Centro Studi Italiani

The 5 best Italian language courses for foreigners

Written by Sara Castello | 10 August 2023

Are you looking for Italian courses for foreigners? Read the article and find the 5 best courses for learning Italian based on your level and your needs.

There are plenty of courses and lots of reasons for you to seek out an Italian language course for foreigners.

You might want a course for work or study, to get into an Italian university, or to obtain a certificate for your language skills. Or you might just be looking to enjoy a holiday in Italy and to learn more about Italian culture at the same time.

That’s why it’s not always easy to find the best Italian course for you.

You need to look at one that best suits your needs, that takes into account your starting level, and lets you achieve your specific aim.

Of course, it might be more difficult than you thought, which is why this article is here to help you. Today we want to show you an overview of the 5 best Italian language courses for foreigners. That way you can choose the one that best suits your needs.

Specifically, we will look at:

 

Italian language courses for foreigners and how to choose the right one

Choosing an Italian language course for foreigners can be a difficult process, given the variety of courses on offer. 

Of course, the first thing to look at is the choice of school you want to trust with your learning. 

You can find a whole lot of apparently attractive offers, but you should never stop at first impressions.

Try to get as much information as possible, and don’t forget to see the reviews from other students who have already completed a course before you. This will help to give you a more precise idea and to understand whether or not the quality of the service is real and able to provide what you are looking for.

At Centro Studi Italiani, we are able to offer you guaranteed:

  • Experience. We are a specialist language school with almost forty years of experience specialising in teaching Italian language and culture to international students. Over 16,000 students of all ages and from all over the world have benefited from our courses;
  • Bespoke courses and programmes on a range of levels, tailored to your specific needs;
  • A multilingual staff able to provide you with the right level of support before, during and after your course;
  • Qualified teachers and efficient teaching methods;
  • Influential partnerships with institutions and universities all over the world;
  • Recognised certificates issued within a short time after course completion.

And if you need to sit CELI or CILS examinations, as well as helping you prepare for the examinations themselves, Centro Studi Italiani is also a  certification and examination centre.

 

Italian courses for groups or individuals?

One of the first decisions you need to take when deciding which course of Italian for foreigners is for you, concerns the choice of group or individual course.

It is a matter of two different learning methods, each one with different characteristics and benefits.

There is really nothing to show that one method is better than the other. The choice is yours, after you have evaluated a series of questions.

In this sense, as well as considering your budget, we recommend that you take a careful look at your own personal needs, your starting level and your aims, taking into account that:

  • Group courses, although suitable for everyone, are preferable for beginners. The possibility to interact is what helps participants to “unlock” their abilities more easily. This is also thanks to the fact that our students are required to sit an entrance test so that we can create groups where everyone is on the same level and therefore, more at ease;
  • Private lessons. Although suitable at whatever initial language level, they are perhaps better for more advanced learners. In fact, students can take a more detailed look at specific subject areas or fill in a few specific gaps.

Another option available to consider is to attend a group course and to add specific private lessons so that you can practise more and achieve your aims more quickly.

 

What are the 5 best Italian language courses for foreigners?

Before looking at the 5 best Italian language courses for foreigners, you need to take another substantial difference into account, which is the one between online courses and face-to-face learning. 

Of course, these are two options that require absolutely different investment in terms of time and resources.

Attending a course at one of our schools (Urbania, Genoa and Milan), will take you beyond simply learning the language. Rather, it is an authentic Italian living experience, where you can discover the culture and traditions of our country. Immersion in the language is total, because you will have the chance to speak with local people outside your lesson times.

We will take care of offering you a choice of different accommodation and provide you with the assistance you need for the whole duration of your stay. 

Our aim is to combine the extreme professionalism and successful method with a welcoming culture that will make you feel at home from the outset, just like in a large Italian family.

 

1. IMPARIAMO! Intensive Italian language course for Groups

IMPARIAMO! Intensive Italian language course for Groups is one of our most popular courses and it is held at our school in the heart of the city of Genoa.

4 hours a day, for 20 hours a week, for a period that can vary from 1 to 48 weeks, according to the time you have available for your stay in Italy.

This Italian language course for foreigners will work for you if your aim is to understand, speak, read, and write Italian, and if you are looking for a group course that will help you to achieve excellent results in just a few weeks, leaving you enough free time to attend private lessons or to explore the city.

 

2. COME STAI? Intensive Italian language course for Groups

COME STAI?  This Intensive Italian language course for Groups is an Italian language course at our historic school in Urbania.

In this case too, the course is open to all levels, and classes will be formed taking into account the starting level of each of the students.

You will acquire the necessary language skills to enter the fascinating world of Italian language and culture, interacting with other students of different ages and nationalities every day.

You will learn grammar, vocabulary and conversation. 

We will also involve you in a series of extra curricular activities so you can learn about the area and its traditions.

 

3. 1 to 1 – Italian language course for individuals

1 to 1 – Italian language course for individuals is a course tailored to your needs and objectives.

This is a course offering maximum flexibility. Lessons will be customised to your specific needs.

You can also choose the number of hours, the duration of the course and even your lesson times.

The individual 1 to 1 course is suitable for all starting levels, especially if you already have a good degree of basic knowledge and you want to acquire more specific skills.

Based on your preferences, you can decide which school to choose for your course, Urbania, Genoa or Milan.

 

4. Italian Language A2 online group course

If your aim is to improve and boost your knowledge of grammar and your language skills from your own home, our Italian language A2 online group course is the solution for you.

You can follow the lessons (two weekly sessions, each lasting two hours) from our e-learning platform, where you will virtually meet with people from all over the world.

Our classes, which are kept small, are organised according to your time zone, while all sessions are completely guided, live streamed, and can be recorded on request, if you cannot make it to a specific class.

This Italian language course for foreigners is also good preparation if you need to sit an examination for CELI or CILS certification.

 

5. 1 to 1 – Individual online Italian language course

If it is true that living an experience in situ is doubtless an added value that cannot be equalled, it is just as true that not everyone has the possibility to travel.

In these cases, the online Italian language course for Individuals can offer you all the benefits in terms of customisation and flexibility seen for the individual face-to-face course.

So, if you work, study, or in any case, you don’t have the possibility to experience a direct period of study at one of our schools, then the online course for individuals is a great solution for you.

Our dedicated interactive platform will provide you will all of the tools you need to take an active part in our live lessons with teacher.

 

Why choose a course with Centro Studi Italiani?

We have explained something of the courses our school has to offer you, together with the best Italian language courses for foreigners we provide.

Choosing Centro Studi Italiani means “Learning Italy” and not just Italian.

All of our courses and activities are in fact guided by a common denominator, which is the desire not only to teach Italian to foreigners, but also to provide experiences of the most authentic Italy and its traditions.

More than a course, this is a journey and at the end of it, after sitting an examination to certify your language skills, we will issue you with a recognised certificate that you can use for your work or for university entrance.