Learn Italian in Milan: Language Courses

• Timetable: 9:00 am – 12:15 pm (alternative timetables may also apply)

A long term Italian language course in Milan, ideal for Gap Year, post Uni or adult students looking to learn Italian in depth over two, three or more months for true linguistic impact and progress. Check out the Italian Teaching details to understand the philosophy and course structure of the language school. Students can follow a structured Italian course from eight weeks up to a full year to gain maximum fluency (48 weeks courses are very good value for money, as they don’t include any cultural classes).

Languages for Life: 8 to 23 weeks duration

Languages for Life: 24 to 48 weeks duration

• Timetable: 9:00 am – 12:15 pm (alternative timetables may also apply)
• Set start dates during the year

These long term Italian language courses are the perfect solution for Gap Year students, graduates and adults looking to take a serious career break. A term Italian course allowing students to focus on all aspects of Italian and placing the language in a cultural context + leading to recognised Italian language exams. All lessons are held in the Italian language school in Milan (or in nearby Art studios etc), over several months. In-depth learning over an extended period ensures better mastery, subtler understanding and far greater long term retention of key language skills.

• Timetable: 9:00 am – 12:15 pm (alternative timetables may also apply)

Open to all language levels (but specific start dates offered for beginners/false beginners) these courses concentrate on developing general language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) and are always held in Italian. These short term Italian language courses are aimed at those who need to build on current skills or who want to learn Italian in Milan, from scratch on an Italian immersion course. Further information can be found in the Italian Teaching details.

• Timetable: 9:00 am – 12:15 pm (alternative timetables may also apply)
• Plus additional 10 lessons (Monday to Friday)

Follow the Standard Italian course in Milan, and build on this with additional study each week. The extra lessons generally concentrate on oral discussions/debates to ensure students hone conversational skills and give additional opportunity to put their Italian into practise.

• Timetable: 9:00 am – 12:15 pm (alternative timetables may also apply)
• Plus additional 10 lessons (Monday to Friday)

Combine the benefits of the group dynamic of the Standard Italian language course in Milan, with the personal attention of private tuition. The programme is ideal for those who relish the individual attention of the private classes with a personal tutor, but don’t want or need to book private tuition classes alone. An excellent way to work on general language skills and address personal needs at the same time.

Combined Course: 20 group + 5 private lessons

Combined Course: 20 group + 10 private lessons

• Timetable: 9:00 am – 12:15 pm (alternative timetables may also apply)
• Plus additional 10 lessons (Monday to Friday)

A short term Italian language course aimed at those who want the combined study experience of the camaraderie of the group course and the individual attention of the private classes with a personal tutor. If offers particular emphasis on specialised fields such as Italian for Lawyers or Italian for Medical personnel etc. Students must have Intermediate level Italian to cover specialised areas in private lessons.

• Timetable: 9:00 am – 12:15 pm (alternative timetables may also apply)

• Group lessons follow the Standard Course format
• Set start dates are offered
• In the morning you will take part in the Italian language group lessons according to your language level
• Open to students aged 50 yrs +
• In the afternoon or evening you will enjoy cultural activities suggested by the school.
• Programme itinerary is subject to change

1st week: afternoon programme

Orientation tour of the city; Guided tour to the ‘Museo della Scala’ and Brera district; Italian cooking class; Participation at a Classical Concert or Opera; Visit to the ‘Foundation Giuseppe Verdi’

2nd week: afternoon programme

Weekend excursion to Como or Verona, Visit to Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper’ and ‘Santa Maria delle Grazie’ church or to the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology; walking through the district of ‘Navigli’ (Art studios and Antique shops); visit to the ‘Museo del Novecento’; shopping in Monte Napoleone (fashion and Pret a Porter shops); typical Milanese ‘Aperitivo’

• Language timetable: 9:00 am – 12:15 pm (alternative timetables may also apply)

Follow an Italian language course, to ensure you reach a high intermediate level, prior to studying for a term at the University of Fine Arts in Milan. Beginners to the Italian language should allow 24 weeks language study, whilst Advanced level students should require no more than 4 weeks language study.
Then join Italian University students on a Fine Arts Degree course for one term, and specialise in your field of choice.

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• Timetable: Generally afternoon classes are offered (alternative timetables may also apply)

An extremely intensive Italian language course, ideal for those who wish to make maximum language progress over a one or two+ week period. Aimed at business people or those who need to work on their Italian for academic or professional reasons and for whom time is of the essence.

