The school, which owes its name to Michelangelo's famous sculpture, was set-up in 1983, it is officially authorized by the Italian Ministry of Education and it is open all year round. It is situated in the heart of the historical center of Florence, on the third floor of a bourgeois palace (with a lift) built at the end of the 19th century and recently renovated. It is located in the area that houses banks and worldwide famous fashion shops. The Cathedral, the railway station, the main monuments and museums are all within walking distance (5-10 minutes walk) from the school.
All the rooms are provided with air conditioning, they are spacious and bright with big tables and comfortable chairs. All that is necessary has been provided so that the students can feel comfortable and energetic during their lessons.
The school is provided with a wireless connection which the students can use for free.
On the top floor of the school, there is a wonderful terrace, from which the students can enjoy a breath-taking view of Florence. All the teachers are Italian mother-tongue speakers and have a degree. Classes have a maximum of 12 and a minimum of 4 students, the average number of learners per class is 7/8.
The school offers a various and interesting program of leisure activities, about 20-30 per month. The school offers students and a free accommodation search for any kind of request and for the duration of the stay in Florence.
The school offers various courses of Italian language and culture. Group courses from 2 to 6-hour lessons per day, lessons for couples, lessons for scholastic groups, individual lessons, combined courses of Italian, Art History, Italian business, Italian cooking, Italian fashion, Art and Crafts, combined courses with an internship, summer courses.
The courses of Italian language are divided into six levels of language competence.
Classes have a maximum of 12 and a minimum of 4 students, the average number of learners per class is 7/8. All the teachers are Italian mother-tongue speakers and have a degree.
The nationality and age mix at Istituto Il David varies over different time periods, courses and levels. Throughout the year, the average age is 30. In the summer, the average age is 25.
teaches students from all over the world, including:
does not hold classes on the holiday dates below. The school does not compensate for these holidays, so make sure to choose your start date accordingly.
The Istituto Il David is situated in the heart of the historical center of Florence, on the third floor of a bourgeois palace (with a lift) built at the end of the 19th century and recently renovated. It is located in the area that houses banks and worldwide famous fashion shops. The Cathedral, the central railway station, the main monuments and museums are all within walking distance (5-10 minutes walk) from the school.
Il corso presentato è molto dinamico, con una squadra qualificata Ed esperiente con gli studenti stranieri Ed trasmette fiducia nel metodo.
L'ambiente è accogliente Ed il posto è perfetto.
Vorrei avere frequentado più ore del corso 'part time'.
Giada and Sofia are motivating teatchers, allowing everyone to express themselves. Good atmosphere in the groupe class (around 9 students aged 20 to 60). School well located in the city center. I recommend this school!
Show details » Read more...At the beginning of my process there, on my first week, I had a blond teacher with short hair (I’m so sorry, but I don’t remember her name) who was really nice but she spoke to us mainly in English and a little Spanish. I understand that this was to help us understand the task we had to do but we are there to learn Italian, and in my opinion, any other language other than Italian should be used as little as possible in order to help and encourage the students to learn and understand Italian better and faster.
Later I was with Clara and Giada as my teachers and I have to say, they were incredible teachers: in grammar, Clara was very clear when explaining and was very helpful with all of the questions that we had. Grammar is a hard thing to teach and I think that she did an amazing job at it. Giada on the other hand taught us in conversation class and she truly did a stellar job. She was always very attentive to what we said but also very attentive to us and how we felt, and I feel like that is a very important thing to do in a classroom because when you know how a student is feeling and how much energy they have in your class, you can adapt the way you correct them or how much you make them speak for example. It gives you more information about the student in that current situation and lets you know how to address the student and what method of teaching will be most efficient in their current situation. It really benefits the student’s learning and their relationship with the language.
I also had Anna and Giulia as my teachers for a while and they were both great and different to the teachers I had had there. They created a very enjoyable atmosphere when teaching. I learnt a lot with them as my teachers and also had a great time in their classrooms. Anna was very good at explaining the grammatical tenses, even congiuntivo, but I feel like giving the students a few minutes to complete the exercises individually and then checking them as a group afterwards would be very beneficial in the learning process. Giulia was also a great teacher. She taught us a lot of vocabulary and used games to reinforce what we had learned, something I consider to be great for encouraging students and giving a fresh perspective to their learning experience. However, I feel like there could be more activities in which the students could practice more their speaking and conversation skills; maybe activities in pairs or small groups, or maybe an activity in which you have to tell your own experience about something without writing it down first. Nevertheless, it was great being in their classes.
