The School

The Rome Language Centre of the Dante Alighieri group was opened in 1981 and specialises in the teaching of Italian language and culture to foreign students. The main school was set up in Florence in 1966 and today the Centro Linguistico Italiano Dante Alighieri has a number of other centres also in Greece. The school has authorisation from the Education Ministry and is open all year round.

The Centre

The Rome centre is housed in a stylish turn of the century building, at 1 Piazza Bologna. It is within easy reach of the city centre and all other areas, amply served by Underground Line B and many bus routes. The classrooms are large and bright and there is a terrace which, in spring, summer and autumn, becomes a meeting-place for students during breaks. All the classrooms are climatized.

The Staff

Our staff is on hand to provide information or help students with any problem.

Giulia Savona, Head of Administration, has twenty years' experience with CLI and handles general management.

Fabrizio Fucile, Head of Studies, has taught Italian and Latin since 1990, with a specialist interest in Italian Studies in which he gained his research doctorate and as well as handling management of studies, co-ordinates relations with oversea teaching institutes.

Elena Lachin is Head of Student Services.


Teaching Staff, Methods and Course-Books

Members of the Danti Alighieri CLI teaching staff are all humanities graduates and have followed teacher training courses in the teaching of Italian as a second language, organised by the school. They keep abreast of new teaching concepts, methods and tools.

The method adopted by the teachers is the communicative grammar method. Each lesson is structured in two parts: in the first, morpho-syntactical structures are presented and written and oral exercises immediately assess the individual student's level of understanding and reproduction. In the second part, the student learns to apply the new linguistic structures in the most varied situations from the colloquial to the more formal and bureaucratic, broadens his personal vocabulary and practices using the idiomatic expressions of spoken Italian.

Course-books have been developed from years of experience and successful teaching methods used at the school: the books are the result of co-operation between language specialists and teachers themselves who have a more direct experience of the problems and needs of the students. The CLI Dante Alighieri course-books are used also by European and American schools and universities.

 

group courses

The courses progress through 9 levels (elementary, intermediate and higher), from absolute beginners to training courses for teachers of Italian abroad.

Each course level is completed in four weeks. However, courses may be followed from a minimum of two weeks to a maximum of nine months (beginners).

Lessons are held from Monday to Friday and last 60 minutes.

Groups are limited to a maximum of 10-13 students. The limited class size and regular practice make it possible for teachers to follow the whole class individually, monitor daily progress and so obtain excellent results in a short time.

course	length	type	Lesson times	price
GL	120 hours in 4 weeks	Grammar, conversation + 40 hours culture	Monday-Friday 9am-1pm Afternoon from 2pm	Euro 840,00
GL/2	60 hours in 2 weeks	Grammar, conversation + 20 hours culture	Monday-Friday 9am-1pm Afternoon from 2pm	Euro 600,00
G8	80 hours in 4 weeks	Grammar and conversation	Monday-Friday 9am-1pm	Euro 595,00
G8/2	40 hours in 2 weeks	Grammar and conversation	Monday-Friday 9am-1pm	Euro 390,00
G6	60 hours in 4 weeks	Grammar and conversation	Monday-Friday 3pm-6pm	Euro 470,00
G4	40 hours in 4 weeks	Italian grammar	Monday-Friday 9am-11am	Euro 400,00
GS2	20 hours in 4 weeks	Grammar and conversation	From October to June, Tuesday and Thursday 6pm-8.30pm	Euro 180,00
GD1	50 hours in 2 weeks	Grammar, group conversation + 10 individual hours	Monday-Friday 9am-1pm 2pm-3pm	Euro 710,00
GD2	60 hours in 2 weeks	Grammar, group conversation + 20 individual hours	Monday-Friday 9am-1pm 2pm-4pm	Euro 1.090,00
K	10 hours in 1 week	Italian cultural lessons	Monday-Friday, 14.00-16.00	Euro 110,00

 

individual courses

With an individual course, the student has the chance to tailor the course to fit his needs and attain excellent results in a very short time. Such courses are particularly suited to the needs of executives, managers, diplomats, professionals, artists and university Professors and researchers.

