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Italian culture course

Scuola Porta d'Oriente - Istituto di Lingua e Cultura Italiana
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Course description

What does it mean to study the Italian culture and why study it

“Per insegnare bisogna emozionare. Molti però pensano ancora che se ti diverti non impari.”
Maria Montessori

Doing the Italian culture course means being enriched with new tools for human, psychological, cultural, professional and linguistic growth. We will analyze various interesting topics of the Italian cultural scene: art, cinema, literature, gastronomy (cooking, olive oil, wine), and music. During the Italian culture course we will analyze interesting aspects of the culture and Italian mentality with a deep anthropological and sociological analysis.

The didactic method used to teach the Italian culture: it is a "collaborative learning" method where everyone with his/her own capacity is free to express a point of view and so to contribute to the topic of discussion. Students are continuously encouraged by the teacher through questions and activities to reconstruct and build together the contents of the cultural topics.
The type of lesson that is not used is lecture style in which only the teacher speaks and the students listen. Our method is very communicative, so students are encouraged to use a lot of the Italian language. Through the study of the Italian culture students will engage in a lot of conversation!

Class schedule

Course duration
1-2 weeks
Start dates
Every Monday
Classes per week
20 lessons per week (each lesson lasts 50 min)
Class days
Monday - Friday

Class times

You can choose from the following class times:

Morning session
09:00 AM - 01:40 PM

Class schedule may change depending on availability and season.

Class level

Pre-intermediate
Intermediate
High intermediate
Advanced
You will take a placement test on your first day to determine your class level.

Class size

Average 5 students
Maximum 2 students

Student age

Age range 18 - 60 years old
Average 35 years old
(25 in the summer)

Certificate

A certificate of completion will be issued at the end of the course.
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school

School description

It is small-scale and friendly, staffed with experienced teachers having a sincere desire to help you to learn in an atmosphere of relaxed, but attentive, individual support.

Our Italian language courses always have a direct link with external reality. What happens in town, the region and the country must be announced during the lessons. All individual external experiences provide material for the Italian language courses, a systematic work according to the principles of the applied linguistics. The content of teaching and of the cultural activities are therefore in direct link with:

all aspects of life of the town and the region;
training, choices and objectives;
students' sensitive, creative, artistic, intellectual and cultural reactions.

THE STRENGTH of our Italian language courses is that the class lessons include some cultural and practical activities such as a lesson about the Apulian homemade pasta course (students will do 3 types of homemade pasta in the kitchen of the school) when in class we will discuss Apulian gastronomy; a demonstration, on the school's terrace, of Apulian folk dance (the Pizzica, a type of tarantella) when it comes to the popular tradition of Tarantism. Other practical activities will be proposed during the lessons.
OUR ITALIAN LANGUAGE COURSES FOCUS ON CONVERSATION

Bruce Lee once said: “Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do”.
Being able to engage in conversation is key when speaking a new language. True mastery of the language comes when one has grasped vocabulary, sentence structure, grammar concepts, and linguistics.
Conversation will be improved by debates, round table discussions and role-plays;
You will learn how to sustain simple and also advanced conversation with natives.

Year opened
1999
Number of classrooms
5

Facilities

  • Free Internet
  • Cultural Trips
  • Computers
  • Studying Area
  • TV Room
  • Library
  • Social Activities
  • Wireless Internet

Teacher qualifications

Native Italian speakers
All
Teachers with Italian teaching certification
All
Teachers with college degrees
All

Nationality and age mix

The nationality and age mix at Scuola Porta d'Oriente - Istituto di Lingua e Cultura Italiana varies over different time periods, courses and levels. Throughout the year, the average age is 35. In the summer, the average age is 25.

Scuola Porta d'Oriente (Lecce) teaches students from all over the world, including:

Germany
30%
Australia
10%
Switzerland
10%
Canada
5%
France
5%
Hungary
5%
Spain
5%
Sweden
5%
United States Minor Outlying Islands
5%
Belgium
3%
Other
17%

School holidays

Open dates
Year round
School holidays
None

School location

The location of our Italian language school, in the historic and artistic seaside town of Otranto, is very conducive to the whole Italian learning experience.

