30 Lingua-It: (11) (Verona) vs. Leonardo da Vinci (Siena)
I attended Leonardo da Vinci two years ago [2005], and many things may have changed since then. I am not including the Università per Stranieri, Perugia, in this comparison because I do not recommend that you attend that school unless you are a masochist! (See blogs 4 - 6, 9,10). However, there are two private schools in Perugia, but I know nothing about them. There is also another school in Verona, named IDEA Verona. I know nothing about this school, except that I did not pursue my enquiry any further when they replied to my questions with stock answers. For all I know, it may be an excellent school.
Size
Lingua-It: Small [approx 30] when I attended
Leonardo da Vinci: Larger, numbers unknown to me but certainly more than 30 when I attended
Year Founded
Lingua-It: 2002
Leonardo da Vinci: 1977
Membership
Lingua-It: Member of Italian Language and Culture schools
Leonardo da Vinci: Member of Italian Language and Culture schools
NOTE: The following is strictly hearsay: that Leonardo da Vinci is old enough to have achieved the government licence, which was then discontinued. Whatever is to replace the licence has not as yet been issued. Hence many other schools, especially the newer ones, lack this licence.
Teaching Philosophy
Lingua-It: No set text book. Emphasis on spoken language based on grammatical subject of the lesson
Leonardo da Vinci: Grammar, established, in-house textbook
Location
Lingua-It: Verona, Veneto, Northern Italy; 1 hour from Venice. Felt very safe. Met a Veronese who was an excellent host. Enjoyed talking to the hosts at the Cafè Tubino
Leonardo da Vinci: Siena, Tuscany. 2 hours from Florence. Felt very safe but Sienese are notorious for being self contained
Common Room /Meeting Place
Lingua-It: Not really, but has a small hall with internet and 4 computers. One minute to local café and bars
Leonardo da Vinci: No Common Room. Does have a terrace where people can meet during class breaks.
Extracurricular
Lingua-It: (Free) weekly walking tours of sites in Verona and weekly showing of films
[Pay] weekly guided tours outside Verona
[Pay] biweekly guided tours of other cities
Leonardo da Vinci: (Free) weekly walking tours of sites in Siena, gallery tours.
(Free) lectures on cooking, contradas, pronunciation
[Pay] weekly motor excursions to other cities but not with a guide
Highlights
Lingua-It: Visit to Vicenza and exhibition of paleochristian art with art historian
Aperitifs at bar
Leonardo da Vinci: Dinner at a farmhouse. Workshop in pronunciation
Bright ideas
Lingua-It: list of restaurants, etc
Leonardo da Vinci: Dinner and workshop – see “highlights”
Weakness:
Lingua-It: cooking classes never materialised
Leonardo da Vinci: nowhere for students to meet [2005]
Strength
Lingua-It: Small, friendly and everyday Italian stressed
Leonardo da Vinci: Only Italian spoken by instructors [2005]. Well established in its ways
Cost
Lingua-It: 630 [2007]
Leonardo da Vinci: 670 [approx.] [2008]
Which School to Choose?
That depends on what you want. If your Italian is fairly advanced, that is, you have covered the grammar (or most of it) I would recommend Lingua-It. You’ll probably go through the grammar again, but this time with an eye on what is important for speaking. If you know little to no grammar and would like a more regimented classroom approach, I recommend Scuola Leonardo.
If you want to be immersed entirely in Italian, that is, where the teachers speak only Italian, I recommend Scuola Leonardo. Of course things might have changed in two years, but I hope not. On the other hand, If you are not fussy about being entirely immersed in Italian, then Lingua-It is your school.
As far as cities go, both are beautiful cities and both inner cities are safe (as “safe” can be). Verona has a right-of-centre government, which, I assume, would be strong on law and order. Siena, on the other hand, has an in-built mechanism – the contradas – to control the young. Frankly, I prefer Perugia to both despite its growing drug problem, because it is a cultural Mecca.
At Siena (2005) you could still try out your Italian with waiters, taxi drivers, clerks, unlike Verona where everyone wants to speak English (or German).
