This intensive course consists of 120 hours per month and can be taken for 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks. It is held in the morning session (4 hours) and the first part of the afternoon (2 hours).
Students consider this course very effective as it has many hours guaranteeing an intensive and complete study of the Italian language.
Class schedule may change depending on availability and season.
Average | 7 students |
Maximum | 12 students |
Age range | 14 - 90 years old |
Average | 28 years old (25 in the summer) |
Parola School is an Italian language institute that holds its courses in the historic center of Florence.
Parola School's excellent location and its selection of courses make it an ideal place to study Italian. Our language center offers various language courses, from group classes to individual lessons to combined categories (group and one-on-one).
Our Italian language students can choose from intensive, online, short-duration, and CILS preparation courses. In short, our school participants can opt for a few hours of weekly lessons up to 40 or 60 hours a week.
Parola is airconditioned in all the classrooms. Moreover, it provides an elevator for all its international students.
Our Italian language school also organizes free time activities for its students. We offer a weekly social and leisure calendar to invite students to practice their Italian language skills while visiting the famous locations of interest in and around Florence.
On top of that, Parola School also specializes in tailor-made Italian language courses for students of all ages and nationalities.
For more than 30 years, Parola School has been offering its Italian language courses in the heart of Florence.
Our Italian lessons are held in a pleasant and friendly environment. Our institute headquarters provides elevators and air conditioning in all the classrooms.
Our Italian language students can meet new friends and have a great immersion in the Italian language and culture, thanks to Parola's multiple cultural free-time activities.
Parola Language Center offers its courses to students of all nationalities and ages.
Our language school offers group courses, private lessons, or combined language classes (group plus private). All our language courses are held with professionalism, vivacity, and friendliness.
Our teachers are all native speakers and with their experience can also create a very social atmosphere in the class.
Parola Italian language school offers a lot of advantages for learning Italian in Florence:
- CILS certified center to obtain the most important certificate of Italian competence
- Individual and group Italian language courses with six grammar levels
- Combined courses (group + private)
- Online Italian Courses with no more than 5 - 6 students
- Maximum of 12 students with an average of 6 - 7 students per class
- Courses for students of all ages and nationalities
- Competitive course prices with free-of-charge social activities
- Evening Italian language lessons until 8:00 pm, Monday to Friday
- Italian language lessons for Au-Pairs in Tuscany
- Additional courses such as lessons in Italian cooking, painting classes, or drawing
Parola School has a very strategic location in the historic center of Florence. Our school is located in a culturally very vibrant neighborhood of the city with a wide array of Italian restaurants and coffee shops where students can enjoy the fantastic nightlife of Florence.
Parola School is close to the Church of Santa Croce and a 10-minute walk from Ponte Vecchio, Piazza Della Signoria, and the Uffizi Gallery.
Moreover, students can reach the Arno River in 5 minutes on foot to enjoy the beautiful sights of Florence from Ponte Alle Grazie.
Parola has partnerships with the following universities and colleges in Italy. You can gain full or conditional acceptance into one of these institutions.
The nationality and age mix at Scuola Parola varies over different time periods, courses and levels. Throughout the year, the average age is 28. In the summer, the average age is 25.
Parola teaches students from all over the world, including:
Parola Italian language school is located in the heart of Florence near the beautiful "Basilica di Santa Croce."
Our language center is also close to the Uffizi Gallery, Piazza Della Signoria, and the worldwide-known Ponte Vecchio.
The excellent location means students are a short walk from Florence's beautiful and historical art attractions.
Study and learn Italian pleasantly and profitably at Parola. You will get excellent results thanks to the professionalism and friendliness of our native-speaker teachers.
We have been offering Italian courses in the city's historic center for over 30 years at advantageous prices, in a friendly environment, and with expert teachers.
Our language institute is an ideal place to appreciate the beauty of Florence, its art, and its culture. It is located in Borgo Santa Croce, 17 in Florence, in a palace of the 1400s very close to the Basilica of Santa Croce, Palazzo Mori Ubaldini of the Alberti, in the historic center of Florence.
Italian language students highly appreciate Parola School's welcoming and friendly environment and flexibility of teaching times.
Our international students are satisfied with the Italian courses in Florence of Parola School, through which they achieve excellent results in learning the Italian language.
