Italian summer course in Salerno

Suitability

This course package offers a highly social study experience to teenagers aged 14-17. Through immersive lessons and activities, this summer course allows youngsters to put their language skills into practice and meet peers from around the world.

Tuition is suitable for a wide range of levels, from basic (A1) to intermediate (B2). Complete beginners and more advanced students should select a different location. Lessons in Salerno cover practical communication, grammatical fundamentals, and language comprehension. Dynamic activities help to strengthen students’ spoken ability and develop their cultural understanding of the Italian-speaking world.

A day camp option without accommodation is possible on-request. Please contact us for more details.
This course offers teenagers a structured programme with an element of independence. Teachers and staff are available during the day to assist as needed, and monitors stay in the residence overnight to provide supervision there. Unsupervised time away from the school and/or residence, if authorised by parents/guardians, is allowed between 19:00 and 22:00. On some days, journeys between the school and the residence (a 10-minute walk) may be unsupervised. In these cases, students often travel in groups and are always encouraged to travel at least in pairs.

This level of autonomy allows teenagers to gain a sense of independence and cultivate key life skills, which we find is highly beneficial for personal development. Younger students especially should be mature enough for this level of personal responsibility.

School

Our Italian summer course in Salerno takes place at our general language school in the centre of the city. It is located just one street away from the famous Lungomare promenade, one of the longest seafront walks in Italy. This beautiful, tree-lined esplanade is a popular spot for locals to take their morning run or evening stroll; it stretches 2 km along the coast and connects the old town to Piazza della Concordia. During spring and summer, the walkway is dotted with puppet theatres, flea markets, gelato stalls, and small fairs.

Attractions like the Archaeological Museum and Spaggia Santa Maria beach can be reached on foot in just a few minutes from the language centre. Other nearby attractions include the beautiful and verdant Villa Comunale public park, the huge and ancient ‘Devil’s Bridge’ Roman aqueduct, and the vast Piazza della Libertà, Europe’s largest seafront public square which has a range of shops and attractions and is the main venue for the city’s cultural events.

The language school boasts 14 classrooms and its own café serving hot and cold drinks and snacks. As well as a cinema room for watching Italian films, there is a multimedia room with a range of student computers and a library with various Italian-language materials to borrow or rent. Adults study in separate classes in the same building.

The juniors’ residence, located just 10 minutes’ walk from the language centre, offers double and triple bedrooms and access to shared bathrooms. Meals are taken in the on-site dining room or at the language school. There is also a football pitch on-site which students have access to in the evenings.

Founded in 1997, this school has decades of experience teaching Italian to students from around the world. As well as this experience, the school is a member of several world-renowned quality-control organisations; these include the International Association of Language Centres (IALC), the American Association of Teachers of Italian (AATI), the Association of Schools of Italian as a Second Language (ASILS), and EduItalia. It is also affiliated with many Italian universities and has been consistently shortlisted for StudyTravel Magazine’s annual Star School Award. All these credentials allow you to be confident in the quality of tuition offered here and make it clear that this is an excellent choice for an immersive Italian language course!

Salerno

The charming city of Salerno sits on Italy’s south-eastern Amalfi Coast, an area famous for its outstanding natural beauty. As a relatively small city, Salerno is an excellent place for young people to learn Italian and feel safe. Demographically, the city is also very ‘Italian’, unlike other popular tourist destinations where you might hear the language diluted by English or French or other tongues. We’re therefore very happy to offer our Italian summer course for teenagers in this location!

Salerno has existed as a port city since at least the 6th century BC. Fascinating artefacts from this time can be found in the Provincial Archaeological Museum of Salerno, located just 5 minutes’ walk from our language school. Here you can also see relics from the Roman city of Salernum, a flourishing and lively merchant centre dating back to the 2nd century BC.

History buffs will also love Salerno because of its location right in the centre of the ‘3 Ps Triangle’, which connects the ancient sites of Pompeii, Paestum, and Positano. These ruins often appear on the summer course activity programme, giving teens an unforgettable experience alongside their language tuition.

From these ancient roots, Salerno developed into a prosperous trading port and a key hub of science and culture. Its 11th century cathedral still draws visitors by the thousands, thanks in no small part to the stunningly ornate crypt which is said to house the remains of Matthew the Apostle. The 16th century Forte La Carnale stands guard over the city on its eastern flank while, high on the western flank, Castello di Arechi and its accompanying Bastiglia offer breath-taking views over the bay.

It’s not just the historical sites which bring people here, however. Salerno is a city of azure waters and rich blue skies, of towering cliffs blanketed with emerald foliage, and of pastel buildings and winding alleyways. The centre’s streets are dotted with interesting artistic elements, from statues and fountains to friezes and frescoes. These are interspersed by the typical laundry-laden balconies of Campania which give the city so much of its character.

Campania - literally meaning ‘countryside’ and known to the Romans as Campania felix or ‘happy country’ - is known for its amazing scenery and its rich culture. The region is the home of buffalo mozzarella, Amalfi lemons, and well-known Italian dishes like pizza and spaghetti. The city hosts colourful events, from small-scale folk dances and historic re-enactments to food festivals, open-air music concerts, and large international events like the Film Festival and summer’s Pizzafest.

All-in all, Salerno is a perfect location in which to combine language learning with a fun and interesting holiday experience. Those travelling as a family may also like to know that Salerno offers excellent rail connections to Naples and Rome and ferry connections to many of the most desirable Mediterranean islands.

How to get there

The closest airport to Salerno is Naples International Airport, which is 57 km from the language school.

A transfer service on arrival and departure at this airport is included in the programme price. Students will be collected on arrival and taken to the school campus; on departure, students are taken back to the airport in time for their returning flight. This is a shared service, so students may need to wait at the airport with school staff while others arrive.

Private transfers are available on-request for students arriving outside the specified window. The school also offers an Unaccompanied Minors’ Service (UMS); if your airline requires that you select this for your child, please contact us for further information.

Students should arrive in Salerno on the Sunday before their lessons start and leave on the Saturday after their lessons finish. Extra nights on arrival and/or departure may be available if needed. Please get in touch with us before making any travel arrangements.

Location of our school in Salerno