 | |
We offer both group and individual lessons; group lessons are
for persons minimum 16 years of age. The classes made up of
people of many different nationalities and the majo-rity of
the students are between 18 and 40 years of age, although we
have had many older students.
Our teaching method takes into account the differing needs
and study bases of our stu-dents. Modern teaching techniques
integrate the communicative method and the syste-matic,
progressive study of grammar and syntax. The student's communication
abilities are systematically developed using various kinds of exercises.
The various segments of the Italian language are taught in a pleasant,
small-group environment : speaking, li-stening, reading, and writing.
Two teachers alternate for each class, giving students the opportunity
to hear differing accents and experience differing teaching styles.
At the beginning of each course, a placement test is given in
order to place students in the proper language level.
Complete beginners do not take the test and start their
course im-mediately. The didactic program is structured into
five levels: beginning (1), elementary (2), intermediate (3) advanced A (4), and advanced B (5).
When one thinks of Tuscany, medieval
art cities, streets lined with cypresses, olive groves and vineyards
come to mind. The city of Siena represents this image to perfection;
this university town (60,000 inhabitants and 15,000 students) is the
ideal place for complete immersion in Italian language and culture.
Correct Italian is spoken here and the teaching of Italian as a foreign
language has a long tradition in this city.
Siena offers a vast array of cultural activities: museums, exhibitions,
concerts (classical music and jazz), etc. In the summer, there is an
open-air cinema and any number of festi-vities, the most important of
which is the Palio. The Palio, a bare-back horse race held in the
medieval Piazza del Campo right in the heart of the city, happens
twice a year on 2 July and 16 August. As if all this were not enough,
Florence is only an hour away and Rome can be reached in two and a half hours.
In the Middle Ages, Siena became one of the most important city-states
in the Italian pen-insula, given that it lay on the Via Francigena
(the north-south road travelled by merch-ants and pilgrims).
The medieval urban structure of the city has remained largely un-changed
until the present day. The city decided to close the historic centre to
car traffic in 1956 and was the first Italian city to do so. This brought
about slower economic develop-ment over time while preserving the city's
historical and architectural importance.
The fact that the sea is only 90 km away and the city's position on a
hill 300 metres above sea level guarantee a pleasant climate.
The SÆNA IULIA offers a vast range of optional
cultural activities which change every month. Some of the cultural activities
include visits to museums in Siena and other cities, excursions to places near Siena
in addition to other Tuscan cities, suppers with the other students and school
teachers/ staff, films, etc. Cultural seminars are held in the after-noons on
various facets of Italian life and culture (literature, art, history, and music).
In the summer months we take 1-2 excursions per week; during the winter months,
we take at least one excursion every two weeks. The weekend is usually left
free for students to enjoy the many places near Siena that can be reached using
public transportation.
The Mediterranean Sea is about one hour away and there are many small rivers in
the Si-ena area where one can swim. In the winter, students can enjoy swimming
at the thermal hot spring centres at Bagno Vignoni and Bagni di Petriolo.
The countryside invites one to take long walks or to ride mountain bikes.
For additional information, the Saena Iulia staff is always available to offer
advice and suggestions about free-time activities.
We find lodging for our students
for the duration of their stay in Siena. Tere are ceveral possibilities:
[ Back to the beginning |
Back to the Homepage |
How to contact me
]
The School
The SÆNA IULIA School is a small language school
with a pleasant yet professional learning environment. The
school is centrally located in a quiet part of the city, just
a few steps from the Cathedral and Piazza del Campo, and is
housed in the 16th-century Palazzo del Magnifico (then the
residence of the city's governor).
Cultural Program
Accomodations