• Timetable: 9:00 am – 12:15 pm (alternative timetables may also apply)
• 10 exam prep lessons if 3 to 12 students per week
• 5 exam prep lessons if 2 students per week
• Minimum 2 students required for this programme to run

• DELI (elementary level)
• DILI (intermediate level)
• DILC (intermediate/business level)
• DALI (advanced level)
• DALC (advanced/business level)

Students are welcome to follow a long term Italian language course prior to the four week specific Italian exam preparation course leading to the exams themselves. The final 4 week session consists of the Standard Course plus an additional 10 lessons per week of mock tests, strategy discussion and exam drills.

Christmas is a magical time of year when everything seems possible. Everyone becomes kinder and more generous and the daily hustle and bustle of work and commitments slows down to allow more time to spend with family and friends. Christmas is the most important festival in Italy and celebrating it is a big tradition throughout the country.

The language school in Milan has designed a Christmas programme that offers you the unique opportunity to experience the ways that Christmas is celebrated in Italy and to share these traditions with other students. You can learn to decorate your house and your Christmas tree in an innovative and original way, to prepare a traditional Italian Christmas lunch or dinner and to choose the perfect Christmas present for your loved ones.

Sample Itinerary for this course

Lunedì:

09:00 – 10:30 Italian language class
10:30 – 10:45 Coffee break
10:45 – 12:15 “How to decorate the house at Christmas time” and the nativity scene tradition

Martedì:

09:00 – 10:30 Italian language class
10:30 – 10:45 Coffee break
10:45 – 12:15 “How to decorate your table for Christmas lunch”
15:00 – 18:00 Guided visit to typical shops selling Christmas decorations

Mercoledì:

09:00 – 10:30 Italian language class
10:30 – 10:45 Coffee break
10:45 – 12:15 Preparation of Christmas lunch / dinner, from A to Z

Giovedì:

09:00 – 10:30 Italian language class
10:30 – 10:45 Coffee break
10:45 – 12:15 Christmas traditions in Italy, particularly the Milanese Panettone tradition
15:00 – 18:00 Guided visit to shops selling typical Christmas culinary specialities

Venerdì:

09:00 – 10:30 Italian language class
10:30 – 10:45 Coffee break
10:45 – 12:15 Christmas and the holidays which follow it: New Year’s and Epiphany
20:30 – Typical Italian Christmas dinner at a restaurant

The Italian language school in Milan offers a great range of cultural programmes that any student (with some prior Italian knowledge) can join, once in Italy. The cookery and wine tasting courses are particularly popular and recommended by past CESA students!

Cultural Programmes: Offered ONLY in addition to the Italian courses

• Italian History of Art Course

An introduction to the most important Italian artistic styles and allow students to view the original works of the artists in situ! Elementary Italian required.

The course program is comprised of two parts:

Theoretical lessons, which are held in the school classrooms and are dedicated to introducing students to Italian history and art history, and specifically how those artistic periods correspond to the history of Milan.

Outdoor lessons, which are held at the end of the course and aim to deepen those topics that the students liked the most and to visit the artistic monuments of the city of Milan.

During the lessons the use of visual materials will be very important and useful. The artistic periods are introduced and presented by giving students the visual image of the main artistic works (paintings, sculptures, architectural monuments, etc.) of that period. The visual support consists of images, VHS, and CDRom material.

Examples of programme content:

Celtic Tribes to Roman Empire:
The first Celtic settlements and the arrival of the Romans. Archaeological revivals of Roman culture and analysis of the first urban centers. Analysis of three architectural styles, S. Lorenzo basilica.

Early Christian Milan to the foundation of the Commune:
The importance of St. Ambrogio, the Christian culture, and the invasion of Longobard. S.Simpliciano basilica, Sant’ Ambrogio. Analysis and characteristics of the Romanesque style.

Medieval Milan and Visconti lordship:
The chronology of the Visconti family tree. Milan medieval monuments such as Mercanti square and St. Eustorgio basilica. General characteristics of Gothic style architecture and Gothic monuments in Milan such as St. Marco square and Duomo cathedral.

The Sforza family and the Renaissance:
The court of the Sforza family and Sforzesco Castle. Analysis and characteristics of the birth of the Renaissance in Florence. The Renaissance in Milan including artists such as Filarete and Bramante, and monuments such as Santa Maria delle Grazie, Santa Maria, and San Satiro.

Leonardo da Vinci:
His life and works, his period in Milan, and the history and an analysis of The Last Supper, his unique masterpiece.

The Spanish domination:
the Mannerism period, featuring artists such as Caravaggio, Carracci, and Rubens. Analysis and characteristics of Baroque architecture. St. Alessandro church, Palazzo Marino, Palazzo del Senato, The House of Omenoni, and Palazzo Durini.

French and Austrian domination:
Maria Teresa of Austria and the reform of Napoleon Bonaparte. Neoclassic achitecture. Palazzo di Brera, Palazzo Reale, La Scala Theatre, Foro Bonaparte, Parco Sempione, Villa Reale, and Arco della Pace.