Highly-qualified teachers and a carefully planned syllabus are the keys to success which make students come back and recommend us to others.

The timetable for individual courses is drawn up to fit in with the student's schedule. Weekend courses are also available.

With courses D8, D10 and S9 (inclusive of dinner with the teacher in select restaurants) a good level of language may be reached in only two or three weeks.

course	length	frequency	lesson times	price
D2	10 hours	2 hours a day	1 week	Euro 380,00
D4	20 hours	4 hours a day	1 week	Euro 760,00
D6	30 hours	6 hours a day	1 week	Euro 1.140,00
D8	40 hours	8 hours a day Lunch in "Trattoria" with teacher	1 week	Euro 1.870,00
S9	100 hours	11 hours a day Dinner in Restaurant with teacher	9 days	Euro 5.000,00

culture courses

Cultural courses last two weeks and are held in the early afternoon.

The course objective is to introduce the student to the culture, politics and society of Italy.

Subjects offered each month are art, history and literature. Cycles of individual lessons may be organised on the history of politics and Italian society, the cinema, theatre and opera.

The History of Art course covers: From Byzantine Art to Neoclassicism; the High Renaissance: Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raffaello; Venetian Art from Bellini to Canaletto; the Florentine 15th Century; Rome from Ancient Times to the 18th Century.
A sample of the Italian Literature Topics with related reading-matter: Dante, the "Inferno"; the Birth of Poetry; Petrarch's "Canzoniere"; Manzoni's "Promessi Sposi;" Romantic Poetry: Foscolo and Leopardi; the 20th Century Novel; Sicilian writers of the 19th and 20th Centuries.

The History Course covers: from the Unification of Italy to Fascism; from the Second World War to Modern Times.

The Courses

• Standard Courses - (S2, S3, S4)
4 hours a day (more than 3 students) / 3 hours a day (less than 4 students), from Monday to Friday, for a minimum of 2 weeks. Grammar and conversation lessons. In about six months time the student will complete the programme, which enable one to face the most varied communication functions.

• Intensive Courses - (I2, I3, I4)
Standard Course + 2 hours of individual lesson a day

• Extensive Courses - (E2, E3)
2 hours a day twice a week (E2) or three times a week (E3) for a minimum of 8 weeks (morning or evening).

• Individual Lessons - (I)
It is possible to begin the lessons any day of the year. Classes can also be held in other locations. Personalised courses are offered to companies and embassies. The course schedules are established with the secretary's office. (10% discount on 30 lessons booked and paid in advance). Preparatory lessons for (FOR C.I.L.S EXAM (Università per Stranieri di Siena) – IT (Università di Roma Tre).

• Conversation Courses (C.C.)
Upon request of minimum 4 students. 2/4 hours per week. Lessons are held on Saturday morning or one afternoon a week. Current events, Italian culture and lifestyle or other topics of interest will be examined during the lessons.

• Special Courses (S.C.)
At the request of at least 4 students, 16 hours a month. The supplementary cultural seminars are offered in the afternoon. A good knowledge of the Italian language is requested:
- Italian Art history (including guided tours in Rome)
- Italian for business (specific business terminology, commercial correspondence, contracts etc.)
- Italian Literature

• Italian Opera singing and music
Individual or mini-groups lessons including breathing technique and voice exercises, singing practice using excerpts from famous Italian operas. Prices and schedule can be obtained from the secretary’s office.

• Cooking Courses (not professional)
Lessons are held in a typical Roman restaurant (trattoria), 3/4 hours of theory/practice (with a professional cook) in private residence with Italian mother tongue teachers. Typical recips, terminology and idioms are used in the kitchen for conversation and eating together. Small groups, (one Sunday per month), upon reservation. For information on prices and schedule ask to the Secretary’s Office.

• Vacation Courses in Tuscany -CETONA
A delightful medieval village in the countryside of Siena. Intensive one-to-one or group week-end courses, in days to be agreed. Further information available in the secretary office. Painting coruses. Beginners and Advanced Courses.

• CLASSES
The students will study in small groups of 3/12 people of different nationalities with similar language levels. The small size of the classes guarantees individual attention as well as high quality of teaching.