Gap Year in Italy, the ideal program to study abroad in Italy

Once again, Scuola Leonardo da Vinci, one of Italy's largest provider of in-country Italian courses in Italy, is announcing the new programs for the year 2006 presenting innovative plans to promote the learning of the Italian language. Now, universities, colleges, community colleges, high schools and students worldwide are invited to read about our wide choice of Italian language and cultural courses. This year following the great success of the inaugural Academic School Year in 2005, Scuola Leonardo da Vinci will feature the Academy School Year course in Italy in all its school centers (Florence, Milan, Rome and Siena). The "Academic Year" is a 32 week language and culture course for students who wish to experience living and studying in Italy. The course combines not only language courses with Italian culture classes at the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci but the syllabus also incorporates the fundamental elements of level C2 of the European Language Portfolio. "All in all, the course offers students the opportunity to see at first hand the various aspects of Italy’s rich history and culture", said Chiara Poggi, the Head of Studies of the Italian School in Florence. Needless to say, lessons are taught only in Italian from the very start. "At the end of the course, the student is ready to write a final dissertation on a topic related to Italian culture (art, history and business Italian)", said Wolfango Poggi, director of the Italian language school Leonardo da Vinci in Milan. Created to provide an opportunity for motivated and deserving students to experience the magic of study abroad one year, the Academic Year Program in Italy aims to:

• progress from the Beginner and/or the Elementary level to the Intermediate stages, working on the basics of Italian grammar (articles, prepositions, present and past tenses) to more complex subjects such as the subjunctive.
• develop speaking and listening skills through daily conversation classes.
• give an introduction to the everlasting beauty and charm of Italian art.
• take you through the world of business and current affairs and the world of fashion: a sector where Italian artists are at the leading edge, where we aim to reveal some of the secrets behind the “Made in Italy” label.
• allow you to understand the mixture of tradition and change which characterizes contemporary Italy.

When asked about her experience, Sanda S., who studied in Milan with Scuola Leonardo da Vinci last year, commented: "I was delighted at the chance to travel to Italy and attend Scuola Leonardo da Vinci for 32 weeks. I believe the programme helped me to improve my Italian in a friendly and supportive environment. I really enjoyed meeting people from around the world. Being able to study in Italy also helped me gain an understanding of the Italian culture. It was certainly an experience I will never forget and intend to repeat in the future." Program details and supporting information, including students opinions and histories on the Academic Year Experince in Italy, may be found on the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci Web site at http://www.scuolaleonardo.com/gap-year-in-italy.php. Next Starting dates, as written on the Web Site, are 02 January, 08 May and 25 September 2006. For 29 years, Scuola Leonardo da Vinci, the market leader in in-country Italian language courses, has been exclusively dedicated to the teaching of Italian to foreigners. Each year the company welcomes students from 60 countries to its schools in Florence, Milan, Rome and Siena. The company’s Web site, http://www.scuolaleonardo.com, an Italian language portal offering informations and pages of Italian language courses, culture and resources on 12 languages, receives more than 3,000 visits daily. For general business-related questions, contact the Marketing Office of Scuola Leonardo da Vinci. Information and Registration Center (Florence, Italy) Tel.: +39-055-29.03.05 - Fax: +39-055-290396 http://www.scuolaleonardo.com - scuolaleonardo@scuolaleonardo.com