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The Best in Rome

LANGUAGE SCHOOLS

Surely the only way to really learn a language is to study it in the country where it is spoken. The experience of living in Rome, or even making an extended visit, is severely limited for those who don't speak Italian. And Rome has many excellent schools, which serve not only as a place to learn the language, but as cultural centers, offering introductions to the cooking, art and history of Italy.

Some helpful definitions:
CEF The Common European Framework, establishes six standard levels of language proficency, set by the Council of Europe.
CILS (Certificazione di Italiano come Lingua Straniera) This is the certification in proficiency in the Italian language necessary for enrollment in Italian universities and for some employment opportunities.
IT, similar to the CILS, it is an exam given twice yearly to certify competence in Italian.
DITALS A professional certification for teachers of Italian as a second language.
TEFL certificate. Awarded to those who successfully complete a course in teaching English as a second language.
A number of professional organizations establish and monitor the quality of instructions. These include:
ASILS (Association of Language Schools of Italian as a Foreign Language) Formed several years ago by a group of language schools to establish criteria for teaching. Only six schools in Rome qualify for this association.
ELITE (European Federation of Associations for Teaching Mother Tongue to Foreign Students)
EQUALS (European Association for Quality Language Services)
IALC (International Association of Language Centres)

Berlitz
Founded in the 1870s by Maximillian Berlitz, whose revolutionary method, based on active interaction as opposed to rote memorization, set the standard for learning a new language, the schools, now worldwide, use a refined, multi-faceted program employing CDs, videos and other contemporary technologies, in one-on-one and small group settings. The Berlitz centers in Rome offer a two-week semi-private crash course, ideal for those who need to develop some Italian proficiency in a hurry. And the minimum two-week total immersion option allows students to speak the language all day long, right from the beginning, straight through lunch with the instructors, all of whom are native Italian speakers. A la carte, group and half-day options are also available. For visitors to Rome, Berlitz will arrange accomodations and even pick you up at the airport.
via Virgilio 8 tel 06 687 2561 (Prati)
viale Pasteur 77 (EUR) tel 06 592 0900
www.Berlitz.it

Centro Torre di Babele
In a charming art deco villa in northern Rome, surrounded by gardens, Torre di Babele is one of the most highly accredited language schools in Rome. A founding member of ASILS, the official Association of Italian language schools in Italy, the school is accredited by ELITE, the European Federation, the Università per Stranieri in Siena, approved by the Sweden’s CSN (Swedish National Agency for higher Education) and recognized by the German Federal States for Bildungsurlaub. It is an authorized center for the DITALS exam, which certifies teachers of Italian as a second language and is an authorized examination center for the CILS certificate. The teaching method stresses communication and conversation, learning the language through speaking, listening, reading and writing. Group courses begin every two weeks with an an average of seven to eight persons per class, and include intensive, super intensive and long term programs. For those with at least an intermediate knowledge of Italian, seminars are organized on Italian literature, architecture, art, cinema, cooking and wines. And all students are encouraged to participate in the school's program of concerts, guided tours, museum and theater visits and out of town excursions. A new program for people over the age of fifty offers a two-week learning vacation with language classes, seminars, excursions and guided tours. Hotel or apartment accommodations are provided. Located in a quiet residential area near the Villa Torlonia with easy transportation to the historic center.
via Cosenza 7  tel  06 44252578  or 06442 52 491  www.torredibabele.com

Ciao Italia
One of the only six language schools in Rome belonging to ASILS as well as ELITE. The classes are small and the teaching method encourages an easy fluency in the language. The school is recognized by the Bildungsurlaub of Hamburg and Frankfurt and it is included in the list of schools of the Italian of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Many embassies and large corporations send staff to the school to learn Italian. Courses are available for beginning through advanced students, and preparation for the CILS and IT exams is provided through the Università di Roma Tre and Università per Stranieri di Siena. All sorts of additional activities are available to students, many of them free of charge, including Italian movies with introduction, lectures, parties, lunches with teachers, nights in typical clubs, wine tasting at the school, guided tours by an art historian as well as special prices for theatres, opera, concerts, restaurants and sports-clubs and cooking courses (not professional) in a private home. A library, videotheque and Internet facilities are available to students in the afternoon. There is a special summer course in the medieval village of Cetona, Tuscany, combining painting and intensive one-on-one Italian lessons. Available as a weekly or weekend program.
Via delle Frasche, 5, (Monti, near the Coliseum) tel 06 481 4084,
www.ciao-italia.it