Our Italian language lessons are carried out throughout the year by available and competent teachers, both in person and online; Parola School also carries out digital Italian courses with private lessons or classes in small groups.
The booking process was very easy and the booking company was helpful. The school itself was easy to work with and flexible. I was able to find the private classes I was looking for without committing to a large block of time. My instructor, Eduardo, was terrific. He was very good at explaining and our conversations were thoroughly enjoyable. The school was easy to locate and very welcoming.
Show details » Read more...Thanks for your kind review. Kindness and flexibility are characteristics we care about a lot.
I found Parola School to be a place of professionals, who knows to engage students, and at the same time makes the study of languages fun.
Parola School listens to their students, and does a professional job of securing that the students ends up the correct level.
Thank you for finding our school professional and dedicated. These elements are part of our language learning process with students: professionalism and teaching dedication.
GRAZIE!
I have great momorises from attending to course in Parola school. The atmosfere is wonderful and the quality of lessons are high. Teachers are realy competense and helpfully. After lessons 2 or 3 times for week are organisate exits to muzeum, degustation of vine and pizza restaurants ect. I enyoy of this time and for meeting realy great people of this course.
Show details » Read more...
Thanks a lot for enjoying our atmosphere among students and teachers.
GRAZIE!
I attended Parola school for a month and it was the best experience of my life. The teachers are very attentive and sweet, the classes are well adpated to each level and the courses are fun and layed back. I was really able to feel how my italian skills got so much better after the 4 weekns of class, and I will surely come back when I will have the opportunity ! The school is located beautifully and makes the experience even more autentic as it is in a beautiful old building near the Santa Croce Church. Everyone was really nice and I was able to meet wonderful people troughout the classes and the afternoon activities.
Show details » Read more...Thank you so much for your review. We appreciate the fact that you found the school very pleasant. GRAZIE.
I'm really lucky that I have been a part of this. I studied so much only in 2 weeks in italian, and learnt speaking and grammar that much I could have only dreamed of in in my school, also I understand it really well. In school everyone was nice and friendly. The teachers are polite, my grammar teacher was really cheerful which made it so much easier, I had a private lesson everyday, and I loved it, it was with Francesca, she always had smile on her face and I really felt comfortable with her, thanks to her I speak really well now.
The location of the accommodation was perfect, only 20 mins walk, I was with a host-family, which was a little stragne but that's my personal opinion.
Grazie mille per la recensione. Siamo contenti che tu abbia apprezzato i nostri insegnanti e anche la cordialità alla scuola.
I liked the teachers, but I can't undestand Al the explanacions because I don"t speak english. The most off the details about the language was in english.
Show details » Read more...Grazie mille per la recensione. Purtroppo, al primo livello, parlare inglese è spesso indispensabile. Con il passere dei giorni, cerchiamo di parlare meno in inglese perchè gli studenti si abituano ai suoni e alla regole base dell'italiano; possono e devono fare uno sforzo in più ed entrare in un'immersione totale nella lingua.
Amazing experience for our family of 4, 2 teens. We loved our walks to/from school via Ponte vechio. Sara our teacher was very clear with the lessons. Ilaria made the conversation classes fun so we could speak. Our teens had fun in their begging class, Silvia and Nadia kept them interested. Great school that also offered activities afterwards.
Show details » Read more...Grazie mille per la recensione. Apprezziamo motlo che tu abbia gradito l'atmosfera della scuola.
The overall experience was very good - the location of the school is great, and I really liked the small size of the classes. It was very nice to be in class with people from all over the world. For me, it grew difficult to keep up after the first week because I was only taking classes a few times a week for two hours each day, and I was in classes with students who were there every day for a longer period. Sometimes our regular teacher wasn't there and we were placed in a class with people who were even further ahead. I would have liked more guidance on what topics were coming up so I could study ahead to keep up. Still, I felt like I got a lot out of the experience having been there just a month - I learned more vocabulary and felt more comfortable with the language. The teachers are good especially for needing to work with a lot of different experience levels.
Show details » Read more...Grazie mille for your review. We try to do our best to create a friendly and stimulating atmosphere to learn Italian.
I really enjoyed the two weeks at Parola School - I learned a lot, talked a lot in Italian (although having none - to minimum knowledge of the language), had much fun with students and teachers and experienced a relaxed, friendly atmosphere although working intensely.
