Are you thinking of spending some of your free time studying?

Do you want to learn or deepen your knowledge of Italian Language?

Here you will find some good reasons to choose Florence and the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci! Florence is an art city, well known all over the world as "the cradle of the Renaissance". Here some of the greatest Renaissance artists were born, have lived and worked.

Walking down the Florentine streets, round every corner you will run into history and culture, spread around wonderful squares, magnificent churches and delightful museums. You surely will not miss visiting the Duomo, Florence landmark, the Uffizi Gallery, housing works of Tiziano, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and others artists who wrote the world art history.

Florence is also a city of students, a university centre, full of art schools, academies, international programs and courses of all kinds. It is the capital of Italian Language schools too, as it is considered, together with Siena, the place where the Italian Language was born and where the best standard Italian is spoken, as for pronunciation and grammar correctness.

That’s why foreigners have been coming here for centuries to study and widen their art and aesthetics knowledge! Consequently you can find here the most experienced schools and the most professional teachers. The Scuola Leonardo da Vinci is one of these institutions that contributed by full right to this well deserved praise.

It is situated just in the centre, few minutes walking from the Duomo, the imposing dome of the city cathedral overhanging the school yard and filling all the window openings. Along its now long life, the school has continuously grown, adapting itself to the requests and needs of the numerous students who regularly enroll in every kind of courses: Italian language, history of art, painting, drawing, fashion, cooking, opera singing, musical instruments and restoration.

The school organizes, in collaboration with the Tuscany government, also internships in shops, hotels, offices and handcraft ateliers. But why so many courses and activities? This comes from the philosophy of the school: learning a language is not only studying, it means getting in touch with the culture, the art, the handcraft, the way of living, working, thinking. When we say we offer a real "full immersion" experience, we really mean it. We drive students to live the city and its social life. As a matter of fact, our teachers, as a German student said, "do not speak Italian, they live Italian", so as to involve students in their activities.

Painting, Drawing, Restoration are courses that we are trying to develop in order to fulfill the increasing request for fine arts. Many students like to couple learning Italian with an applied art course. Learning to paint in the fatherland of Michelangelo and Leonardo is an indubitably incredible experience! Music courses, in collaboration with a next door professional music school, are also more and more attended. Italy is in fact the fatherland of Verdi, Puccini, Rossini, isn’t it?

Florence is not only culture and art, but entertainment as well for young and older people. Any day of the week restaurants, cafes, pubs and theatres get quickly crowded by people at night and it is so easy to spend a pleasant night off with friends or colleagues. The school gives chances of meeting people, promoting dinners, aperos and excursions together with Erasmus and students from all over the world.

Excursions destinations depends on the time of the year, events and exhibitions that take place: Venice, the Cinque Terre, Eurochocolate in Perugia, Operas in Verona, wineries in countryside to taste wine, olive oil, cheese and other typical products. Don’t miss the opportunity of looking in the charming Chianti region and taste its world-famous wines!

Actually, food and wine is another reason for coming to Florence. Due to its historical prime for gastronomy, Tuscany has always attracted visitors keen on tasting every kind of dishes, wines and products. The school offers professional or amateurs courses all year round, where you can learn preparing the most famous Italian dishes as minestrone, tortellini, lasagne, pizza, tiramisu ecc.

Living in Florence offers another advantage: it is not a sprawling metropolis, it counts less than half a million inhabitants and it is a place easy to escape from, anytime you need clean air and silence. 30 minutes by bus, 15 minutes driving by car and you get to an unforgettable countryside, southwards well cultivated in the Chianti region, northwards natural and wild with mountains, woods, forests, lakes and national parks. And what about the seaside? One hour driving, one hour by train and you are on wonderful beaches and rocks. A dream on sultry summer days!

Florence is a communication hub too, geographically well centrally situated, each part of Italy easily within reach by train or car. It is the best place to stay, if you plan to visit many other art towns during you stay, like Venice, Milan, Padova, Verona in the north, Rome, Naples, Siena, Assisi, Perugia in the south.

Studying in Florence means many things together: learning, meeting people, eating and drinking well, but also having fun and feeling at ease strolling down the picturesque Florentine lanes!