Saena Iulia
An EU citizen? For a language course your ID card is enough: no visa, no residence permit for stays under three months. The same applies to Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
Saena Iulia is an Italian language school for foreigners in Siena (Toscana): intensive courses of about 20 hours per week plus lighter options, usually starting every Monday. The school also helps you find accommodation. Below you will find the key facts, a mini guide to Siena to plan your stay, and a form to write to the school directly.
The school
The course
Prices
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Ciao gentile staff di Saena Iulia, I'd like to know the price of your Italian courses. Could you send me the total cost including enrolment fee, materials and accommodation, and the available start dates for the coming months? Grazie infinite del vostro aiuto e ci vediamo presto!
Arrive ready.
With the ti app you read graded stories with support in 14 languages. Five minutes a day between now and departure.
Half of the A1 path is open, no sign-up
€5,83 a month on the yearly plan
★★★★★(7)by Alessio, a teacher since 2018
Start with A1 ↗︎Search for amo Italian
Why choose this school
- Classes of no more than 12 studentsbelow the industry average, so more time to speak
- 20 timetabled hours are 15 real hoursa lesson lasts 45 minutes, not 60
- The school arranges your accommodationfree service
- Course materials included
- Placement test before you startonline: you join the right class from day one
Where you'll be
schoolsnot to be missed
Compact centre: you can walk almost everywhere. For the rest there are city buses: buy the ticket at a tobacconist or newsstand before you get on.
From the school to the three places above it is usually a short walk: the schools are in or near the centre.
Firenze Peretola (FLR), 56 km away · Pisa Galileo Galilei (PSA), 86 km away
What is worth knowing before you book
Prices, enrolment fee, real lesson hours, accommodation and cancellation: the same questions apply to every school. Read the full guide →
Day trips nearby
At the weekend, without a car:
- San Giovanni Valdarno32 km
- Montepulciano44 km
- Arezzo47 km
- Firenze50 km
Trenitalia regional trains from Siena station. Autolinee Toscane buses for towns without a railway station.
Distances are as the crow flies.
Weather right now
Write to the school
Siena at a glance
Saena Iulia is in Siena (Toscana). Outside the classroom this is where the language gets practised: at the coffee counter, in the square, at the market.
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.
Palio di Siena On 2 July and 16 August the contrade compete in a ninety-second race around Piazza del Campo, after days of trials and open-air dinners. The most intense ritual in Italy. | 2 July and 16 August |
Chigiana International Festival Between July and August the Chigiana Academy brings world-class concerts and masterclasses to Siena's palaces. A cultured, international setting: good for musical vocabulary and formal Italian. | July–August |
Frequently asked questions
When do Italian courses at Saena Iulia start?
How many lesson hours per week are there?
How much does an Italian course in Siena cost?
Does the school help with accommodation?
Can I prepare for or take an official exam (CILS, CELI, PLIDA)?
How do I get to Siena?
Good to know before you enrol
What not to miss in Siena
- Piazza del CampoThe finest shell-shaped square in Italy, divided into nine sectors recalling the Government of the Nine that ruled Siena in the fourteenth century. You can climb the Torre del Mangia.
- Duomo di SienaThe inlaid marble floor and the Piccolomini Library. The unfinished nave beside it was meant to be the transept of an even larger cathedral, halted by the plague of 1348.
- Le contradeDistrict museums and neighbourhood life: ask your school to arrange a visit. The seventeen contrade each have their own territory, church and fountain where newborns are baptised.
Planning your Italian course in Siena: fly into Firenze (FLR) or Pisa (PSA), book the course 2–3 weeks ahead (classes fill up faster in high season, June–September) and, if you can, match your study week with one of the city events listed below: using your Italian at a local festival is worth a week of lessons.
Before you leave for Siena, start from home.
With the ti app you arrive in Siena already understanding what you hear: graded stories with translation in 14 languages, exercises and an A1–C2 path.
Half of the A1 path is open, no sign-up
★★★★★(7)by Alessio, a teacher since 2018
Start with A1 ↗︎Search for amo Italian
