Learn Italian in Sicily, Italy

Our school in Taormina

Our Italian language school in Taormina, Sicily, is located in an historic villa, in the centre of Taormina, just 200m from the Greek Theatre. All the classrooms in the school are fully air-conditioned. The school sits in beautiful botanical gardens, which along with the villa are protected by Soverintendenza alle Belle Arti (the national agency for the preservation of arts and monuments). The school has its very own kitchen where cookery lessons are held, as well as a cafeteria for students to get hot and cold drinks and snacks in between lessons.

The school is also a centre for cultural studies, and regularly hosts book presentations given by authors, a Cine Forum and live theatre performances and concerts. In the summertime, the school’s gardens also play host to sculpture and painting exhibitions.

Courses

You can learn Italian on a Semi-Intensive Italian language course of 10 lessons/week, a Standard course of 20 lessons/week, an Intensive course of 30 lessons/week or if you want to learn as much Italian as possible during your course in Taormina, study on a Standard Plus Italian language course of 20 group lessons and 5 private lessons/week. You can choose an Examination Preparation Course to study for the internationally recognized CELI Italian language exams.

Italian and Cookery

Students can also attend the standard ‘Italian Cooking Course’, or else the ‘Vera Mamma’ Italian Cooking Course, taught by a real Sicilian ‘Mamma’ and followed by the 3-course meal that the students prepare under her guidance, on the cooking course.

Accommodation

Our Italian language school in Taormina arranges accommodation in self-catering apartments, shared with students from our school, in private studio apartments, in a guest house, or in carefully selected Italian host families. Our school advises students who want to learn Italian as quickly as possible to stay in Italian host families, as the families speak Italian to the students, helping students to learn the language skills they study in class.

Activities

Like our other schools in Italy, our school in Taormina offers an extensive cultural program, with Italian film evenings, theatre trips, seminars on culture and history, guided weekend excursions and concerts. This program ensures that students enjoy their time in Sicily, as well as helping them practice out of class the Italian that they learn at our school. The school has an exceptionally friendly, welcoming atmosphere, and Sicily itself is an unforgettable experience.

How to get there

Our Italian language school in Taormina can arrange airport transfers from Catania Airport, if you would like to be met on arrival and taken to your accommodation.

This is my third year!

My name is Stephen Blackhust and I am Deputy Head Teacher of a large comprehensive secondary school in Luton, Bedfordshire. For the third time in 4 years, during the school summer holiday, I am spending 4 weeks studying Italian in Taormina, Sicily.

When, in 2005, I decided to put myself in a classroom for 6 hours a day for 4 weeks, having just completed a busy school year, many people thought I was mad. I must confess to having a few doubts myself, people often comment on the length of teachers' holidays but in truth without them teachers simply could not keep going (neither could the pupils). And my mayor doubt was how I could cope without the long break to prepare far the re-start in September.

What actually happened was that that summer holiday, with its total immersion in Italian language and culture was both the most stimulating, challenging and restful break I have had in 28 years as a teacher!

Read more of this article on our blog