Italian Language Schools - Courses in Italy: Learn Italian: Italy

Italy is so full of life it's hard to know where to start. Learn Italian in Italy, one of the worlds' most captivating destinations. Art, Architecture, history, fashion and food - Italy is a world leader in them all. Let's not forget the people: charming, generous, open and friendly, Italy and the Italians justify superlatives of every kind. Combine all Italy's superb facets and you have a country that stands out among others, by a long way.

Italy History

Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor Emmanuel II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito Mussolini established a Fascist dictatorship. Mussolini, due to sharing similar politics to Hitler, made a doomed union with Nazi Germany, which led to Italy's defeat in World War II. The monarchy was replaced by a democratic republic in 1946 and an economic recovery followed.

Italy was one of the first countries to join NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north.

Italian Language Courses Italy - Geography

Italy consists predominantly of a large peninsula (the Italian Peninsula), with a distinctive boot shape that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, where together with its two main islands - Sicily and Sardinia - it creates distinct bodies of water, such as the Adriatic Sea to the north-east, the Ionian Sea to the south-east, the Tyrrhenian Sea to the south-west and finally the Ligurian Sea to the north-west.

The Apennine Mountains form the backbone of this peninsula, leading north-west to where they join the Alps, the mountain range that then forms an arc enclosing Italy from the north. Here is also found a large alluvial plain, the Po-Venetian plain, drained by the Po River - which is Italy's longest river with 652 km - and its many tributaries flowing down from the Alps (Dora Baltea, Sesia, Ticino, Adda, Oglio, Mincio), and Apennines (Tanaro, Trebbia, Taro, Secchia, Panaro).

Italian Language Schools Italy - Economy

Italy has a diversified industrial economy with roughly the same total and per capita output as France and the UK. This capitalistic economy remains divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less-developed, welfare-dependent, agricultural south, with 20% unemployment. Over the past decade, Italy has pursued a tight fiscal policy in order to meet the requirements of the Economic and Monetary Unions and has benefited from lower interest and inflation rates. The current government has enacted numerous short-term reforms aimed at improving competitiveness and long-term growth. The movement has been slow, however, on implementing needed structural reforms. However, the leadership faces a severe economic constraint: the budget deficit has breached the 3% EU ceiling. The economy experienced almost no growth in 2005, and unemployment remained at a high level.

Italian Food

Like the language and culture, food in Italy varies region by region. Pasta and olive oil are considered the characteristics of southern Italian food, while northern food focuses on rice and butter (although today there are many many exceptions). In warm Naples, citrus and other fresh fruit play a prominent role in both food and liquor, while in Venice fish is obviously an important traditional ingredient. As guideline, in the south cuisine is focused on pasta and dessert, while at north meat is king, but this rule can be very different depending where you are.

Usually Italian meals are: small breakfast, one-dish lunch, one-dish dinner. Lunch and dinner are seen as a social time with lunch being the most important time of the day. Aside from the social aspects which are enjoyed during the first hour of the break, they reserve an entire hour for napping. Usually referred to as a sesta in Italian, it's a time when all shops close down and resume after the two hour break period. To get around this businesses stay open later.

Coffee is welcomed at nearly every hour, especially around 10AM and at the end of a meal.

Learn Italian in Italy - Climate

The climate of the costal regions is a typical Mediterranean climate with mild winters and generally hot and dry summers.

Italy and the large islands of Sicily and Sardinia have very changeable weather in autumn, winter, and spring in marked contrast to the settled sunny weather of summer. Disturbed weather can continue into late May and may commence any time after early September. Throughout the winter, however, cloudy rainy days alternate with spells of mild, sunny weather.

The least number of rainy days and the highest number of hours of sunshine occur in the extreme south of the mainland and in Sicily and Sardinia. Here sunshine averages from four to five hours a day in winter and up to ten or eleven hours in summer.

Generally, the hottest month is July (where temperatures can reach 32°C/34°C); the coldest month is January; the rainiest month is November, with an average rainfall of 129mm; and the driest month is July, with an average rainfall of 15mm.

