Why study Italian abroad?

An Italian course abroad is a unique opportunity to really get to know the culture and country behind the rich Italian language. By being completely immersed in the language day in, day out, you’ll hear it spoken around you, read it everywhere, and have the chance to practise with Italy’s famously friendly natives. The sense of pride you’ll feel from ordering from a real Italian menu is unbeatable, and your communication skills will grow as rapidly as your enjoyment while you learn Italian abroad.

Why learn Italian abroad with ESL?

Languages are our passion, and we’ve been helping students to organise their ideal language journey abroad since 1996. We want to help you reach your full potential in addition to having an experience you’ll never forget, so we carefully select our partner schools and maintain a solid relationship with them to ensure you receive the highest quality Italian courses abroad. Wherever you want to go in Italy, be it Rome , Verona , Venice , or Florence , our courses are available in multiple locations across the country to offer you the best range of choice we possibly can. If you’re learning Italian simply as a hobby, or if you want to give your CV that extra boost, you can be sure that ESL has the perfect course for you. Combine your course with cooking classes or music lessons for that extra personalised touch, choose an intensive course or study privately while you stay with a teacher in their very own home - our wide range of courses means you’ll be sure to find the language stay that’s perfect for you!

How much does it cost to study Italian abroad?

Italian courses start at €120/week in 2026, with a four-week stay, tuition and accommodation together, usually landing between €1,000 and €3,500. Italy carries the gentlest prices: Rome,Florence and Milan begin around €260, Venice from €320. The final figure depends on course intensity (general, intensive or one-to-one), where you stay (host family, residence or apartment) and the extras (transfers, CILS exam fee, activity programme). For a precise quote, ask your local advisor or grab the free brochure.

Studying Italian in Italy: where should you go?

Your goal, your budget and the kind of trip you want will point the way. Italy is where most of our students head: the widest choice of courses, the best value for the experience, and a different city for every taste. Florence for Renaissance art and an unhurried pace, Rome for history and street life, Milan for design and business, Venice for the lagoon, Taormina and Salerno for the coast. Your ESL advisor puts together a free shortlist around your level, your dates and your budget.

At what age can you start an Italian course abroad?

Italian study begins a little later, at 14, and then stretches on with no upper limit. The junior camps take 14 to 17s on full board with round-the-clock supervision, weaving lessons together with sport and excursions in Florence and along the Tuscan coast. Adult courses start at 16, every level and length. Our 50+ programme is shaped for the over-50s: small classes, mornings of learning and afternoons wandering the city with companions of a similar age.

Is a visa needed to study Italian abroad?

It rests on your passport and how long you stay. An EU or EEA passport needs no visa for Italy, for any length of trip. On a non-EU passport, Italy allows up to 90 days on a Schengen tourist visa, a Visto per Studio beyond that. These details do move, so our advisors follow each country and guide you through the paperwork at no charge.

Can you work while learning Italian abroad?

Passport and visa set the limits. EU holders in Italy can work within weekly term-time caps. A non-EU student on an Italian study visa gets up to 20 hours a week, capped at 1,040 hours a year. Most students, all the same, set the job aside and pour the time into their Italian.

How do you match the course and city to you?

This is the stage to savour. Our advisors walk it through as five quick choices. Open with the goal: a quick refresh, university entry via CILS B2, a career move or a reunion with Italian roots, each leading to its own course. Pace comes next, Florence and Siena for an unhurried rhythm, Rome and Milan for full-tilt city life, the Sicilian coast for a holiday feel. Sketch the weekends after that, Tuscan hill towns from Florence or Lake Como from Milan, and land on length: one or two weeks to refresh, four to twelve for real progress, six to nine months for fluency. Can't decide? Ask for the brochure, or book a free 20-min call.

What do you get when you book with ESL?

