students, are there for the students, to guide them, motivate them and help them in their learning.
In addition, through the years Scuola Leonardo da Vinci has developed its own teaching method. The books have been conceived for speeding up the learning process of Italian language. Grammar is presented in a logic and organized way, followed by examples and a wide range of practical exercises and short stories that give both students and teachers many opportunities for making conversation in Italian language.
All the programmes have been thought in order to reach your goals, independently from the duration of the course. Having a deep knowledge of Italian grammar (through the continuous practice of writing, reading and speaking in real situations) is the principle which Scuola Leonardo da Vinci’s method is based on.
Where else should you learn Italian than in the city that gave birth to fine arts - and where
eating typical Tuscan dishes and local sourced produce in Trattorie is as good as it gets? We highly
recommend you opt for InFlorence Academy, the first language school established in Florence, located in a
16th Century building that strongly evokes the Renaissance period.
The school is surrounded by world famous sights, the cosiest of cafés and most intriguing of markets.
Crossing the Ponte Vecchio to get your daily dose of Italian gelato and espresso will be just one of the many
things you will do while experiencing Florence’s artistic ambience.
Parola School is an Italian language institute that holds its courses in the historic center of Florence.
Parola School's excellent location and its selection of courses make it an ideal place to study Italian. Our language center offers various language courses, from group classes to individual lessons to combined categories (group and one-on-one).
Our Italian language students can choose from intensive, online, short-duration, and CILS preparation courses. In short, our school participants can opt for a few hours of weekly lessons up to 40 or 60 hours a week.
Parola is airconditioned in all the classrooms. Moreover, it provides an elevator for all its international students.
Our Italian language school also organizes free time activities for its students. We offer a weekly social and leisure calendar to invite students to practice their Italian language skills while visiting the famous locations of interest in and around Florence.
On top of that, Parola School also specializes in tailor-made Italian language courses for students of all ages and nationalities.
For more than 30 years, Parola School has been offering its Italian language courses in the heart of Florence.
Our Italian lessons are held in a pleasant and friendly environment. Our institute headquarters provides elevators and air conditioning in all the classrooms.
Our Italian language students can meet new friends and have a great immersion in the Italian language and culture, thanks to Parola's multiple cultural free-time activities.
Parola Language Center offers its courses to students of all nationalities and ages.
Our language school offers group courses, private lessons, or combined language classes (group plus private). All our language courses are held with professionalism, vivacity, and friendliness.
Our teachers are all native speakers and with their experience can also create a very social atmosphere in the class.
Parola Italian language school offers a lot of advantages for learning Italian in Florence:
- CILS certified center to obtain the most important certificate of Italian competence
- Individual and group Italian language courses with six grammar levels
- Combined courses (group + private)
- Online Italian Courses with no more than 5 - 6 students
- Maximum of 12 students with an average of 6 - 7 students per class
- Courses for students of all ages and nationalities
- Competitive course prices with free-of-charge social activities
- Evening Italian language lessons until 8:00 pm, Monday to Friday
- Italian language lessons for Au-Pairs in Tuscany
- Additional courses such as lessons in Italian cooking, painting classes, or drawing
Parola School has a very strategic location in the historic center of Florence. Our school is located in a culturally very vibrant neighborhood of the city with a wide array of Italian restaurants and coffee shops where students can enjoy the fantastic nightlife of Florence.
Parola School is close to the Church of Santa Croce and a 10-minute walk from Ponte Vecchio, Piazza Della Signoria, and the Uffizi Gallery.
Moreover, students can reach the Arno River in 5 minutes on foot to enjoy the beautiful sights of Florence from Ponte Alle Grazie.
