ILS Italian Language SchoolOtranto, Italy

Location: On the tip of Italy’s heel is the town of Otranto, known for its specific breed of horse and is rated in the top 15 beautiful towns in the country. This traditional Italian town is a break from the hectic Italian cities and students can relax at a slower pace and experience the real feel of local Italian life. The Otranto train station is only 11 minutes away from the school and from there you can visit all the main cities in Italy as well as the local towns. The closest airport to the town is Salento Airport, in Brindisi, which is 2 and a half hours on public transport from Otranto. Around the inlet of Otranto, 20 minutes from the town centre, is the boutique ILS Italian Language School. The town is small and students can reach all the local attractions by foot. The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Announcement is the top landmark to visit with its breathtaking mosaic floor which dates back to the 12th century and it resides in the central square of the Otranto. Not far from the Cathedral is the ancient Aragonese Castle thought to date back to the 15th century. Otranto is an aesthetically pleasing town, with turquoise waters and structures built using a pale stone which is made more apparent with the contrast to the water. The area around the school is known for its sandy beaches and long coastline, with local supermarkets and some restaurants nearby.

Methodology: ILS Italian Language School follows the Didactic Teaching Approach, which uses lectures for teaching grammatical content, demonstrations of how to implement this into everyday life and discussions in groups to practise the language in a safe environment. The teacher encourages communication tasks to help reinforce the grammatical content taught from the course material.

Course selection: There are general language courses with a small group size of a maximum of 8 students, mini-groups of 4 students or private and semi-private packages.

School facilities: The classrooms all have heating, air conditioning, plenty of natural light and TV monitors. There are excellent facilities outside the classroom including a cafeteria, a computer lab, a library, daily newspapers, a movie room and rental, a lounge, a garden and a well-staffed student support desk.

Social and Cultural: The school can organise guided tours of the sites around the area which are priced depending on the activity as well as holding in-house events such as disco and theatre nights, quiz games, sports competitions, movies and dinners in the garden.