You may start your Italian language course every first or second week of the month, on Mondays, even if you are a complete beginner! Please consult our course starting dates.

We will wait for you at 8.30 am in the main reception area of the school. All students will take a written and oral placement test which enables us to find the appropriate level.

STANDARD ITALIAN LANGUAGE COURSE:
09:00 - 11:00 , 20-minute break, 11:20 - 13:00
For homework and exercises you should account for one additional hour per day.

These books (text & exercises) are used in conjunction with authentic teaching materials such as newspaper and magazine articles, audiovisual materials, and activities inside the classroom.
“LINEA DIRETTA vol. 1-2” ediz. Guerra Perugia
“RETE vol. 1-2-3” ediz. Guerra Perugia
"Espresso vol. 1-2-3"ALMA Edizioni Firenze

No. You can buy or rent the books. If you choose to buy them you pay 27 Euros. If you rent them you pay a deposit of 28 Euros, but at the end of the month - when you return the books undamaged and not written on – we will repay 20 Euros back to you.

Scuola Dante Alighieri teaches according to the Direct Method: from the first day on, at all levels, only Italian will be spoken. Speaking is the most important part of our tuition. Continually promoting the use of verbal communication permits you to learn Italian 'naturally', to unite theory and practice with no great problems and to increase your knowledge quickly and with confidence.
You are encouraged to practice your spoken Italian in real-life situations, with your teacher, and with other participants, in pairs and groups. In advanced courses written language will also be promoted.

All our teachers are highly qualified. Most of them have studied Italian language and literature at Perugia University.
All our teachers have been specially trained in teaching Italian to foreigners (at the University for Foreigners, Perugia and in the University for Foreigners, Siena).

SCUOLA DANTE ALIGHIERI CERTIFICATES:
At the end of each course, students with regular attendance receive the certificate of attendance indicating the level of proficiency attained.

60% of our students are aged between 17 and 30 seeking to improve their Italian language skills and awareness of Italian culture.
30% of our students are already working; about ten percent are business managers and executives of different nationalities. 10% are retired and wish to improve their Italian and familiarize themselves with Italian culture.

Scuola Dante Alighieri offers 6 different course levels from beginner to advanced. Each course level usually consists of 20 lessons per week, over a period of 4 weeks.
If you are good at languages and you work hard, it is possible to complete the Beginner, Basic and Intermediate levels in 12 weeks.
By the end of the Intermediate level we confidently expect you to have developed a considerable knowledge of Italian. Your confidence and feeling for the language should have grown and your range of expressions developed greatly and become more varied.

The apartments are in the same building as the school, so the students can reach the classrooms and the school hall immediately.
In this situation you share a flat with other students from our school. Kitchen and bathroom are of communal use for you and your flatmates.
Each apartment (for max 4-5 people) has private entrance, two/three bedrooms, balcony, equipped kitchen, bathroom, TV and telephone. Washing machines are also available for the students’ use.
The apartments are furnished and the kitchens are supplied with all essential kitchen utilities (cutlery, plates, pans etc.).
You can prepare your meals separately or together with your flatmates and fellow students. (the supermarket is just 50m. away).
Electricity, gas water, local costs and taxes are included in the price. During the winter 60% of the heating expenses will be paid separately by the students.
The apartments are cleaned before your arrival. During the stay, you and your flatmates are responsible for the cleaning of your room and of the rooms used communally (kitchen and bathroom). Bed-linens are provided by the Residence (every change costs 3 Euros), but you will need to bring your own towels.
Please note, that we request a deposit of 148 Euros for shared apartment accommodation. This deposit must be paid in advance (see application form).
There is a direct telephone line in and out of the apartment. Food stores are closed on Sundays.
Italy uses a 220 Volts/AC system. Plugs may differ from those in your home country and it’s possible that you might therefore need an adaptor.

To make reservations for accommodation, we need your Application form and deposit (148 euro).
Together with the confirmation of the school we will inform you about the exact fee of the selected accommodation. Please pay the total within the first three days upon arrival in Italy. By paying the deposit you accept the accommodation arranged.

Private apartments (i.e. independent flats) are more comfortable than shared apartments and therefore more expensive. They are available for one or more persons.
Prices are available on request. Please note that the private apartments must be reserved well in advance and the prices may vary depending on the number of persons. We need your deposit to make reservations.

There is a hotel in town, Hotel Bellavista (basic offer of bed & breakfast, rooms with shower). Prices are available on request and according to the season. Scuola Dante Alighieri only makes the reservation for you. Payment itself has to be made directly to the hotel receptionist, but we do need your credit card number to make a reservation. Please make such a hotel reservation well in advance.

Accommodation reservations run from the Sunday evening before the beginning of the course to the Saturday morning (10:00 am) at the end of the course. If you need to arrive a day earlier or to stay a day longer, please contact the school for help with extra accommodation arrangements. Different arrival or departure dates must be confirmed in writing.

We need to be informed at least 7 days in advance of your arrival day and time.
Tel. + 39 0737 642611. Mobile Phone: +39 337 634210 or +39 335 318058

Bed-linen is provided and can be changed for a fee (3 Euros). However, you do need to bring your own towels.

There is a parking area in front of the Residence Le Magnolie.

Shared apartments: There is no washing-machine in the apartment itself, but you may use the washing machine of the Residence for a small fee (3 Euro for 5kg ).