Classes and teachers: small groups (mine had just 4-5 participants); two supportive teachers (one focused on grammar; one focused on communication) that used lots of different methods and techniques to keep us motivated although we were working really hard. Opportunity to choose different courses (according to learning speed) and additional private lessons. And also: online lessons as follow-up education (which I´m taking to keep and enhance my skills until I´m going to attend another course at Parola School next year!)
Location: Situated in a 16th century (or so) Villa (wonderful building) in the centre of Firenze - good air conditioning
The small classes are part of our language teaching. We do not have more than 12 students for each class and this guarantees good learning and good teaching by teachers, Simone
The teach I had - Massimo Curti - was simply outstanding. I learnt a great deal and was delighted both by the way I was taught and the open friendly manner of the School itself.
Show details » Read more...Grazie mille per la tua bella recensione. Le nostre lezioni individuali sono sempre amichevoli e professionali. E Massimo Curti è un ottimo insegnante, Simone
Not only are the teachers very kind, they also help you find discover things you might be interested in. Also they offer different activities in the afternoon so that you can also learn more about the culture and not just the language. I am very glad I went there.
Show details » Read more...Thank you so much. We try to creat a pleasant atmosphere for all our students. We happy that you enjoyed the vibrations of our language school, Simone
Unfortunately, it was not so suitable for me because there was no beginners course due to the difficult Corona situation. But it was still fun and everyone was very helpful and friendly!
Show details » Read more...Grazie Mille. Thanks for understanding our difficult situation during the pandemic. We appreciate very much the fact that you found our teachers very friendly and professional, Simone
I came to Parola school to learn a little bit of Italian while I was spending a month vacation in Florence. I liked that the class was in the morning, and you had the rest of the day to explore the city. Simone provided a lot of cool optional activities, almost everyday, after class that were not only informative about the city, but also a lot of fun. I felt that I was much more comfortable traveling around the city and communicating after having learned basic italian over my trip. It was very beneficial to take this class.
Not only that, but I felt that the teachers put in so much effort to engage with the students and keep the classes interesting. Additionally, throughout the course, most of the questions or concerns went to Gianluca, who was so gracious and eager to help with anything. He always had all the information and the best advice, which was a very nice bonus at the school. I could really tell that the staff at Parola works very hard and they really enjoy their jobs, which made attending lessons there so worthwhile. I would recommend this class to a friend, definitely, and would love to someday be back myself!
Grazie mille per la tua recensione! Apprezziamo molto.
Sylvia was absolutely wonderful and really cares for her students and their understanding.
I do feel that Francesca could explain the grammar portion better and translate in English so there is a better understanding of the course material. I feel basic things were skipped over or I did not understand because it was all in Italian.
Overall it's a lovely school and I appreciate Gianluca's constant communication through email when signing up and registering for the course. He's really great at his job, Parola is lucky to have him.
Simone is a great guide and I really enjoyed the guided tours, learning more about the art and history of Florence.
Grazie millle, sei stata gentilissima! We hope to continue to be nice with all our students. Parola team
I mean that I liked everything, especially the employees of the Word school who are very professional, nice and pleasant people. Also the activities to discover the monuments in Florence and the good addresses to eat well that their data have.
Show details » Read more...Grazie mille. Cerchiamo di far del nostro meglio e di essere amichevoli e professionali. Simone
I loved the staff and the teacher I had was great and very positive. However, the grammar lessons went too fast and because conversation was not included in the class I wasn't practicing anything I was learning and integrating it properly before going into the next subject. I feel that the optimal way to learn a language is to go slower and to have conversation included in the grammar as the same class. I think each subject should be used in many different exercises, writing freely, speaking, games, and answering the questions in the notebook for a week before moving on to another subject. Otherwise it is too much information in too short a time period without even practicing what you are learning. Therefore my rating is actually 3 stars except I had a great fun and likable teacher and classmates so that helped to bump it up to a 4.
I would recommend this school for something light and for a very beginner level. But once you enter level 2 I do not think the approach is the best so I am going to say no for recommending this school.
Ciao, our language courses are divided into 2 parts: grammar and conversation. If teachers do grammar, obviously, they don't consider the Italian conversation, which is done in the second part of the morning. I honestly do not understand the statement: the first level and second level are optimal, and for the other other levels, they are not. The teachers are the same, with the same methodology.
If a student wants to take part into a conversation class only, she o he is obviously free to consider it without any problem. Anyway, thank you so much for the review.
