Italiamo - Comitato di Livorno

Italiamo is a non profit association which was founded in 1982 Inspired by both Giosuè Carducci (a famous Italian poet born in Livorno) and the "Sommo poeta" Dante Alighieri, commonly considered as the father of the Italian language. The association has as its sole purpose: "…to protect the teaching of Italian language and culture in the world…" and "…to make the study of Italian enjoyable, practical and useful for work life, free time and social life"… as stated by the 1st article of its statute. Many volunteers work for our association. All those who join the association are asked to pay an annual membership of € 50,00 (fifty Euro). All students receive an e-mail address that they can keep and use throughout the world via the Internet. Students receive a free password and username to participate in our services offered on the internet. The Portal of Italian language and culture www.arcibaldo.it. At the end of the course, all students can request a certificate of attendance which states the level attained. Those who attend the upper levels can attempt the final exam and if passed successfully, receive a diploma called "ITALIANO D.O.C". As of recently students can participate in examinations organised by the "The University for Foreigners" in Siena to receive C.I.L.S and DITALS certification, teachers will be able to advise you on the best examination to undertake. Our schools: Florence, Livorno, Rome, Venezia, Palermo, Pisa, Elba Island, Pratello, Maremma and Viareggio, represent a rich and diverse choice to study Italian in its birthplace. Each location has its own unique features , but all of them are characterized by the same didactic uniformity. Our schools are known for their relaxing and comfortable atmosphere allowing for learning to be both stress-free and effective.

Courses offered all year round. The city of Livorno, unaffected by mass tourism, represents a real surprise for those who love the beach because Livorno's coastline, sandy in the north and rocky in the south, is one of the most charming of this region. The temperate climate allows for a long beach season from April to October. In some rare cases in protected areas, it is possible to go to the beach even in the winter. In this school location all courses are offered at the dates indicated on the calendar. Upon request to the school office, it is possible to begin a course on other dates. Livorno represents a perfect starting point in visiting Tuscany thanks to its affordable prices and to its efficient road and rail connections with the other artistic cities of the region (by train Pisa can be reached in only 15 minutes and Florence, Lucca, Chianti, Siena and San Gimignano in about one hour). This location is famous for the extracurricular activities organised for the student's free time. Thanks to the work done by our organisers, it is possible for the student to enjoy both the quality of the courses and all the activities found in the program (where Italian is the only language spoken) such as beach parties, day trips, movies (open-air in the summer), traditional dinners, bars and discos. For further clarification write to:livorno@italiamo.it

All courses run from Monday to Friday. On the first day of attendance, there is a test to determine the level of Italian. This enables us to accurately place the students in a homogeneous group and to determine what standard the student might reasonably expect to attain in the allotted time. Thus we can tailor the academic content of the course to the individual's needs and current abilities. The student will then be invited to join either a group that is already formed or -should he or she wish it or in cases where there is no appropriate group- classes can be created especially to facilitate the progress of the individual student. When formed, our classes are made up of students from different countries who have the same linguistic level of Italian. All the lessons are of 45 minutes. The only language spoken in class is Italian. The prices of the courses are in Euro and are specific to each of our schools; as a non-profit organisation, Italiamo's prices respond to the varying local economic conditions at each of our sites and always to the benefit of our students.

On the request of the student, with the assistance of the tourist Agency "Enjoy Toscana Tours", the school itself finds the accommodation for the student. On the condition that the office is informed in advance, students may invite friends or relatives in their home. These guests also have to pay the membership quota of the Association and can enjoy all the benefits as well. Prices are per individual, weekly and all in Euro. Rules: Accommodation is available from the Sunday before the course begins till the Saturday 10 a.m. when the course ends. Those students who will be arriving or departing outside the above times are asked to inform us as much in advance as possible. The students who ask for a double room and arrive by themselves will be matched with other students who asked for the same accommodation or they will pay for a single room price. We reserve the right, during extraordinary situations, to change the type of accommodation asked for with an eventual variation in price. Flats are available as well and represent the most economical choice providing the greatest freedom for the student. This housing is not owned by the school or by travel agencies; our role is exclusively to introduce the student to the flat owners. During the periods when it is necessary to use heating, a deposit must be given to the flat owners. The flats do not have linen and towels. The students can bring their own linen or rent it from the school (the change of sheets is every fortnight, for the towels it is weekly). Triple rooms are also available on student's request. *Apartment prices do not include expenses for electricity. All accommodation is rented clean and tidy. At the end of the stay students will be charged for a cleaning service. On special request this can also be arranged during the student's stay.

This location is famous for the extracurricular activities organised for the student's free time. Thanks to the work done by our organisers, it is possible for the student to enjoy both the quality of the courses and all the activities found in the program (where Italian is the only language spoken) such as beach parties, day trips, movies (open-air in the summer), traditional dinners, bars and discos. Livorno represents a perfect starting point in visiting Tuscany thanks to its affordable prices and to its efficient road and rail connections with the other artistic cities of the region (by train Pisa can be reached in only 15 minutes and Florence, Lucca, Chianti, Siena and San Gimignano in about one hour).