Our accommodation is located in the same complex as the school.
Castelraimondo is a small quiet town where you can walk safely day or night, so students can take advantage of the school’s proximity to go for walks, or have a drink and make new friends at the town’s bars and pubs.
Close to the school are facilities for football, tennis, basketball, volleyball and bocce..

Students can cook in their own apartments, the supermarket is only 50 metres from the school.
The school also houses a Pizzeria-Restaurant with special discount rates for students.
You can prepare your meals separately or together with your flatmates and fellow students. (the supermarket is just 50m. away). You can find bars and restaurants in town where you can eat a fast snack.

Scuola Dante Alighieri makes the reservations for accommodation. We need your deposit as a form of guarantee (148 Euro). Payment for the accommodation has to be made within the first three days upon arrival in Italy.

We really only recommend booking a place in a double room for younger people. According to our experience mature people normally do not feel at ease in a double room as they may have to share it with very young people who have different habits and attitudes.

At arrival, we offer a transfer service from the international airport of Ancona www.ancona-airport.it (free on arrival, but not on departure) and from the train-station of Castelraimondo (arrival and departure) www.trenitalia.it

Taxis are easily found at the TAXI-ranks, which are always in front of the train station and the airport.

• Valid passport or identity card;
• Tickets and reservations;
• Insurance documents;
• Money, traveller’s cheques and credit cards;
• Personal medicine or medical prescriptions;
• E111 form (for citizens from EU countries);
• Italian address given to parents, etc.;
• School informed about time of arrival (tel +39 0737 642611 or +39 335 318058);
• Transfer requested from school.

Although from the Alps to Sicily the summer in Italy is quite warm, the winter in Northern and Central Italy can be cool; The best weather in the cities is in spring and autumn. Average summer temperatures range from 18°C to 30°C (64°F to 86°F), the average winter temperature is around 4°C to 16°C (39°F to 61°F).

Traveller's Cheques and Credit Cards are accepted almost everywhere. You can receive money at Automatic Teller Machines (ATM), if you have an ATM card linked to an international network (Bancomat, Postomat, EC, Cirrus, Plus, Maestro etc.). Mastercard and Visa (with PIN number) may be used to withdraw cash from an ATM machine. Cash from ATM’s only in Euro. You should not forget that the daily amount is limited.

We can send transcripts to American Universities, where our courses are usually accepted as valid language credits. Please ask us for more information.

Italy uses a 220 Volts/AC system.Additionally, wall sockets and plugs may differ from those in your home country. Be sure to get information about the possible need for an adaptor before your departure.

When exchanging large amounts of money it is usually better to do it in Italy. However, you should also bring cash for the first few days (for the taxi, for purchasing small things, etc.). Avoid changing money in exchange-bureaus because of high commission rates; the best exchange rates are at the bank. For a stay of more than 3 months, it may even be useful to open a bank account.

Faxes can be sent from the post office, from a lot of stationer’s shops (cartoleria) and from copy shops. At our school you can receive faxes free of charge and send them for a small a fee..

The email addresses of our school cannot be used to receive private messages.
In the schools there are five computers with which to use the Internet (3 euros per hour).
You can also use your own laptop in the school which connects you automatically with the ADSL fast internet-line (15 euros per month).

The basic unit of Italian currency is the Euro .When exchanging large amounts of money it is usually
better to wait until you arrive in Italy. However, you should also bring cash for the first few. Avoid changing your money in exchange bureaus because the commission rates can be high; the best exchange rates are at the bank.

Only the first-aid service in the Emergency Room of the hospital is free for anyone who is in need.
You should not forget to bring, if necessary, your own medical prescriptions. During your stay in Italy, you must be personally insured against illness and accidents. Citizens from European Union countries are entitled to free medical care in Italy if they hold an E111 form which can be obtained from their local health authority in their home country before departing for Italy.

Our schools are closed on the following national and local public holidays:
Easter Monday, April 25th (National Holiday), May 1st (Labour Day), June 2nd (Republic Day), August 15th (Assumption Day, called “Ferragosto”), November 1st (All Saints)
These lessons are not held, not made up and not refunded.

This is not the same for every person but we think that 40s Euro per week, in addition to the costs for food, should be enough.

International telephone calls can be made from all public telephones (in telephone offices, bars, etc.).
The school has a public telephone. In each apartment there is a direct telephone.
The country code for Italy is +39.

There are several night- and Eurocity-day-connections with Italy. Reservations for sleeping car or couchettes should be made as early as possible. www.trenitalia.it
There is a train station in Castelraimondo. It is 5 minutes away from the school. It takes about 3 hours to get to Rome (with just 1 change).

Our course location is also easily accessible from the national motorways.
Free parking is available in front of the school (and in front of the apartments that are in the same building as the school).

Our school can be reached from the international airport in Ancona, Falconara (70 km away, or 50min by car from Castelraimondo) (www.ancona-airport.com).

Citizens from the European Union do not need a visa and can enter Italy with an Identification card or Passport. Citizens from other countries should check with the nearest Italian Embassy or Consulate.
If you need a visa to extend your stay for more than 90 days you should apply for a ‘Type D’(student) visa. Scuola Dante Alighieri will provide you, after enrolment and payment of the deposit, with a certificate of enrolment for your visa application.

Italy uses Middle-European-Time (MET):

• Rome: ±0;
• London: - 1;
• New York: - 6;
• Los Angeles: - 9;
• Tokyo: +8.

From the end of March to the end of October the clocks in Italy are turned forwards one hour.