LIS Lucca Italian School, Lucca, Italy

Lucca Italian School employs native Italian speakers who are willing to share their life and experiences with students in order to facilitate a classroom experience that emphasizes practical application. Students are able to learn Italian as a way to enjoy life in Italy, and teachers use excursions and cultural activities to aid their education. General Italian courses are offered with no more than ten students per class, but students can also combine their language lessons with an aspect of Italian culture. Classes currently offered include Practical Italian which takes place outside the classroom in the public sphere, Italian Cooking, Italian and Photography, Italian and Puccini, Italian and Walking, Italian and Drawing, and Italian and the Cinema. Students can also prepare for their CILS, CELI and PLIDA examinations, and children and families can take special courses tailored to their needs. Students are encouraged to live with an Italian family in order to make the most of their experience and immerse themselves in the language, though private accommodations can also be arranged. Lucca is a small city in Tuscany, the famed area of Italy known for its cooking and culture. The city still maintains its Renaissance-era walls and idyllic cobblestone streets. The Piazza dell' Anfiteatro, located just minutes from LIS, provides an area for socialization as students are able to shop and sample local cuisine. A ten minute walk from campus brings students to the tree-topped Guinigi Tower, and ornate cathedrals are a common sight along the way. Students can learn about the great opera composer Puccini in his native city as well as visit a museum in his childhood home. Italian culture is alive and thriving in Lucca, bringing alive the language learning experience for students at LIS.