Intensive Italian course - Sicily winter season

I went to Catania school and my profeserossa was BRAVA! Federika made the class fun, relevant, and she incorporated the Italian culture in many ways. I truly enjoyed my stay and the trips and the food and, and, and..... two weeks is a perfect time to take classes and then another 2 for travel around the area (in my opinion). The local patisserie has best chipollinas that I was hooked on! Get ready to scrap your diet and indulge in cuisine, Catania vibe, and spritz, selzer, granita, and brioches-- I miss them. The school itself is centrally located. OH! the movie we saw was super funny and right on with Italian mindset, style, government structure, and just the ways in which Italians are unique!

Had a blast and was able to improve my Italian in a short amount of time. The staff are lovely. The classes are well paced and in small groups enabling a good amount of spontaneity. The location is a little bit out of the centre but Catania is small enough that you can still walk in and out with ease. Only one after school activity a week did feel a little lacking but given that the school is so small I can understand why group activities are not a priority and there's plenty to do in the city.

Language course
⦁ during the course, classes were conducted in an international group (4 hours a day) - it was a valuable experience. However, the participants were at different language levels (some studied for 1 week, others longer). As a result, people who joined as complete beginners did not understand what was happening during the first days of classes (the level was adapted to people who already knew something, although the teacher tried to take care of everyone and approach each one individually, which was great <3). As part of the course, as a beginner, I also purchased individual classes, which were very fruitful for me. I know that people who also started learning from the basics had to take such classes to level up their level. However, they were not informed in advance that such classes were subject to an additional fee and that they would have to participate in such meetings at all, because the level of the group was slightly higher.
I think that in the future it is worth adding in the course description that when you start in a beginner group, you are included in a group that can continue learning and not everything is from scratch.
⦁ In the first week of classes, misunderstood terms in Italian were translated into English, which supported the development of multilingualism, in the second week the classes were almost exclusively in Italian (of course, if we still didn't understand something, the teacher explained slowly and in different phrases so that everyone knew about what are you talking about).
⦁ The course included cultural activities such as: visiting the Benedictine Monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena and the Orto Botanico botanical garden with Italian guides, and going out to restaurants together. It was a very valuable and interesting experience! I think that such an event could be organized more frequently.
⦁ Individual classes with a native speaker (1 hour a day) - meetings tailored to individual needs, expanding vocabulary, grammar, vocabulary, basic phrases, situational scenes, conversation - I rate it extremely positively, and Julia is a great teacher!

The experience (two weeks) was bittersweet. On the one hand, the school has a good atmosphere and the facilities are correct. On the other hand, however, the three levels they offer don't quite fit the variety of student levels. In my case there were a maximum of 3 students in the classroom, even so they did not adapt the class to each one's level. There were several unprofitable conversation classes more guided by the students than by any syllabus. One day when I was alone, the class ended early (!). All in all, I think it can be a good academy for those starting from scratch and where interesting activities are organized outside the classroom to get to know Catania.

Loved everything, the whole experience! The school is located in a quiet neighbourhood of Catania, but still close to all the places of interest (used scooters to move around;)). Everyone is very helpful. I was assessed and, I think, failed miserably, but it really didn’t matter - I joined a more advanced group and didn’t find it too hard to catch up. Everyone was happy to help each other and by the end of the week my only regret was that I couldn’t stay longer. The best part was the realisation that I understood everything during the activity - a guided tour of the Monastero de Benedettini di San Nicolò. Grazie mille a tutti, ritornerò!

Una scuola straordinaria. Gli professori sono eccellenti. Ho fatto solo 3 settimane di lezione, ma ho imparato molto. Frederica è una insegnante formidabile e molto dinamica. Facciamo giochi, ascoltiamo musica italiana e facciamo attività di squadra. I lezioni erano tantissimi divertente. La scuola ha l’area condizionata (molto utile in l’estate) e c’è una attività culturale ogni settimana. Raccomando questa scuola a tutti.

Great experience, useful lessons, diverse international community. I highly recommend the excellent teacher Marion.

I liked:
-1- Teacher very good
-2- School in the city center
-3- Few students by classroom

The classes were very small. Max 5 or 6 people. Which is great for learning.

