ITALIAN & CULTURE

Course of Italian and free time activities in Cefalù

for Happy Languages’ students one week

ITALIAN LANGUAGE COURSE

Class each morning from Monday to Friday in international groups no greater than 8 participants in size.
The course is focused on speaking and fluency. Students will practise the four skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) along with grammar, vocabulary, idioms and pronunciation.

Our teaching methods allow students to learn Italian well in a relaxing environment, ensuring that they get the most out of their learning experience.
Groups are divided according to the participants’ language level.
We cater for all levels from absolute beginner to very advanced.

Class material is entirely supplied

DISCOVER CEFALU

Afternoon guided tour through the medieval town centre which includes a visit to the impressive Arabo-Norman cathedral with its dazzling gilded byzantine mosaics dominated by the magnificent figure of Christ. Then we go to the Mandralisca museum to admire
the several archaeological finds of inestimable value, including the splendid fourth-century B.C. Greek bowl showing a tuna-fish seller and one of the most beautiful and mysterious portraits by the 15th-century Sicilian master Antonello Da Messina, the Portrait of the Unknown Man (about 1470), whose enigmatic smile seems to have inspired Leonardo Da Vinci when painting the Mona Lisa.

VISIT to the VILLA ROMANA DEL CASALE half day

The famous Roman Villa del Casale at Piazza Armerina, possibly an imperial residence dating to the 3rd – 4th century AD, is unquestionably one of the most important Roman building complexes to have been discovered in modern times. This establishment,
covering almost an acre, opulent in architecture and decoration, once consisted of 51 rooms, and is complete with baths, basilica and huge peristyle.

It contains the most extensive (3500 sqm) and spectacular floor mosaics of the Roman era.
The villa in has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list

AFTERNOON VISIT TO MONREALE AND PALERMO

In the hilltop town of Monreale, about 8 km outside Palermo we visit the imposing Norman Cathedral, one of the architectural wonders of the Middle Ages, covered in over 6,000 square metres of mosaic decoration. Visit the adjoining Benedictine cloisters with 12th century columns and capitals also classed as
masterpieces of medieval art.
Down to Palermo, visit the Palace of the Normans once the Palace of the Arab Emirs and the Palatine Chapel, described by the French writer Guy de Maupassant as “the most beautiful in the world, the most astonishing religious jewel ever dreamed of by the human spirit and carried out by the hand of an artist ”, which boasts a unique blend of Arab, Greek, Roman and Norman craftsmanship. See the church of the Martorana famous for the superb Byzantine

mosaics. Tour through the old town centre discovering the hidden gems which are certainly most interesting and fascinating including the beautiful palazzi and the
vibrant and colourful markets of the city.

SEMINAR:

SPEAKING WITHOUT WORDS: ITALIAN ‘SIGN LANGUAGE’ AND GESTURES

Italians talk with their hands, central to the Italian character is the way they use their hands to animate their speech.
Apparently, Italians use around 250 gestures daily, they talk with their hands as much as their mouths. The shrug of a shoulder, the flip of a wrist or the lift of an eyebrow says more than hundreds of

words. We will illustrate the most common and useful gestures, you’ll need to interpret the more physical aspects of the Italian language and try to understand what’s going on when 2 Italians are around!

WINE & SICILIAN DELICATESSEN TASTING

Let’s spend an evening together on the scenic terrace of a local winery where, while enjoying the wonderful sunsets which redden the sea and
the air you will taste some Sicilian wines and other typical products.
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STANDARD ITALIAN LANGUAGE COURSE and FREETIME PROGRAMME

• One-week £510

The above price does not include the entrance fees to monuments, archaeological sites or any other admission charge where this is required

If you wish to stay more than one week you can take part in the free time programme that the school regularly offers to its students.

We will be happy to help you find accommodation in town

Culturforum Corso Ruggero 55 – 90015 Cefalù – Italia

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