Italy - Interesting Facts

• The name " Italy " comes from Greek "italos", which means calf. It was initially given to the region of Calabria by Greek settlers in the 8th century BCE, but was extended to the whole peninsula under Roman emperor Augustus.
• During the 14 th century, the European Renaissance began in Northern Italy.
• Many of the world's most famous artists were Italian, with such names as Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello, Fra Angelico, Tintoretto, Caravaggio, Bernini, Titian and Raphael, among many others. The Italians also invented the viol, violin, cello, piano, and were the greatest representative of Baroque music (Vivaldi, Corelli, Monteverdi, Albinoni...).
• Italy has more famous fashion designers than any other country, including Gucci, Prada, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Ermenegildo Zegna, Gianfranco Ferré, Salvatore Ferragamo, Roberto Cavalli, Fendi, Valentino, Trussardi, and Benetton... Many of the world's most prestigious sports cars are Italian, such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Bugatti or De Tomaso.

Italian Language Courses in Italy - Advice

At our Italian schools and courses in Italy our advice can really be summed up with one simple word - practice! What kind of study materials you use is not quite as important as how or how often you use them. Your hard work and determination will be one of the biggest factors in successful language learning.

The Italian school and course you choose in Italy is going to be the core of your Italian study, so make sure you choose an Italian language course that gives you structured lessons and lots of opportunity to practice your new language skills. Our Italian courses at our Italian schools in Italy, will give you the perfect opportunity to study, learn, and practice Italian in a supportive, well planned and friendly environments.

You must work at your new Italian language skills every day. Ideally, you should study Italian an extra hour or more every day. If you can get at least an extra half-hour of study time, that's pretty good too. Try to at least get a little review and study, learn and practice Italian every single day.

If you attend one of our Italian courses in Italy and you learn Italian everyday, you will have a good basic knowledge of the Italian language in a reasonable amount of time. Your knowledge and ability will increase and improve depending upon what other tools you use and what kind of experiences you have using the Italian language.

Grammar book. A good old-fashioned grammar book may be boring but they are a great way to really get to grips with the details of the language.

Phrase Book

These are extremely helpful books that you can carry with you. They can be useful for practicing pronunciation, or for quickly finding a lot of more commonly used phrases, words and idioms. Phrase books are always a nice supplement to learn Italian and they are convenient and cheap.

Dictionary. Absolutely necessary in the long run. You must have a dictionary if you wish to expand your vocabulary, and you will need one in order to take full advantage of many of the Italian language learning tips set out here. Make sure you get one that translates both ways e.g. Spanish to Italian AND Italian to Spanish. It is also helpful to find a dictionary that contains idioms - the phrases particular to the language which you are studying - as well as phrases that are commonly used in the Italian language, but may be difficult to translate.

Flashcards

A simple Italian language learning tip, but a very effective way to review, refresh your memory and expand your vocabulary. There are pre-made flashcards that can be purchased, or for extra help, you can create your own. Keep them with you at all times, in your pocket or in your car, and look at them for a quick review or language lesson at every opportunity. They are very convenient.

Talk to yourself

It may be obvious, but the best way to learn Italian in Italy is to speak Italian in Italy ! This convenient method can be use at all times, as you can even talk to yourself. Even if you are in public and don't feel comfortable talking to yourself out loud, you can make it your habit to practice Italian by thinking Italian. Throughout the day, think of the Italian words for everything you pass - objects in your house, things you pass when you are traveling, things you use at work or school, etc. Learn basic Italian phrases like - ‘it is cold today' or ‘it is sunny today' and use whichever is appropriate when you first look out the window. By putting this tip into use on a regular basis, the vocabulary and phrases will become more routine and automatic.

Practice with friends

Taking it even further than talking to yourself, you can practice with your friends. Even if they don't speak Italian, talk to the people you know by using your new language. Warn them in advance that you are practicing your new knowledge and they'll know what's coming. Even a simple 'good morning' or'see you later' in Italian will make those phrases more natural to you. Your friends may even begin to learn a few words and join in the fun too!

Listen to Italian music. You'll hear the Italian language used in a real context and this will help you pick out the rhythm and pronunciation even better. This method will also give you a further understanding of, and appreciation for, the culture and customs of the people. Music in Italian might be easier to find than others, but Amazon or eBay and many other global websites will enable you to find music in Italian and many different languages.