I was a beginner so i started from zero. In retrospect I wish the school had moved me earlier to another level because I already spoke French ,Spanish and Portuguese whereas the rest of the students were English / Dutch German speaking . I understood much more than the rest bso I wanted to practice more the oral skills so I felt that I could have learned faster in a different ( more verbal course ) . I guess because of the low numbers ( for 2 weeks there were only 2 of us) they had me staying on this level..

The teachers in general were good.. some more enthusiastic than others. Federica was for me the best. She understood the pupils needs and tried to accommodate everyone.
Thank you

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Teachers were very pleasant and were responsive to requests. Classes were small 3-5 at most. Class helped improve Italian language, but still a long way from being proficient. It enabled us to communicate and be understood. It would have helped to have written assignments to aid in cementing proper usage. Facility was short 3 minute walk from our BnB and was secure and functional.

Federica and Marion were exceptional teachers. During my tenure, they were adept at tailoring lesson plans to both the class as well as the individual. They were able to apply a day's subject/concept to an immediate example and/or through our Italian conversations. In addition, they sponsored group activities around cultural museums and landmarks that facilitated a well-rounded understanding of the Sicilian/Catanese culture. I got to know my classmates well. I liked Catania before my experience at Federico II, but now I love it! For me personally, they both instructed and pointed me to the best materials to study for the CILS B2 exam. In addition, they helped set up the exam for me at the University. I left this school with a functional capability to write, read, listen and speak Italian: and a tremendous sense of accomplishment.

It al started with good communication from abroad. They helped me with housing, what was perfect for me and I really enjoyed my guest family. Everyday I walked to the school as it is on a good location. You can experience school on your own, but you can also join the warm community. Up to you and for me that works perfect. Next to class you can join activities what I really liked. I wouldn't change my teacher Federica for anybody else. I enjoyed it so much that we still see each other every week for online lessons!

Great experience!
Enjoyed the classroom and cultural activities.
One suggestion would be, there needs to be better transition each week with new students added and having to re-learn material already taught in prior weeks due to new students.
Overall, I would definitely recommend and return for more classes.

The teacher was nice and adapted to my level of Italian.
The group was relatively small (3 students) and therefore it
was not possible to do social activities with other students.

Friendly, well-organized teachers that help create a learning environment geared towards your interests and goals!

I was met at the front door by Frederica Giustolisi on Monday morning. The staff was very helpful getting me into the school and up the stairs to where the classroom was.
For the first week there were 3 of us in class. The other 2, especially the woman from Estonia, obviously had more than beginner skills in the Italian language. This made it difficult to truly be a basic beginner. Their presence in the class however allowed us to talk about OUR individual countries, so it wasn't just ALL about the learning the language.

The 2nd week I was one on one with Frederica, and we did work more on truly basic skills. I have outlines of the work we did and with time will review all of them and fill in the blanks. We also did continue our talks about the country and the people.

One cannot learn a new language in just 2 weeks, BUT I feel I got enough out of my classes to consider joining The Italian Cultural Center here in Minneapolis, and to continue learning. In the meantime I am doing some work on line also using a site called Duolingo.

The B&B I stayed in was 3-4 blocks from the school. A nice walk in the morning to get there. I did not have great difficulty getting up the stairs. One of the staff usually was right behind me to assist IF I had trouble. The classroom was adequate. With the beautiful weather, the door was open to the outside. Water was available all during class, and there was a light lunch break every day. I had some trouble sitting on the hard chair, but they did find a cushion for me. At my age, I have lost a lot of butt muscle, and it hurts to sit for long periods of time.

As far as I could tell, there was no formal course curriculum. I'm not sure how the day's topic was chosen. Perhaps at the discretion of the teacher? There were adequate handouts for the lesson of the day. Frederica is a capable teacher, and all in all the experience was good.

I think I am one of the oldest "students" to have attended such a school, and I think my classmates thought the same. I now have contacts in Europe, and I am about to share my photos with them.

Was very happy with the class sizes and the teachers' attitudes.

The staff are young and vibrant, they adapted classes to students' needs and were very aware of each student's ability and goals.

I very much appreciated how they tailored the classes to our needs and absolutely loved a lot of the truly interesting material that we covered.

They were excellently prepared and very very helpful. In addition, they were up to date with current affairs and were able to impart significant and pertinent details of Italian politics and general governance. I very much enjoyed that.

Very happy with the school's service.

