L'Olivo Italiano: Scuola di Lingua e Cultura Italiana - Italian Language & Culture School

Are you tired of learning Italian in a faraway classroom or with an app? I was, and so I packed my bags and headed off to L’Olivo Italiano in the hills overlooking Florence. The language school is housed in an atmospheric old monastery with a garden full of fruit trees, olive trees, lavender and butterflies, and a postcard view of the roofs and domes of Florence. I even saw a shy capriolo deer while sitting in the garden on my morning break. A week of intensive morning classes boosted my Italian hugely and allowed me to ask lots of practical questions about tipping and putting in petrol and polite behaviour as well as practise areas of grammar. In the afternoons I took up their offers of personal guided tours (in Italian) into the neighbouring Chianti region to visit local restaurants and wine cellars and organic vegetable gardens. Every outing was different and every drive was beautiful. I also opted for board and lodging with a local family which gave me plenty of opportunities to try out my Italian and experience areas of Italian life that most tourists never get to see. Alessandra and Irene were incredibly kind and organised, giving me lifts, helping me when my luggage went missing and advising me when my travel plans changed at short notice. I highly recommend a course at L’Olivo Italiano as a treat to yourself, or as an add-on to your Italian holiday. I’ll be back – non vedo l’ora!

I completed a two week course at the school and I had a fantastic time! The classes were great. I loved the communicative style and how many opportunities there were to speak in Italian. We covered grammar in an interesting way with lots of activities to activate what we had learnt. Extra activities like lunch with the teachers, watching films and language exchanges with other students were perfect for practicing in a relaxed way. I liked the balance of activities and think the number of lessons each day was exactly the right amount to allow time for independent study and exploring the area.The location is beautiful. The countryside around Bagno a Ripoli is gorgeous and there are lots of beautiful places to visit nearby. Florence is close enough to visit for the day and you can catch the bus there quite easily.All in all, it was a great holiday and I would definitely recommend it. Irene and Alessandra are excellent teachers and everything was organised perfectly.

Bellissima esperienza. Ho trascorso 2 settimane alla scuola e sono molto felice della mia scelta. Lo staff è stato molto professionale e mi ha aiutato molto per migliorare il mio italiano e per tutti i bisogni. La scuola mi ha aiutato a trovare un appartamento con giardino dove ho potuto portare il mio cane. La scuola è sulle colline, 20 minuti di Firenze, con vista magnifica su Firenze. Per chi ama visitare Firenze e i dintorni e la calma della campagna del Chianti è il posto ideale. Le mie insegnanti erano molto preparate e gentili. Il gruppo di pochi estudenti permette di imparare meglio. Come essere alla casa. Consiglio a tutti L'Olivo Italiano. Ciao!

If you are looking for a beautiful place and a dedicated and enthusiastic teacher L'OLIVO Italiano is the place to go. From the first correspondence with Alessandra to the day she picked me up at the bus stop and to the first land last lesson with Irene- I felt welcomed and supported in my quest to learn Italian. Irene is an animated and a fun teacher and made the classes interesting and enjoyable. She organized a film event, language exchanges with local Italians- to give an opportunity to practice Italian. I enjoyed my two weeks at the school and feel I got a great start with my Italian. Irene and Alessandra are two beautiful women who are looking to give people who wish to learn Italian the opportunity to do so in the perfect environment

J'y suis allé pour 2 semaines avec cours de langue le matin et Scoprendo la Toscana" l'après-midi et pendant ces 2 semaines je me suis sentie à la maison

I had a wonderful set of 3 x half consecutive days learning italian with Irene.I had injured my knee and last minute decided to compensate by learning italian and overcoming my tendency to use spanish.The setting of historic spedele..old convent and hospital was fantastic up on the hillside overlooking florence.The language school and hostel next to it share good relations and so i was happy to wander around both at breaks.In one evening we went to see the tuesday night jazz complete with local food and i practiced my italian.The lessons were great, the teacher tuned into my particular ability, interest and local need to understand very well. She tailor made the lessons each day.Practical italian helping with independent travel touring for a month.and really enjoyable learning..Thanks I have been able to understand local people in umbria ( in tuscany lot of people speak english) so much more than I expected and even speak a bit.JackiSeisanta anni?!

L’Olivo is a wonderful language school on a beautiful hill just outside of Florence. Irene is such a dedicated, passionate and understanding teacher who cares for every single student and makes the learning experience at the school so special (she even picks up students that don’t have a car every single morning and takes them to school!). The classes are small, so you really get to participate a lot. There are also lots of fun activities besides classes which get you to practice Italian in real life and experience Italian culture. I really enjoyed the weekly Apericena, movie afternoons and going to the restaurant nearby. Irene and Alessandra have found the perfect balance between grammar lessons and making the studying fun and interactive! I would recommend this school to everyone!

I just completed three weeks of one-on-one lessons. It was an incredibly empowering experience. The teaching method is such that a perfect balance is struck between meeting important curriculum goals, and supporting the student's unique learning style. I felt very focused on and tailored to. But what I appreciated most actually was the true passion the teachers have for helping people learn. They offered terrific free activities to inspire excitement and increase speaking opportunities. They listened to my frustrations when I felt overwhelmed, and modified the program to fit my needs. They cared enough to motivate me when I was loosing confidence. Overall I felt that my time at the school was much more than a collection of language lessons.....it was a powerful cultural emmersion experience that has set me on a solid path to continuing my language development.

If you want to push your italian into the next level with a dedicated teacher in a beautiful environment, this is the place to go! Irene and Alessandra live their passion and you will feel this spirit in every single lesson, that is as well perfectly structured as it is full of creative methods to reach you on different channels.And the only reason, I am writing this comment in English (dopo che ho imparato cosi tanto in solo due settimane grazie alla mia meravigliosa insegnante) is, to reach all you guys out there, who are still up to learn Italian and have the chance to make a life enriching decision with choosing l´olivo italiano!