It’s a lovely school located in the centre of the city very near to Santa Croce, Ponte Vecchio etc the school is in an old building which was really lovely all the classrooms are the perfect size, the teachers I had were all very helpful and made sure everyone always understood the lessons, the size of the classes were perfect and there was always lovely activities on in the afternoon like trips to different places, movies, going to restaurants etc would highly recommend this school to anyone who wants to learn Italian!!
Show details » Read more...Grazie Eve, you have been a very good student as well: attentive and enthusiast. Parola school is always trying to make students happy with their learning. It is not always easy but we are happy to please their language needs.
Quick feedback from the school. The school is not expensive. The teachers are helpful and friendly.
The location of the school is in the center of Florence. Activities after lessons are interesting.
What I really didn’t’ like was that my time in Florence was up extremely quickly.
Grazie mille, we try to be helpful and friendly. And of course, professional. Thanks for appreciating the school, Simone
I’ve been studying at the Parola School for 4 years now, and keep on coming back due to the high quality of the teaching, as well as the friendly and very helpful atmosphere. Aside from teaching me Italian in individual and group lessons, the personnel helped me in many areas, including looking for and buying an apartment. The central location is also a definite advantage. Highly recommended!
Show details » Read more...Graziee. Molto gentile Robert, sei sempre il benvenuto alla scuola Parola, alla prossima, S.
Great atmosphere and great teachers!! Special Sylvia, Annarita and Marcello with whom I had the pleasure of having classes with them:) I have been on 4- week intensive course and it was really intensive! Many activities, many school's trip help you to improve more your Italian. Another plus is the school's localization- very clouse to all attraction of Florenze. I could not fail to mention about capi di tutti i capi- Simone and Gianluca, who care about this family atmosphere at school and are always ready to help.
Show details » Read more...Grazie Marta, molte grazie per la tua recensione. Un salutone, Simone
I think that the school painstakingly takes the time to assess and evaluate at which level the student is. I found the instructors to be EXCELLENT teachers, especially Francesca and Nadia. Both were encouraging to me and were clear about their assessment of me. They taught in a manner which was engaging. They were present throughout the courses.
I liked that the school, especially Simone and Marcello took the time to explore Florence, its history, the culture and arts. This aspect added to the program, presenting a bigger picture of the Italian language and culture.
I liked the location, outside of the frenzy which descends upon Florence, yet close enough to venture.
Grazie mille, troppo gentile! La tua risposta ci rende molto contenti di fare questo lavoro.
The school environment is conducive for learning a new language. The lessons are fast but not difficult to follow. The teachers are very professional in their approach of the lessons but at the same time they are student oriented, The teachers make the students feel at ease, have fun and participate in class. I admire the patience and generosity of the teachers. I admire the teachers more in their ability to make the students coming from different countries learn the language together.
The school is very accessible It is right in the center of the historic city of Florence. And the afternoon activities organized for learning culture, history, food, and arts made the lessons even more interesting and fun. I came to know more other than language and grammar lessons.
The staff were also very supportive. They entertained all my inquiries before I entered the school until I left. This is very important for a foreigner finding his/her way into a new place or a new country.
The learning experience could be better if audio-visual aids are used as part of the learning experience.
All in all, I would definitely recommend this school for someone who is serious about learning a new language.
Grazie Raymond, and thanks for the little gifts that we have received,
Parola
Homestays are carefully selected and offer students the opportunity to learn more about the local culture in a comfortable setting while studying Italian in Florence. These homes are often between 5 - 30 minutes away from the school by public transport. Families usually offer affordable meal plans that allow you to sample the local cuisine. If you have special requests or diet restrictions (because of religion or health reasons), please let us know in advance. Your housing starts on the Sunday before your first day of class and ends on the Saturday after your last day of class, unless otherwise noted. Learn more about homestay housing
It is possible to live in a rented apartment during your study in Florence, but this tends to be more expensive. Parola provides some assistance with apartment rentals or you can rent an apartment on your own. Learn more about apartment housing
Parola provides some assistance with hotel or hostel reservations or you can reserve a room on your own. Learn more about hostel housing
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.
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 Florence based on your budget, schedule and preferences.
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.
Have questions? Get answers from Scuola Parola staff, Language International student advisors, and past students.
Ask a questionScuola Parola