Was not happy with the accommodation, but it is not fair to blame the school for this 100% as they really were very nice, the landlord of the property was not.

Small group of 6 persons who got along very well with eachother. Very dynamic and competent teacher.

Federico II was a fun experience for a week. I gained a lot of confidence and ability to form sentences and use tenses, after studying by myself for a year online. The class was small (off season) and the material always changed. Federica was helpful and kept the class entertaining. The classes are rotating and overlapping so the student mix varies week to week. (Students are there for varying numbers of weeks. This is probably common.) This make the curriculum somewhat random. I think there might be some repetition for someone who is there for 4 weeks. For one week, everything was fresh. (I think i was in an advanced beginner class and the group seemed about equal in language skill.)

The pace was good. I would have preferred a longer break and more afternoon instruction. This was not an immersion program in any way, but labelled 'intensive.' For me, intensive would be more instruction time. I realize that some people want the afternoon free for touring but that was not my objective.

There are so many choices all over Italy for language study. I'm sure they are all different. The school setting was not ideal. Catania has a graffiti problem. It is everywhere and not attractive. The outside of the school is very uncomfortable to look at. I would prefer something looking cleaner.

The staff was very friendly and helpful, no problem with the location, facilities, but the ability of the teachers was different. The course was not planned. The actual teacher had no idea from the subject of the previous day. During my ten days I had 5 lecturers. One of the lecturer simply started a DVD film and left us, went home (I can watch films at home). Some teacher spent the first 20-30 minutes by copying pages from a text book for using during the lessons.

Although there was a test on the first day, there was no distinction among the participants, everybody were in the same group independently of the level of their language.

Sorry to say but I would not recommend this course to anybody.

I loved my stay at your school earlier this year. The school was super central, the stuff very personal, the classes were small and the teacher was super nice!! I cannot even remember his name. My memory is terrible. It was a man anyway.
I am planning to come back for sure.

I was very pleased with the teacher and the location. A good idea to visit the market to put into practice what you have learned. I missed fellow students who could have made my stay socially more interesting. My accommodation was ok, but if I ever return, I will look for something more quiet.

I originally only planned to spend 1 week at the school but enjoyed it so much I ended up studying for 7 weeks in total! It was a great experience where I made many new friends and learn't more Italian than I would of thought possible. I was a complete beginner and they were very understanding and patient with me and I improved considerable over the seven weeks.

Catania itself is a great city to study in. Great food, inexpensive and lots of culture and nightlife. The school organise lots of trips which is a real bonus and means you can get a real feel for the city. All the teachers are lovely and I feel liked I made lots of new friends. I can wholeheartedly recommend this wonderful school!

Very lovely and friendly teachers! Also very flexible during classes. Teachers always find approach to every student.
Was there just two weeks, but hoping one day to come back again!

Unfortunately the teacher (don't remember her name) wasn't well organized:

Missing materials for the lessons. No clear concept noticable.
The blackboard was too small, the pens for it were nearly empty.
The market was too loud to concentrate when the window was open, but that is a problem you cannot fix.

I only improved my italian a little bit.
I enjoyed the activities outside the school, I would say that I learned more at that.
Federica and Giorgio have always been very helpful and engaged, thank you for this.
My accomodation at Giulia was absolutely perfect.

The school is located in the middle of Catania. The staff are very friendly and approachable. The instruction is effective and the cultural activities are an excellent way to immerse yourself in the surroundings of Catania.

I have 4 incredible weeks of studying italian in company of very good people (students and teachers both). We had many activities in a week and i spent a great time! The lessons with our teacher Giorgio, were perfect!!!

It was wonderful time. I met excellent people and I had good time with them. My teacher Roberta was very helpful and explained grammar issue in a very easy way. I'd like to come back to Federico II in next year! I can't wait to see you again!!:)

I'd loved to be in class, it was a very friendly but also concentrated mood.
We sometimes had breakfast and almost every evening dinner in school and it tasted great!
It was very interesting to try new food types, also italian food.
Our teacher was Marion, she was very kind, polite and friendly and became like a friend to us.
The housing was great! Letizia is a great person, whenever we had problems or questions, she gave us the possibility to ask. And the location was great! Very big and it included all important things or rooms.