All of the staff at Istituto il David was very friendly and welcoming, something that I appreciated greatly. They really took the time to get to know the students and make sure they’re comfortable and happy during their time in Istituto and in Florence. Even though I only went to a few outside of school activities, they were really fun and helpful to the learning of the language and to meeting other people at the school. I could also tell that the other students really enjoyed these activities.
The house u stayed at was delightful; the couple that owned the apartment were very friendly and good with the students. The food was always great and the other students there were also very nice. The location of both the apartment and the school was pretty good. The apartment was in more of a residential area, which was great because it allowed me to see more of what the life of people in Florence is like, and the school was basically in Piazza della Repubblica which is amazing.
I had an amazing time in Florence and it wouldn’t have been this way without the people at Istituto. It is an incredible school, one that I would definitely recommend. Istituto il David helped me achieve my goal of learning Italian, and even though it’s not perfect, there is no way it would’ve gotten to the level it is today without everyone at istituto, so I am very thankful for everything, and hope that maybe I can repeat this experience.
I attended the school for two months, and I quite enjoyed the prorgram during my stay! The school will place you in a class that's on pair with your level (you'll take a placement test before the school starts). I felt I got good explainations to concepts such as the passato prossimo, imperfetto and the futuro. As I usually struggle with grammar (in any language) I felt the pace of teaching was good. The teachers were friendly and helpful The afternoon activities was also quite good, but if you stay for more than a couple of weeks you'll notice they repeat the activities.
What I didn't like so much was the housing. I had to deal with grumpy house owners (I didn't feel welcome at all), a room with lots of street noise (my room faced a market and the noise was more or less constant from 4 am to late evening) and poor cooking facilities. One flat was infested with cockroaches, luckily the house owner took action to deal with the problem. If I decide to attend the school again I think I will look for acommodation somewhere else.
I liked the classes , one of the teachers was excellent the other needs more experience.
The location was very good and also the housing
I liked the most of the things.
Housing and location was a beautiful. Peacfully part of town. School was in good distance from house, teachers were patient and very friendly. I enjoyed time with schoolmates too. Next time i would like to speak more.
Show details » Read more...The pace of the classes allowed all students to clarify their doubts. The teaching materials were appropriate and helpful. The number of students was small, which allowed for more interaction and assessment. The teachers, indeed, are prepared to teach Italian as a second language.
Some activities were a bit elemental, but I was still engaged. The classroom lacked sufficient illumination.
In general, the experience was productive and met my expectations.
The school is a wonderful organization that takes teaching Italian very seriously. Excellent teachers and excellent programs.
Once you get used to the pace you start really accumulating Italian Grammar skills and vocabulary. Have to have a conversation with the director at the start to get them to slow down the teaching as they were moving extremely fast without giving students a chance to actually grasp and process the information. Once that happened, learning became enjoyable And true progress was made. I loved the teachers that I had. I just wish I had the long term sessions without constantly changing teachers every couple of months. For someone who is at the school long term, I found that a bit disheartening. But overall a great school, great teachers, great curriculum. Happy with my choice.
The grammar lessons of the course were clear and precise and also fun! The new things were transferred quickly - it's easier to come back to them later.
The discussion section was naturally more difficult for me (elementary level). but just listening was a good lesson.
The teachers and staff at the school were friendly.
Schedules were kept.
The idea of evening excursions is good, we made it to the S.Croce excursion, and it was really nice.
I attended Italian language classes at Istituto Il David over two months. I did two hours of grammar and two hours of conversation classes per day and covered a lot of material during that time. The teachers at Il David are all excellent, and you can tell they like what they do which in turn motivated me to fully engage with the classes and make the most out of it. During my first few weeks I also attended some of the afternoon activities that were organized by the school which were very interesting but also helpful in socializing with other new students. At the conversation classes we covered a wide range of topics which helped me improve significantly my vocabulary but it also gave me several opportunities to use everything I've been learning during grammar classes and put them in practice. The location of the school is really good, it is centrally located right by the Piazza dalla Repubblica so it is easily accessible by anywhere in Florence really. I would wholeheartedly recommend the school to anyone who is interested in taking Italian language classes. In my view, i would recommend singing up for two weeks or more to make the most of the school but also the experience of living in Florence for a while.