From Verona you can easily visit Venice, Padua, Mantua, and other North Italian cities. From Siena you are not far from Florence and all the other Tuscan towns. However, both Venice and Tuscany are crawling with tourists!
Size
Lingua-It: Small [approx 30] when I attended
Leonardo da Vinci: Larger, numbers unknown to me but certainly more than 30 when I attended
Year Founded
Lingua-It: 2002
Leonardo da Vinci: 1977
Membership
Lingua-It: Member of Italian Language and Culture schools
Leonardo da Vinci: Member of Italian Language and Culture schools
NOTE: The following is strictly hearsay: that Leonardo da Vinci is old enough to have achieved the government licence, which was then discontinued. Whatever is to replace the licence has not as yet been issued. Hence many other schools, especially the newer ones, lack this licence.
Teaching Philosophy
Lingua-It: No set text book. Emphasis on spoken language based on grammatical subject of the lesson
Leonardo da Vinci: Grammar, established, in-house textbook
Location
Lingua-It: Verona, Veneto, Northern Italy; 1 hour from Venice. Felt very safe. Met a Veronese who was an excellent host. Enjoyed talking to the hosts at the Cafè Tubino
Leonardo da Vinci: Siena, Tuscany. 2 hours from Florence. Felt very safe but Sienese are notorious for being self contained
Common Room /Meeting Place
Lingua-It: Not really, but has a small hall with internet and 4 computers. One minute to local café and bars
Leonardo da Vinci: No Common Room. Does have a terrace where people can meet during class breaks.
Extracurricular
Lingua-It: (Free) weekly walking tours of sites in Verona and weekly showing of films
[Pay] weekly guided tours outside Verona
[Pay] biweekly guided tours of other cities
Leonardo da Vinci: (Free) weekly walking tours of sites in Siena, gallery tours.
(Free) lectures on cooking, contradas, pronunciation
[Pay] weekly motor excursions to other cities but not with a guide
Highlights
Lingua-It: Visit to Vicenza and exhibition of paleochristian art with art historian
Aperitifs at bar
Leonardo da Vinci: Dinner at a farmhouse. Workshop in pronunciation
Bright ideas
Lingua-It: list of restaurants, etc
Leonardo da Vinci: Dinner and workshop – see “highlights”
Weakness:
Lingua-It: cooking classes never materialised
Leonardo da Vinci: nowhere for students to meet [2005]
Strength
Lingua-It: Small, friendly and everyday Italian stressed
Leonardo da Vinci: Only Italian spoken by instructors [2005]. Well established in its ways
Cost
Lingua-It: 630 [2007]
Leonardo da Vinci: 670 [approx.] [2008]
Which School to Choose?
That depends on what you want. If your Italian is fairly advanced, that is, you have covered the grammar (or most of it) I would recommend Lingua-It. You’ll probably go through the grammar again, but this time with an eye on what is important for speaking. If you know little to no grammar and would like a more regimented classroom approach, I recommend Scuola Leonardo.
If you want to be immersed entirely in Italian, that is, where the teachers speak only Italian, I recommend Scuola Leonardo. Of course things might have changed in two years, but I hope not. On the other hand, If you are not fussy about being entirely immersed in Italian, then Lingua-It is your school.
As far as cities go, both are beautiful cities and both inner cities are safe (as “safe” can be). Verona has a right-of-centre government, which, I assume, would be strong on law and order. Siena, on the other hand, has an in-built mechanism – the contradas – to control the young. Frankly, I prefer Perugia to both despite its growing drug problem, because it is a cultural Mecca.
At Siena (2005) you could still try out your Italian with waiters, taxi drivers, clerks, unlike Verona where everyone wants to speak English (or German).
From Verona you can easily visit Venice, Padua, Mantua, and other North Italian cities. From Siena you are not far from Florence and all the other Tuscan towns. However, both Venice and Tuscany are crawling with tourists!
posted by Toby1939 at 5:09 PM
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