Unfortunately, I could only stay for 4 days at the Frederico II Scuola. But during this time I had the opportunity to improve my Italian grammar and speaking. I very much enjoyed the pleasant atmosphere, the kindness of teachers and other students. I immediately felt to part of it. In the afternoon we were given the opportunity to see important places at Catania guided by teachers. This was also a great offer, I could ask questions and got informative answers.

The location of the school is superb! Right in the center of town, next to the famous fish marked.

Thank you all for a wonderful week. I would love to come back some other time!

I really liked the classes because our teacher switched between really studying Italian grammar and just chating with us in Italian.

4 week course of Italian language was one of my best experiences in Sicily so far! The school is situated in the heart of Catania, near Piazza Duomo. I already spoke a little of Italian at the beginning but they helped me to improve my language skills. I was very impressed with the quality of the teaching staff, they were well-prepared and insightful, and they made the overall learning experience a very enjoyable one. I also liked the cultural program which is part of the course, so you really get to know the Sicily, the language and the Italian culture!

In February 2017 I attended the Federico II Scuola di Italiano a Stranieri in Catania in Sicily for a four-week intensive course. I had only studied Italian on my own, with a weekly tutor, for a few months before arriving in Catania. On my first day, I was asked to complete a test to assess my level in Italian, and was placed in a class at the low-intermediate level. There were four students in our class. Classes began at 9:30 am and ended at 2:30 pm, with a morning coffee break and a half-hour lunch break.

I cannot comment on housing that might be provided by the school as I arranged my own accommodation. The school was well-appointed, with nice kitchen and bathroom facilities and spacious classrooms. The location was unbeatable, only steps away form the Piazza del Duomo in the centre of Catania. Our classroom looked out over the famous Catania fish market, and we often had to close the window, otherwise the shouts of the pescivendoli (fish sellers) would drown out our teacher!

I enjoyed meeting the other students, who ranged in age from the 20s to the 50s and who had interesting experiences to share. I was impressed at the efforts the other students made to communicate exclusively in Italian, both inside and outside the classroom.

The learning activities and course materials varied considerably and reflected an approach by the school to develop speaking, reading and writing abilities in Italian. I felt as though every moment of the course was utilized to improve our Italian, whether it was receiving instruction on the grammatical complexities of the language or encouraging the students in wide-ranging and interesting discussions in Italian about Italy and all sorts of topics. Once a week, we watched an Italian film, often with Italian subtitles to aid in our comprehension. The school also arranged for outings once a week to tour local historic sites or to receive a Sicilian cooking lesson. We visited the Biscari Palace and the ancient amphitheatre in Catania which I found very interesting.

I was so impressed by our teacher, Marion, who put an amazing amount of energy into teaching. Marion was highly organized, attuned to our individual challenges with Italian, and gave us a thorough grounding in Italian grammar. Marion was very resourceful and energetic in her efforts to impart to the students an understanding of more advanced areas of the language such as the subjunctive and conditional forms of Italian verbs so that we could read, understand and express ourselves in Italian at a more advanced level. I was particularly impressed that our class was able to cover so much of these aspects in only a four-week course. In addition to being extremely knowledgeable, Marion also has a fabulous sense of humour, and was very personable. She really forms a bond with the students that makes the class a lot of fun.

By the time the course was over, I was able to converse freely in Italian, much as I still have a long ways to go in terms of my vocabulary, and now I enjoy reading in Italian.

Hope I can return soon. I would recommend the school, Catania and hosting for everybody.....

Is an exchange of knowledge from learning the language, culture and Italian food. In addition to learning also make new friendships putting into practice all the learning and have the possibility to visit different place. It's a very good experience.

The school is located in the middle of Catania downtown, so we went to eat or drink something in our free time. Catania is a magical city and people there is so friendly and generous. We also went to the beaches only 15 minutes from the school and enjoy the dancing classes that used to be there in the afternoons.

As a brief Catania has everything you need for an unforgettable experience you will remember for the rest of your life!!

I was a student for 3 months from May - July 2015. Before I couldn't say a word in Italian and at the end of the course I communicated without any problem. I liked that teachers were describing you everything in Italian, no chance to hear English or any other language so you were forced to try to understand. They have patience and number of students in classes is usually really small, so you have personal service too. They explain you culture, local traditions, you do also afternoon trips through the city and they have also cooking class. At the end I felt in love with Sicily so much that I am still living here and I am reccomending Federico II to everybody, who asks me how it's possible that I learned Italian so quickly.