Show details » Read more...i loved the experience, very nice quality of education. the school was wonderfully located and had a very nice terrace that i loved and enjoyed a lot! loved the teachers especially Giada! <3
I had such fun and dynamic classes with her
really loved the whole school! hope to get to study with them again very soon
Everything was great. Nothing to complain about. Had a lot of fun.
Show details » Read more...The location and staff were both great and I had a very good time. I learned a lot and had a lot of fun. My apartment was a bit far away but the ~13 minute walk was not to terrible. Three weeks were the perfect time, less would not have been enough and more would have kind of made it to much. Sadly -even though it was quite expectable- there were not a lot of young people at the school around the time I was there.
Show details » Read more...Very happy to have attended the IlDavid school
Show details » Read more...I spent a month doing the course for 4 hours a day from Monday to Friday. It was a very nice experience, the teachers were very capable, both in their knowledge and in the way of taking the classes. Very good attention and nice extracurricular activities. I had wonderful companions and the location is excellent. Totally recommended, I have no more to say than thanks.
Show details » Read more...The length of time allocated for our lessons is just right or it would not be fruitful. The teachers we had were helpful and patient with us when answering questions. In my opinion our teacher in grammar, Francesca was wonderful to have. She is really a nice teacher and also she was the one who took us around for our free activity in the afternoon, those I chose to join in. The location wise was just right although I got lost several times on my first day to school having to find the streets but for me it was part of experience. The places were just about right, it is just finding and knowing where it can be located. But I am happy. I welcomed the activities offered that is for free. It gave me an opportunity to go around and to be familiar with the places which are significant or of its importance which our teacher in grammar kindly explained the places when we arrived there. For the housing, my accommodation, I found the place clean and quiet. The landlady doesn't speak any English at all but for me it was a challenge to be able to practice the language I studied. I found it hard to use the keys on how to open the door of my accommodation, a bit complicated but I got it right in the end.
Show details » Read more...I had an inspiring week of beginners' lessons at Istituto Il David. The teachers were professionals. The school was located in an inspiring environment.
The only thing I missed was the fact that there were no activities in the afternoon, due to the lack of students who were interested or available to participate.
The week before, I was told that I would phase in the second week of a group that had started one week earlier. This was not the case, which was the reason why I changed groups after the second day due to a difference in level of knowledge.
I have enjoyed my stay and have definitely increased my level!
The location of the school is wonderful! Teachers are smiling, ready to help with everything they can!
My Italian has improved significantly!
Extracurricular activities are very different and interesting!
I'd love to come back to continue my studies at the Istituto Il David!
I did not use the school accommodation.
I like the school, the location was very nice. The center of the city was only a 5 minute walk from my home. The teachers were perfect and I really enjoyed studying there. I didn't like that it was nothing interesting in extra activities and there were not many students, probably because of the time of the year (november-december). Housing were pretty good. I was living with an Italian family in my own room. But I didn't like a lot the fact I couldn't wash my stuff, even socks there. I had to go out and pay money to machine to do it...It killed me...So next time I go, I will note it... I improve my Italian a lot...
Show details » Read more...Homestays are carefully selected and offer students the opportunity to learn more about the local culture in a comfortable setting while studying Italian in Florence. These homes are often between 3 - 20 minutes away from the school by public transport. Families usually offer affordable meal plans that allow you to sample the local cuisine. If you have special requests or diet restrictions (because of religion or health reasons), please let us know in advance. Your housing starts on the Sunday before your first day of class and ends on the Saturday after your last day of class, unless otherwise noted. Learn more about homestay housing
We cannot apply for visas on behalf of students. However, the school can supply you with all the documentation you need to support your visa application.
Your letter of acceptance will be sent to your home address by regular mail at no charge to you. If you wish to receive your paperwork by express mail, you will be charged 50 € when you register.
Please note that we do not book flights for our students. If you are researching airfare costs, we recommend using Kayak.com, a search engine that lets you compare flight options from your home country to Florence based on your budget, schedule and preferences.
Study abroad worry-free with Language International's health and personal effects insurance coverage. When you book a course with us, you can opt to purchase an international insurance plan that covers not only your health care cost but also loss of your personal belongings. You must book your insurance in advance when you register.
The Istituto Il David is situated in the heart of the historical center of Florence, on the third floor of a bourgeois palace (with a lift) built at the end of the 19th century and recently renovated. It is located in the area that houses banks and worldwide famous fashion shops. The Cathedral, the central railway station, the main monuments and museums are all within walking distance (5-10 minutes walk) from the school.
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