Booking with ESL matches the school's direct price and folds in what a school rarely offers alone. The first move is a free comparison and a shortlist sketched out before you commit, held up by the best price guarantee: find the same course cheaper elsewhere and the difference comes back. Visa guidance covers Italy wherever it applies, and a pre-departure briefing explains how the city works, what to pack and what to leave at home. An emergency line runs day and night while you are abroad, with free changes if life gets in the way before you fly. An activity programme lives inside every course too, museums through to food walks, at no extra cost. Your advisor stays one message away from the opening call to your journey home, in person at any of our 40+ offices or by phone, email and video.

Total beginner or advanced: which classes are open to you?

Come in at any stage, from a complete beginner (A0) to full mastery (C2), with each course aligned to the Common European Framework. A free online placement test before you travel means day one seats you with students at your level. Beginners (A0 to A2) cover survival Italian, the travel basics and the present and past tenses. Intermediates (B1 to B2) work through jobs, study and current affairs, the level most employers and Italian universities request. Advanced learners (C1 to C2) chase nuance, debate and exam preparation, and a mismatch on day one is put right by the school within 24 hours. From B1 the CILS, CELI and PLIDA all open up, each recognised by every Italian university and most employers across Italy.

Italian courses abroad: tailored programmes, best price guaranteed

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Italian is more than a language, it is a way of living.

Italian is becoming one of the most popular languages to learn among our European students year after year. It is the language of opera, of cinema, of design and passion, spoken across Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, the Vatican and corners of Croatia and Slovenia. Learn it surrounded by welcoming locals and progress will come quickly.

A group of diverse international students talking and smiling together while leaning on a stone railing overlooking a scenic cityscape of Florence, Italy, with the iconic Duomo cathedral dome visible in the background, representing a language study abroad experience.

Find the Italian city you'll want to return to again and again

Destinations for all ages

Italy

18 destinations

From 108 GBP per week

Online

1 destination

From 58 GBP per week

Why choose ESL: 30+ years organising language stays

Ciao, future Italian speaker. Choosing between Florence, Rome and Milan to live an Italian experience is everyone's dream. Our advisors have walked into those classrooms themselves, and can give you personalised recommendations to design your trip to the boot shape country. Besides, we have many local offices in the country to give you tips nobody else can. Our service is free and the best price is guaranteed.

Best Agency in Europe: as voted by ST Star time and time again!

We have over 30 years of experience, starting our story as a small Swiss language school, and now one of the top language travel agencies in Europe

Our services are completely free, and if you find your programme cheaper elsewhere, we’ll refund you the difference.

Our agency status has been accredited by the most prestigious organisations in the language travel industry, including ICEF, WYSE, IALC, ALTO, and many more!

A free call with your local Travel Buddy is the quickest way through. Give us your goal, your budget and your dates, and your shortlist of schools arrives the same day.

Free advice & quote

Free advice & quote

The first step of your adventure is to contact your local ESL advisor. Alternatively, drop in at any of our 40+ offices across Europe and meet us face to face. During our conversation, we'll find out everything about your goals: are you learning Italian for your career, for an Italian university, or to reconnect with family roots? What's your favourite city scene: the Renaissance feel of Florence, the chaos of Rome, the design scene in Milan, or the canals of Venice?

Tailored course planning

Tailored course planning

With the information we gathered from our conversation, we'll build the perfect programme for you: the right course, the right school, the right accommodation and any extra activities you mentioned, all priced side by side. If the shortlist isn't quite right, don't worry. We'll keep adjusting until you find something that makes you excited to pack your bags and start the trip.

Ongoing support during your stay

Ongoing support during your stay

The best part of our service? It doesn't end until you come home happy. We'll guide you through the travel admin, giving you personalised advice every step of the way, whether it's securing your visa, booking your flights or finding the best aperitivo spot near your school. Once you arrive, we're an email, WhatsApp or call away, ready to handle any issue with your school, classes or host family until the day you fly home.

Too many destinations to choose from?

Contact our team of experts, and we’ll find out more about you to pair you with the perfect school that matches your preferences, budget, and language goals.

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Italian courses abroad

Italian is more than a language, it is a way of living.

Find the Italian city you'll want to return to again and again