CyberItalian
Learn Italian online: self-study courses, tutored courses, private lessons, Italian coaching programs, based on a method developed for the United Nations in New York, with dialogues, audio clips, pronunciation guides, voice recording system, videos, self-administered exercises and exams, and easy-to-understand grammatical explanations. Available at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. www.cyberitalian.com
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Dante Alighieri
Standard, semi-intensive and intensive courses are offered from September through July, as well as classes in Italian history, literature and art.
Piazza Firenze, 27 (historic center near via del Corso) tel 06 687 3722.
www.dantealighieri-roma.it

DILIT International House  
Established in 1974, Dilit (Divulgazione Lingua Italiana), was one of the first language schools in Italy to teach Italian as a Foreign Language. It is part of International House, an international organization of 120 language schools, and serves as an examination center for the CELI examinations of Perugia University and the CILS examinations of the Università per Stranieri di Siena, a member of EQUALS, ELITE and ASILS. Courses start every two weeks and are offered as intensive, non-intensive or combination programs. Business Italian, and a special vacation/study program for persons over the age of 50 are also offered.
Via Marghera, 22  (near the main train station) tel 06 446 2602 www.dilit.it

Interlingue 
Founded in 1986, the school has an annual enrollment of some 400 private students and 500 students from businesses and government organizations. The school offers a TEFL program leading to certification in the teaching of English as a second language, and the ACE program, developed by the Centrex for English Language Studies in Education, University of Manchester, UK, which offers a variety of teaching awards leading up to the Master of Arts degree in English Language. The school also offers refresher courses for teachers of English and a special two-week program, conducted in England, and funded by the European Union.
Via E. Q. Viscount 20  (Prati) tel  06 32 15 740 www.interlingue-it.com

International Language School 
Founded in 1985, ILS is recognizedby the Italian Ministry of Public Education and is the seat of English language examinations for the University of Oxford, London and the Royal Society of Arts. Certification as a translator is offered through the Institute of Linguistics Educational Trust of London.
Via Tibullo, 10 (Prati) tel 066830 7796 www.ils-roma.it

Istituto Italiano
A member of the ASILS and the IALC, this school offers preparation of students for the University of Siena’s CILS examinations.
via Machiavelli, 33 (beetween San Giovanni and Santa Maria Maggiore) tel 06 704 52138, www.istitutoitaliano.com

Italia Idea
Since its opening in 1984, some 1500 students from all over the world have attended this school each year. Italia Idea teaches credit courses for Rhode Island School of Design, Cornell University and introductory Italian for students of religious sciences at the Venerable English College. In 1995, the school designed a full immersion course for cabin crew members of British Airways. And their twenty-episode Italian language television course, "I Montalcini," was shown worldwide in the fall of 2000 in collaboration with Radio-Televisione Italiana (RAI). Classroom size is limited to no more than ten students and lessons are conducted entirely in Italian. Students are offered a curriculum tailored to their individual needs and time constraints. Intensive and extensive courses are available as well as special courses in Italian cinema, art history, business Italian, and preparation for the CILS exams. A "walking Italian" course combines language lessons with delightful walks through Rome. In-office classes are available to businesses. One-on-one lessons are ideal for people with busy schedules. The all-female staff includes twelve teachers, a director — and an Italian chef! Besides the language classes, activities include excursions, guided tours, luncheons, trips to other cities, cooking classes, wine tastings and screenings of Italian films. A library and videotheque are available to students.
via dei Due Macelli, 47  (near the Spanish Steps) tel 06 699 41314 www.italiaidea.com

Leonardo Da Vinci,
Leonardo Da Vinci has four schools, in Rome, Florence, Milan and Sienna, offering standard (minimum two weeks four lessons a day, five days a week) and intensive (from two to 24 weeks, six lessons a day, five days a week) courses, as well as specialized advanced classes in vocabulary such as medicine, business correspondence, and Italian for tourism, banking, law, fashion, opera, theater and film.
Piazza Orologio, 7 (near Piazzaz Navona) tel 06 688 925 13 www.scuolaleonardo.com

Training: ItClub
In the beautiful Palazzo Doria Pamphili, the school offers intensive group courses at every level, lasting from two weeks to six months, as well as tailor-made courses and evening classes. Extra curricula activities such as parties and guided tours, are organized every month.
via del Corso 303 (near Piazza Venezia) tel 06 697 9211, www.trainingclub.com/itclub

Trinity School
The school offers an exceptionally flexible roster of courses, from individual lessons to "mini'collettivi" classes of three to eight students, and a “training on the job” in which a teacher “assists” the student while he or she is at work here in Rome.
via dei Mille 35 and via Bachelet, 12 (near the main train station) tel 06 44703040, www.trinityschool.it

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In Rome Now Travel Guide: Rome, Italy Italian Language Schools

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