This programme is offered three times in a year: in September, in January or in June. It combines Italian Language and Fine Arts studies:

ITALIAN LANGUAGE STUDIES
From beginner to pre-intermediate, according to the European Language Portfolio.
12 weeks, 2 hours a day, in the morning, from 9am to 11am, Monday – Friday
Total number of hours: 120

Our foreign language training is offered at all levels. We will assign your course after a brief placement test that you will take upon arrival. Please note that 7 language levels ranging from beginner to advanced are available and regular progress tests are held at the end of each level. All participants attend a minimum of 80 class hours per 4-week period through a combination of small group, conversation and grammar classes.

The programme
After attending the Italian Language course the student will acquire the following language abilities:

· Understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc.
· Deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken.
· Produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest.
· Describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
From the European Language Portfolio

DRAWING AND PAINTING STUDIES
Basic drawing techniques, Life drawing, Acrylic and Watercolour technique.
12 weeks, 3 hours and a half a day, in the afternoon, from 1.45pm to 5.15pm, Monday – Thursday
Total number of hours: 168 hours

Our Art programme is offered according to your artistic skills and school experience. Therefore, if you are not an Art novice, on your first day of class please bring with you some pictures of your previous works (even on a CD). Our Art teacher will evaluate them and will discuss with you about your goals and main interests in Art techniques. Also please note that all participants will attend a minimum of 56 class hours per 4-week period through a combination of mainly drawing and painting classes.

The programme and the techniques
· An introduction to the basic drawing techniques (line, design and "chiaroscuro") through which students will learn how to reproduce an object on paper, according to its natural shape and proportions. Students will practise with graphite and charcoal.
· The study of anatomy and the methodology traditionally used to draw bodies and faces. Students may choose to practise also with sanguine, pen-and-ink, pastel crayon.
· The course will then focus on the rudiments of the colour theory and the practice of various techniques, such as acrylic and water colour painting.
· Acrylics are extremely versatile, fast-drying paints. Students will learn on how to apply and blend them either straight from the tube or with very little water added, with different effects on the canvas: bright or dark, transparent or opaque.
· Water colour is mainly a transparent technique since all the pigments are applied so thinly. However, the inherent differences in colours do still show in painting. Students will practise the use of colours both on dry paper and wet paper and also on sponged paper.

No specific artistic skills or background are required.

Total cost: 2490 Euro

Credits: As most universities and colleges consider 10 hours of study per term to be an acceptable level, we offer classes which provide the equivalent of 5 hours of credit per term for the study of the Italian language, along with hours for other modules such as Drawing and Painting.
Course code: TERM
Duration: 12 weeks
Dates: September, January, June
Total amount of hours: 288
Maximum number of students per class: 7 in the Language class and 10 in the Art classes.
Accommodation: Please click here
Application Form: Please click here

This programme starts in September and in January and it combines Italian Language studies, Fine Arts studies, Art History:

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES
From beginner to advanced, according to the European Language Portfolio.
24 weeks, 2 hours a day, in the morning, from 9am to 11am, Monday – Friday
Total number of hours: 240

Our foreign language training is offered at all levels. We will assign your course after a brief placement test that you will take upon arrival. Please note that 7 language levels ranging from beginner to advanced are available and regular progress tests are held at the end of each level. All participants attend a minimum of 80 class hours per 4-week period through a combination of small group, conversation and grammar classes.

The programme
After attending the Italian Language course the student will acquire the following language abilities:

· Understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning;
· Express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions;
· Use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes.
· Produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
From the European Language Portfolio

DRAWING AND PAINTING CLASSES
Classical Drawing techniques, Life drawing and Portrait, Water colour, Acrylic and Oil Techniques.
24 weeks, 3 hours and a half a day, in the afternoon, from 1.45pm to 5.15pm, Monday – Thursday
Total number of hours: 336 hours

Our Art programme is offered according to your artistic skills and school experience. Therefore, if you are not an Art novice, on your first day of class please bring with you some pictures of your previous works (even on a CD). Our Art teacher will evaluate them and will discuss with you about your goals and main interests in Art techniques. Also please note that all participants will attend a minimum of 56 class hours per 4-week period through a combination of mainly drawing and painting classes.

The programme and the techniques
The first 12 weeks introduce basic drawing (proportions, shading and perspective) and various painting techniques (especially acrylics and watercolour) while the following 12 weeks aim at developing and improving students artistic skills. At the end of these six months students will have acquired the basic knowledge required towards the making of their personal portfolios and will concentrate on the study of one specific technique, such as:
· Portrait;
· Oil painting;
· Tempera;
· Fresco;

Portrait: Through making rapid strokes in pencil (or charcoal) students will learn how to portray the essential features of a human face, and through more elaborate drawings they will focus on details, on the effect of light and shade (“the chiaroscuro”), as well as on the psychological value of facial expression.
Oil paint gives a "richness" and depth of colour that stresses on the shading and the highlighting. At the end of the semester Students will have learnt to emphasise or fade the brightness of the colours of different objects and the effects of light on metal, glass and bodies.
Egg tempera paint is made from finely ground dry pigments, egg yolk and water. Students will learn to master this fast drying medium that is fluid by nature and must be applied thinly in semi-opaque and transparent layers. They will realize how different this linear style is from the thick, brushy and painterly technique of oil painting. They will also appreciate the subtle colour variations so characteristic of egg tempera painting (unlike the deep saturated colours typical in oil paints).
Fresco is one of the oldest painting techniques. It was invented by the Egyptians who later taught it to the Greeks. But it was only in the 14th century, thanks to the Italian painter Giotto, that the fresco technique gained more and more importance among the Fine Arts.
The most peculiar quality of fresco painting lies undoubtedly in its making: the pigment - a natural material - is laid on a fresh plaster several times in a short lapse of time, and through a cohesion process it fixes itself in the plaster, creating warm and subtle tones. The artist can make no mistakes, as correcting them would imply destroying the whole work. That is why the fresco technique is particularly difficult to learn and master.

SEMINARS ON ART HISTORY
"From Giotto to Mannerism” and "The Renaissance in Florence and Italy".
2 weeks,
Total number of hours: 16

The programme
This course introduces and explores the main historical-artistic trends from XIV to XVI centuries. Lessons are complemented by guided tours to museums and monuments in Florence. The time-table includes two weekly one-hour lessons and two weekly two-hour guided tours. At the end of the four weeks students will have visited the Uffizi, the Bargello National Museum, the National Academy Gallery, the Medici Chapels, the San Marco Museum.

Total cost: 4930 Euro

Credits: The Accademia del Giglio recommends that students who would like to receive credit for their studies abroad check with their university or college prior to registration.
As most universities and colleges consider 20 hours of study per semester to be an acceptable level, we offer classes which provide the equivalent of 10-12 hours of credit per semester for the study of the Italian language, the Art history, the Drawing and Painting techniques.
Course code: SEME
Languages: English and Italian
Duration: 24 weeks
Dates: September and January
Total amount of hours: 592
Maximum number of students per class: 7 in the Language class and 10 in the Art classes.
Accommodation: Please click here
Application Form: Please click here