Italian schools in Firenze
Italian language schools in Toscana →︎
24 selected schools in Firenze, Toscana. Compare course hours, housing and accreditations, then write directly to the school you prefer.
Firenze at a glance
This is Firenze (Toscana): the streets you'll walk every morning on your way to class, and the places where you'll need real Italian, the kind spoken at the bar and the market.
Compare the 24 schools in Firenze
Of the 24 schools in Firenze, 19 hold an accreditation checked by an independent body and 9 are exam centres. Classes range from 4 to 14 students and lessons last 45 to 60 minutes: those two numbers change the real value more than the price does.
| School | Real hours a week | Students per class | Lesson length | Google reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC FirenzeASILS, AIL, Bildungsurlaub, CSNAIL, CILS | 15 hours | 10 | 45 min | — |
| Accademia del Giglio | 15 hours | 7 | 45 min | — |
| Accademia Europea di FirenzeASILS, EDUITALIACILS | 15 hours | 14 | 45 min | — |
| Accademia Riaci | 15 hours | 12 | 45 min | — |
| Centro Fiorenza | 15 hours | 12 | 45 min | — |
| Centro Italiano Firenze | 18 hours 20 min | 6 | 55 min | — |
| Centro Koinè Firenze | 15 hours | 12 | 45 min | — |
| Centro Lingua Italiana CalvinoBildungsurlaub, CSNCILS | 15 hours | 12 | 45 min | — |
| Centro MachiavelliASILS, EDUITALIA, Bildungsurlaub, CSN | 18 hours 20 min | 10 | 55 min | — |
| Europass Italian Language SchoolEDUITALIACILS, CELI, DITALS | 15 hours | 10 | 45 min | — |
| InFlorence AcademyEDUITALIA, LICET, CSNDITALS | 22 hours 55 min | 12 | 55 min | — |
| Influent | 20 lessons | 1 | ask the school | — |
| Istituto EuropeoEDUITALIA | 15 hours | 12 | 45 min | — |
| Istituto GalileiBildungsurlaub | 20 hours | 4 | 60 min | — |
| Istituto Il DavidEDUITALIA, LICET, Bildungsurlaub, CSN | 18 hours 20 min | 12 | 55 min | — |
| Istituto Lorenzo de' Medici FirenzeEDUITALIA | 15 hours | 12 | 45 min | — |
| Istituto MichelangeloEDUITALIA | 15 hours | 12 | 45 min | — |
| ItalianmeLICET, BildungsurlaubCILS | 15 hours | 8 | 45 min | — |
| LinguavivaASILS, IALC, Bildungsurlaub, CSN | 15 hours | 14 | 45 min | — |
| Parola Italian Language SchoolCILS | 15 hours | 12 | 45 min | — |
| Scuola Leonardo da Vinci FirenzeASILS, AILCILS, AIL | 15 hours | 14 | 45 min | — |
| Scuola ToscanaASILS, AIL, BildungsurlaubAIL | 15 hours | 8 | 45 min | — |
| Sprachcaffe FirenzeBildungsurlaub | 15 hours | 12 | 45 min | — |
Where the schools are in Firenze
schoolsnot to be missedairportHover the green dots for details, click the red ones to open the school page.
Firenze Peretola (FLR), 5 km away · Pisa Galileo Galilei (PSA), 71 km away
More cities in Toscana
Day trips nearby
At the weekend, without a car:
- San Giovanni Valdarno32 km
- Siena50 km
- Bagno di Romagna57 km
- Arezzo61 km
Trenitalia regional trains from Firenze station. Autolinee Toscane buses for towns without a railway station.
Distances are as the crow flies.
The Italian you hear in Florence
Standard Italian was born here, which makes Florence the easiest city in Italy to start in: what you read in the book is what you hear in the street, with one surprise. It is called the gorgia toscana: a c between two vowels turns into a puff of air, so la casa sounds like la hasa. Hence the sentence Florentines use to mock themselves: una hoha hola con una hannuccia horta.
