Florence
Welcome to Florence, the capital of the Renaissance! While the cultural and historical impact of Florence (or Firenze) may seem overwhelming, close up, however, Florence is one of Italy's most atmospheric and pleasant cities, retaining a strong resemblance to the small late-medieval center that contributed so much to the cultural and political development of Europe. It was here that artists such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci lived and worked, as did poets such as Dante and Boccaccio.
Florence is not just a beautiful city full of art, history and culture, but is also one of the most important business centers of Italy where many small and medium enterprises, as well as large multinational corporations, produce sophisticated products from fashion to handicrafts, from machinery to high technology. The Chianti area, between Florence and Siena, is one of the most beautiful regions in Italy and a famous wine production area.

Florence and its surroundings offer a nearly unlimited variety of leisure activities, which our students may undertake on their own or with their teachers.

Our Motto
“Experiencing culture through language”

Location and Facilities
The American Language Center is located in Piazza della Repubblica, just a short walk from the world-famous Duomo. Our facilities include several multi-purpose classrooms, offices, student lounge, library, and a terrace overlooking the historical city center.

Our Individual Courses
This course is designed to adapt to the specific requirements of you, the student. It is tailor-made to your individual needs and interests, and will progress at just the right speed for you. At the beginning of the course you will sit down with your teacher and discuss your requirements and goals. During your course, you may alternate teachers to give you exposure to different accents and/or to learn vocabulary specific to your interests. Note that it is sometimes possible to start your individual course on a day other than a Monday.
10/20/30 lessons a week, with timetable and starting date chosen by the student.

Our Method
Our Teaching method takes full account of modern didactics and is oriented towards the Foreign Language Concept of the Council of Europe.

In a welcoming atmosphere the school teaches according to an innovative method based on an entertaining and communicative approach allowing the teacher to create a study program by which students can learn while enjoying themselves. This method combines scientific rigor with the use of a modern, dynamic and motivating teaching style. Grammar is taught at times intuitively, at times deductively according to the needs of the learner and also in a contrastive way, that is, comparing the differences in structure between the student’s mother tongue and Italian when the two languages greatly differ. The oral language (listening and speaking) is predominant, but reading and writing are also taken into consideration because they help reinforce what we learn. Students will be taught different memorization techniques to improve their power to remember vocabulary, which is the basis of language learning. Songs, opera extracts, poems, tongue twisters, newspaper articles, television ads and films will all allow students to get a taste for Italian culture as well, since every language reflects the culture from which it originates. Last, but not least, the rhythm and pace of your learning will be individualized according to your needs. We want you to feel at home with us while discovering a foreign country!

All courses are supervised by our Italian Coordinator, who has an MA in Teaching Italian Language and Culture from the University of Venice, Cà Foscari.

Our Levels
On the first day of the language course, your knowledge of Italian will be evaluated by an entry test and an interview. Students with no knowledge of Italian will be assigned to the beginner level. Textbooks and supplies are provided by the school, but you are expected to bring your own dictionary.

The time it takes to learn to use a foreign language varies from person to person. Therefore, regular assessment tests throughout the course enable us to measure your language development and evaluate your performance over a period of time.

Accommodation
We can arrange the following accommodations:
• Italian host families
• Private studio apartments
• Shared apartments
• School residences

The American Language Center of Florence was founded in 1959 by the United States Information Service and then privatized in the 1960's. It is now one of the leading American language schools in Italy, and is authorized by the Ministry of Public Education.

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