The Italian language and culture courses are structured according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and are divided into:
- elementary level (A1-A2)
- intermediate level (B1-B2)
- advanced level (C1-C2)
Each level is divided into progressively more challenging modules, each lasting one month.
| Active in the months of: | A1 | A2 | B1 | B2 | C1 | C2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January, April, July, October | A1.1 | A2.1 | B1.1 | B2.1 | C1.1 | C2.1 |
| February, May, August, November | A1.2 | A2.2 | B1.2 | B2.2 | C1.2 | C2.2 |
| March, June, September, December | A1.3 (from January 2027) | A2.3 | B1.3 | B2.3 | C1.3 | C2.3 |
From January 2027, in addition to the ordinary three-month A1 course (particularly recommended for students who have never studied the Italian language and speakers of typologically distant languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Japanese, etc.), two new monthly A1 courses will also be introduced:
- A1 Bridge (offered in the 2nd month of the term: February, May, August, November)
This one-month course is designed for students who, due to visa issues or delays, are unable to start the term in the first month. The course allows students to catch up on the A1.1 module of the standard three-month course, and then continue with the standard A1.3 module. It may also be chosen by students with prior knowledge of Italian who wish to complete the A1 level in two months instead of three. - A1 Related Languages (offered in the 3rd month of the term: March, June, September, December)
This one-month course is intended exclusively for students who speak Romance languages (French, Spanish, Romanian, Portuguese) or students with substantial experience in learning foreign languages, who can therefore complete an A1 pathway in a single month before progressing to the next level, A2.
Courses A and B
In level A and B courses, students have the opportunity to attend lessons aimed at developing basic language skills, as well as phonological abilities and competencies.
Basic language skills:
presentation of basic communicative functions, together with the relevant grammatical and lexical elements.
Skills development:
presentation of targeted activities and tasks to develop receptive, productive, and interactive skills in both written and spoken forms.
Pronunciation and spelling:
presentation of activities focused on teaching pronunciation, learning the relationship between pronunciation and spelling, developing reading skills, as well as oral comprehension and production.
C Courses
In level C courses, lessons focus on advanced language skills, textual laboratory work, and the phonetics and phonology of the Italian language.
Advanced language skills:
consolidation of command of morphosyntactic structures necessary to understand and produce clear, well-structured texts, along with a deeper exploration of specialized vocabulary related to various cultural and disciplinary fields. Critical reflection on mechanisms of textual cohesion and coherence, as well as the pragmatic and stylistic rules that govern language use.
Textual laboratory:
enhancement and refinement of receptive, productive, and interactive skills for both written and spoken language through activities and tasks based on different types of texts.
Phonetics and phonology of the Italian language and laboratory:
systematic study of the phonetics and phonology of the Italian language and its varieties; practical exercises on articulatory and prosodic aspects of contemporary Italian.
Each student can customize their study plan and choose from language courses, culture courses, and other specialized courses (from level B2 onwards).
Distribution of hours
| Level | Hours |
|---|---|
| Quarterly A1 (from January 2027) | 18 hours per week 8 - basic language skills |
| Monthly Course A1 Bridge (from January 2027) | 18 hours per week 10 - basic language skills |
| Monthly Course A1 Related Languages (from January 2027) | 18 hours per week 12 - basic language skills |
A1 (until December 2026) A2 B1 B2* | 18 hours per week 10 - basic language skills |
| C1 without final exam | 15 hours per week 9 - advanced language skills |
| C1 with final exam* | 21 hours per week 9 - advanced language skills |
| C2 without final exam | 16 hours per week 9 - advanced language skills |
| C2 with final exam* | 22 hours per week 9 - advanced language skills |
| Italian Culture Courses | 3 hours per week 3 - divided into two sessions |
*For this level, cultural courses are available as an optional extra (subject to a fee).