Italian and the arts

Studioitalia, with schools in Rome, Milan and Scilla, is another experienced provider of language-and-arts based courses, with such varied offerings as painting, music, history of art, sculpture, architecture, glass making, fashion and jewellery art. Pina Foti at the school says that they have been offering such courses for 20 years. "Very often students learn Italian because they are looking for [instruction in] our culture – music, art, design etc," she says. "The principal advantage of such courses is to really taste Italian life outside the classroom."

Italy has a strong association with artistic culture and for many students, a desire to learn Italian is fuelled by an existing interest in such cultural traditions as opera, art and music. "Italy possesses 75 per cent of the world';s cultural heritage at least in terms of artistic heritage," claims Francesca Granieri from La Lingua La Vita in Todi. "A lot of students are interested in the Italian language because they study art history and you cannot think of Italy without thinking of its art and culture, so these kind of afternoon courses were introduced to give the students a deeper perspective on our cultural and historical traditions."

Granieri notes that many of their arts students come from Japan and the USA and adds, "One of the latest trends I have noticed is a growing interest from adult students, especially if they haven';t ever had a chance in their lives to study art, painting or art history." At Scuola Toscana in Florence, Alberto Del Mela also reports that US and Japanese students "are particularly interested in these hands-on courses". He explains, "Many students requested [that we offer these types of courses], especially from Japan."

At Accademia del Giglio in Florence, tuition in painting and art history is conducted in both English and Italian, ensuring a high level of tuition as well as encouraging complete beginners, who understand English, to experience the Italian course without missing out on too much during extra lessons. The course attracts students from a wide variety of nationalities, according to Lorenzo Capanni at the school, who adds that the location in Florence, "which is considered the cradle both of the Italian language and of Renaissance art" makes the arts courses particularly relevant.

"More and more students have shown an interest in the fresco technique, which make them understand how some great masterpieces of the Renaissance period were created, such as for example the Sistine Chapel';s frescos by Michelangelo or the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci," he says.

One further reason given for students attending courses that combine Italian and the arts is typically to visit some of the many historic and artistic treasures throughout the country, and excursions usually form an important part of a course itinerary. Students at the University of Pisa attend four cultural excursions throughout their course, to Rome, Sienna and San Gimignano, Volterra and Cinque Terre, says Luca Gamba at the school. "Also, they are given 10 lectures of one hour focusing on artistic and historical [details] of some famous Italian places," he relates.