italian culture courses

The school offers numerous afternoon activities aimed at developing the students' knowledge of the places, the history and the culture of this region of Italy. Visit our italian culture courses!

CENTRO DI CULTURA
ITALIANA CASENTINO
Scuola di Italiano
per stranieri

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Excursions and guided visits

The schedule of afternoon activities is presented at the beginning of the course and varies from one course to the next, often in relation to outside events (exhibits, concerts, cultural festivals, etc.)

The program of cultural visits may include:
- the two great monasteries of the Casentino: Camaldoli, founded in the 11th Century by a Benedictine monk, and La Verna, founded by St. Francis of Assisi in the 13th century.
- the ancient castles and churches of the region.
- the great frescoes of Piero della Francesca at Arezzo, San Sepolcro and Monterchi. Of particular interest is the marvelous fresco cycle, "The Legend of the True Cross", recently reopened after ten years of restoration.

The visits are led by our teachers or by scholars invited by the school.

The cultural walk with Giovanni Caselli

During their stay in Poppi, students have an opportunity to take part in an excursion along byways and mountain paths which in many cases were ancient Roman roads or Pilgrim's Ways. Along one of the Appennine roads connecting Tuscany with Romagna, flowed the traffic between Rome and Germany in the Middle Ages. Giovanni Caselli, a Fellow of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, leads these excursions through space and time in search of the roots of Italian culture, and its archaeological evidence. For more details, see Giovanni's website:
www.giovannicaselli.com


An excursion into the National Park of the Casentino Forests is also planned, accompanied by a guide from the Park.

At table with the teachers

During their stay in Poppi the students have lunches or dinners together with the teachers in different restaurants in the area. Here they are often joined by friends of the school or occasional guests. There are at least three of these common meals per week, and they are generally combined with the scheduled afternoon excursions. These convivial moments give the students the chance to become acquainted with the regional gastronomic specialties and to practise conversation.
Once every two weeks the students can participate in the preparation of Tuscan dishes under the guidance of a local cook. The meal is then shared by students, teachers and friends.

Sports and Amusements

In Casentino it is possible to play tennis and golf. Students at the school enjoy the use of facilities and price discounts.
Swimming is possible in two well-equipped pools, as is horseback-riding at one of the many sites in the area.
At Poppi and its nearby towns there are four cinemas, a discothèque, numerous bars, pubs and open-air cafés. On every summer weekend a local festival in the piazza ("sagra") can be found, each time in a different village, where one can eat, drink and dance the "liscio".