Restoration, Revival, and the Kingdom of Italy:
The Austrian Restoration and the war for the independence of Italy during the time of Garibaldi. The Industrial Revolution. Analysis of Eclecticism. Monumental Cemetery, Vittorio Emanuele Gallery.

Fascism and Rationalism:
Mussolini and fascist architecture in Milan (Piacentini). Liberty Style. Analysis of the characteristics of Rationalism. Muzio and Giò Ponti. Central Railway Station, San Babila Square and The Palace of Justice.

• Italian Cookery

A great favourite with past CESA students. Prepare and cook a complete menu of typical Italian dishes, finish by eating the food together with the other students! Elementary Italian required.
The course is based one meeting of approx. 3 hours a week and shaped for all potential participants, also for the novice who is interested in learning about cooking. During each lesson the students prepare and cook a different complete menu which consists of typical dishes of Italian cuisine in the tradition of genuine simplicity. At the beginning of each lesson the teacher explains the menu of the day and distributes the work. During the preparation and the cooking of the food, the teacher demonstrates, explains and gives valuable hints and tips. The students prepare the table and dine together. Each student or pair of students presents and serves to the others the dish they have prepared. This course is organized in such a way that the students can experience with their own hands the way of cooking in the Italian style. Participants receive a recipe book including a vocabulary in several languages.

• Italian Wines

An introduction to Italian wines from across a range of regions plus wine tasting sessions and (when possible) a visit to a nearby vineyard. Elementary Italian required.
During the course there will also be the opportunity to visit a renowned wine bar.
For a better understanding, tables, maps and other visual support materials will be used. Topics such as how to match wine and food together, and comparing Italian wines to foreign wines, will be dealt with.

The topics dealt with by the course are:

how to read the label of a bottle of Italian wine
the classification of Italian wines (house wine or origin label, D.O.C and D.O.C.G.)
the traditional techniques of cultivation, fermentation and ageing used in Italy
wine tasting and terminology
wine production in Italy and its consumption
new developments and non traditional wines
Tuscan production, the North-West (Piemonte), the North-East (Friuli, South-Tirol, and other regions, particularly in the centre and in the South).

Nota bene: Minimum Italian language level required for all : A2

INTRODUCTION TO DRAWING & PAINTING

The course aims to provide an introduction and basic preparation for those students that have a desire to test their artistic qualities. The course is specially designed for people who are facing the visual arts, drawing and painting for the first time. The course syllabus is divided into two modules, the first module is oriented to the techniques and rules of graphic design (drawing), while the second module deals in greater depth the theory and practice of color. Although complementary, the two modules can be attended separately. To follow the single module of painting, it is necessary that the student already has basic knowledge of drawing.

DRAWING

Free hand Drawing:
The materials for pencil drawing, The types of hatch, See and draw the actual shape of the figures, Copy from the truth, Copy and drawing in the dark

Technical rules of Prints:
Forms, The ‘Chiaroscuro’, The full and empty, Volumes, the drapery, the shadows, China, Ink, Ecoline, Pen, Pastels, Oil, Wax, Charcoal, coloured pencils

PAINTING

Theory and practice of colour, Perspective, Introduction to painting (water colour)

HISTORY OF ITALIAN FASHION

The course aims to give an overview on how to do fashion in Italy, by analysing the major components that are making part of it. The main objective of this course is to study all the elements that determine the importance of Italian fashion and define it’s value. Although the students are provided with a brief overview on the history of Italian fashion and the creation of the “pret a portait”, the themes of the course are more focused on the Italian fashion system from the 80’s to the present days.

The great names of Italian fashion such as Armani, Versace, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana are explored in greater depth. Short History of Italian Fashion; Introduction to the professions of Fashion; Milan, capital of Italian Fashion

Nota bene: Minimum Italian language level required: A2.

HISTORY OF ITALIAN DESIGN

This course will enable you to study the history of Italian Design and learn about the influence of Italian design in daily life.
The first decades of the 20 th century:
How and why the design had its beginnings in Italy; Furniture among artisans and industry; Futurism as freedom of expression.
The 30s and the 40s:
Between rationalism and autonomy – from Terragni to Ferragamo; Changes in style of a nation living under a fascist regime.
The 50s:
Italian design is born – awards and recognition.
The 60s:
Plastic – the exuberance of forms and colours.
The 70s:
Great recognition for aesthetics and technology.
The 80s:
Post-modern – contemporary classical style; Abstraction and new colourings.
The 90s:
Influence and clash of Italian design in daily life.

Please note: Minimum Italian language level required: A2