THE LAKE
Lake Como has always been a must-see for tourists headed for the Italian peninsula only to be left breathless for the sheer beauty of this location.  Over time, celebrated artists such as Shelly, Longfellow, Stendhall, Flaubert and Liszt, to name a few, have sung its praises.  In the past, politicians the likes of Winston Churchill and Konrad Adenaurer loved sojourning along its quiet banks.  Today, many jet setters have likewise chosen Lake Como as a second home and most recently the Lake  has added George Clooney to its VIP roster.
City highlights include:
evocative scenery, quaint costal spots, points of historical and artistic interest,  famous villas that overlook the lake and ferry tours that allow visitors to admire the sights from an unique vantage point.
 
THE SCHOOL
Situated in the city centre it is just a hop, skip and jump from the commercial hubbub within the ancient city walls. 
The school environment is warm and bright and the qualified teaching staff has a lot of experience in foreign language instruction.  It's no surprise that the school has become a beacon for those seeking expert training. The school's clients include some of the area's biggest industrial names. As of June 2003 the school has been a certified member of ISO 9001.  This certification guarantees a high standard of quality.  The teaching staff combine many years of foreign language teaching experience, team work and  constant revision of teaching materials and methods to ensure that this high standard of quality is maintained. 

THE METHODOLOGY
The team in Como have adopted a very active approach that emphasises student participation.  The main objective is communication by means of both oral and written activities.
The main communication skills - listening, speaking, reading, writing - are developed in a balanced way.  In-class activities are varied to include pair and group work using innovative materials such as the video camera.
At the start of every course the level of study is evaluated by a placement test.

INTENSIVE COURSE
The course consists of 5 lessons per day from Monday to Friday.  This is a 2-3 week course and the class size maximum is 7 students.

SUPERINTENSIVE COURSE
This is the ideal course for the student who wants to make the most of his/her study holiday.  In addition to the usual group work prescribed for the normal intensive course, this program offers an individual component.  These one-to-one lessons are tailor made to meet the student's individual needs.  Two options are available:
>Superintensive course 1:
one individual lesson in the afternoon.
>Superintensive course 2:
two individual lessons in the afternoon. 

INDIVIDUAL COURSES
These courses have no predetermined start date and the level, intensity and length will be arranged directly with the student according to his/her needs.

HOMESTAY ITALIAN LANGUAGE PROGRAMME:
One-to-one courses in your teachers home. Homestay tuition is a very effective way to learn and to practise a language.

LEVELS OF STUDY

Basic
This level is designed for beginners with little or no knowledge of Italian.  At the end of this course, students will be able to interact and communicate in everyday situations using simple vocabulary and basic grammatical structures.

Pre-intermediate
This level is for students who have some previous knowledge of Italian.  The program will review basic grammatical structures and progressively build on them.

Intermediate
During this course,  all grammatical structures will be introduced and students will work to strengthen their comprehension, speaking and writing skills.

Upper-intermediate
This course will allow students to gain mastery over the language.  More complex grammatical structures will be analysed and students will be encouraged to broaden their vocabulary.

Advanced
The purpose of this course is to refine skills that have been acquired and developed throughout past studies.  The program is designed for students who want to perfect all aspects of Italian language skills.

ACTIVITES
There is the possibility to incorporate a study of Italian culture into the usual language program.  Other courses offered in Italian cover such topics as cookery, wine and art.