Two words you will actually hear: bischero, which in Florence is less an insult than a term of rough affection, and codesto, the third demonstrative, «that one near you», which the rest of Italy has lost and which is alive here. Plus punto instead of affatto: un mi garba punto, I don't like it at all.
For an A1 learner it is the ideal city: this is the accent teachers imitate, and people are used to speaking with learners.
Three Florentines you already know. Dante Alighieri (1265): his Florentine became the Italian you are studying. Niccolò Machiavelli (1469), who wrote The Prince in a prose so lean it still reads as modern. Amerigo Vespucci (1454): America carries his first name.
Frequently asked questions about Firenze
- How much does accommodation cost in Firenze?
- A host family with breakfast usually costs about €230–320 per week for a single room; a room in a shared flat generally starts at €200–280. These are rough figures: the price changes with the season, the distance from the centre and the meals included. Almost every school on this page books accommodation for you, so ask for a quote covering course and room together.
- How many Italian language schools are there in Firenze?
- We have selected 24, with courses from 20 to 25 hours a week. They are all compared above.
- How do I choose between the schools in Firenze?
- Look at three numbers, not the price alone. The real lesson length: 20 hours of 45 minutes are 15 actual hours, of 60 minutes they are 20. How many people are really in the class in high season, not the stated maximum. And the total including enrolment, materials and accommodation, not the weekly rate.
- Which schools in Firenze are exam centres?
- You can sit the exam where you study at these: ABC Firenze (AIL, CILS), Accademia Europea di Firenze (CILS), Centro Lingua Italiana Calvino (CILS), Europass Italian Language School (CILS, CELI, DITALS), InFlorence Academy (DITALS), Italianme (CILS), Parola Italian Language School (CILS), Scuola Leonardo da Vinci Firenze (CILS, AIL), Scuola Toscana (AIL).
- Do the schools in Firenze help you find accommodation?
- Yes, all 24 of them. Host family, shared flat or residence: the host family is the most useful for the language, because it makes you speak Italian every evening.
- How much does an Italian course in Firenze cost?
- Rates vary a lot and should be asked of the school. When you do, ask for the total: a one-off enrolment fee is almost always added to the weekly rate, usually 50–90 euros in Italy, and books, accommodation, cultural activities and exam fees may be charged separately.
Events this year
The city's big festivals, food fairs and cultural seasons through the year. They're not just entertainment: they're the best training ground for your Italian. At a local festival you end up ordering, asking directions, chatting with locals: the real language, the kind books don't teach. If you can, line up a week of your course with one of these.
Scoppio del Carro On Easter Sunday, in Piazza del Duomo, a centuries-old cart erupts into fireworks lit by a mechanical dove. Pure Florentine tradition: ideal for the vocabulary of festivals and customs. | Easter |
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino One of Europe's oldest music festivals brings opera and concerts to the city for weeks. If you are studying in Florence it combines language with high culture, plus the vocabulary of music and theatre. | April–June |
Pitti Uomo Twice a year Florence becomes the world capital of menswear. The streets fill with insiders: useful for fashion vocabulary and for hearing the Italian of business and style. | January and June |
Firenze Rocks In June Italy's biggest rock festival brings international stars to the Cascine park. Young, informal crowd: great for colloquial Italian, concert slang and meeting people your own age. | June |
Festa della Rificolona On 7 September children parade with lit paper lanterns. A poetic neighbourhood festival, perfect for traditional vocabulary and for seeing the most authentic Florence, far from the tourist circuit. | 7 September |
Before you leave for Firenze, start at home.
With the ti app you arrive in Italy already understanding what you hear: stories at your level with translation in 14 languages, exercises and a pathway from A1 to C2.
Half of the A1 path is open, no sign-up
★★★★★(6)by Alessio, a teacher since 2018
Start with A1 ↗︎Search for amo Italian