Every year Otranto wins "the five flags" prize for the cleanest sea of Italy by "Legambiente" and "Touring Club" (Italian associations about environment and Tourism). The town is surrounded by beautiful beaches characterized by fine and clear sand, lapped by a turquoise and crystalline sea.

The ANCI (National Association of the Italian Towns) listed Otranto among the 15 most beautiful small villages in Italy.

Otranto won also in 2010 UNESCO recognition. Its small modern port, adjacent to massive ancient stone fortifications, adds a vibrancy supplementing an excellent array of shops, restaurants and visitor facilities. However Otranto still manages to maintain a quiet and sophisticated atmosphere, totally uncharacteristic of typical tourist towns. Local people are warm and welcoming; you will find their smiles to be infectious. There is virtually no English spoken locally, so our students have an undiluted stunning stage on which to practice their new-found Italian skills!

Take a video tour

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photos

Photos

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reviews

Reviews

100% recommend

based on 1 review
5 stars
1
4 stars
0
3 stars
0
2 stars
0
1 star
0
Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location

"Excellent"

Boris Emmanuel Misevich, student from Argentina

Excellent teachers, classmates and everything that has to do with the school.
The way of explaining is excellent and his predisposition too. I recommend the school for all those who wish to learn Italian in Italy. Thanks for everything.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
6 Sep 2021 - 17 Sep 2021
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
housing

Housing

Scuola Porta d'Oriente (Lecce) offers the following housing types:
homestay

Homestay - Single-person room - Breakfast

£ 285
weekly
Age range: 18 - 85 years old
Location: In the city center of Otranto
Housing type: Homestay
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: Breakfast
Facilities: Free internet, carpet, and heating
Distance to school: 5 minutes by walk
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, before 10:00 AM
£ 285
Single room by Antonia's house. The apartment is located in the city centre at a few minutes walking from the school. Antonia is a typical middle-aged Italian lady who is very kind, lively and involves guests in her many activities.
apartment

Apartment - Single-person room - No meals

£ 254
weekly
Age range: 18 - 60 years old
Address: via Madonna del Passo, Otranto, Lecce 73028, Italy
Location: In the city center of Otranto
Housing type: Apartment
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: No meals
Facilities: Kitchen, laundry, and tV room
Distance to school: 10 minutes by walk
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, anytime
£ 254
All the apartments in Otranto are in the centre town. The shared apartments are situated at 10/20 minutes by foot from the school. They are composed of 2 or 3 bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen with cooking facilities and some have a separate diningroom. They are well furnished and they have TV and washing machine.

Private apartment - 2-person shared room - No meals

£ 445
weekly
Age range: 18 - 90 years old
Location: In the city center of Otranto
Housing type: Private apartment
Room type: 2-person shared room
Board type: No meals
Facilities: Private bathroom, kitchen, laundry, tV room, air conditioning, and heating
Distance to school: 5 minutes by walk
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, after 06:00 PM
Check-out: Saturday, before 10:00 AM
£ 445
They are private holiday apartments, not shared, for 1, 2 persons or families.1 typology: 1 bedroom with double bed, kitchen, bathroom, balcony or terrace;
2 typology: 2 bedrooms, kitchen/diningroom, 1 or 2 bathrooms,balcony or terrace;
3 typology: 3 bedrooms, kitchen/diningroom, 1 or 2 bathrooms,balcony or terrace.
Some of these apartments are situated in the modern area of the town and some in the historic centre in old buildings with views onto the cathedral, over the rooftops and the sea.
visa

Visa support

We cannot apply for visas on behalf of students. However, the school can supply you with all the documentation you need to support your visa application.

Your letter of acceptance will be sent to your home address by regular mail at no charge to you.

Flights and airport transfer

Please note that we do not book flights for our students. If you are researching airfare costs, we recommend using Kayak.com, a search engine that lets you compare flight options from your home country to Otranto based on your budget, schedule and preferences.

Travel insurance

Study abroad worry-free with Language International's health and personal effects insurance coverage. When you book a course with us, you can opt to purchase an international insurance plan that covers not only your health care cost but also loss of your personal belongings. You must book your insurance in advance when you register.

Learn more about our insurance plan »

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questions

Questions and answers

Have questions? Get answers from Scuola Porta d'Oriente - Istituto di Lingua e Cultura Italiana staff, Language International student advisors, and past students.

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