Italy
Ciao!
As Italy has such an ancient history, it is filled with Roman ruins, stunning churches, fresco paintings, sculptures, renaissance art and architecture, and UNESCO heritage sites. The people from Italy are very friendly and live different lifestyles ranging from busy city lives to slow, peaceful village life.Â
Language RequirementS
Minimum 2 years studying Italian language. High expectations are placed on student communicating mostly in Italian within 3 months.
School
As an exchange student you will be enrolled in 1 of 4 different school curriculum programs: Liceo Scientifico, Liceo Classico, Liceo Liguistico or Institiuto Tecino e Commerciale.  All of these curriculum programs include the following subjects: Italian, English, Mathematics, History and Philosophy, History of Art, Biology or Chemistry and Physical Education.Â
The Scientifico program includes all 3 sciences in addition to Computer Science; the Classico program includes Greek and Latin; the Linguistico program includes 3 other languages other than Italian and English; and the Tecnico e Commerciale program includes Economics, Law and Accountancy.Â
The school year begins in the 2nd week of September and ends in the 2nd week of June.
Family
The average Italian family today has 1 or 2 children, but not all host families will have children living at home. In recent years there has been a rise in the number of single-parent families. Many Italians live in apartments which are more common than houses, even in the suburbs. Most host families in Italy live in small towns or villages or in suburban communities.
Food is a means for establishing and maintaining relationships among family and friends. Dinner isn’t usually eaten until 7 or 8 pm, and even later for eating out. In more recent times, this evening meal has become the most important part of daily family life. Family meals with the extended family are popular on Sundays after church.
Children and teenagers are expected to obey the rules the parents set for them and contribute to the work of the household. Italians generally show affection in public, so do not be surprised if your family want to hug you a lot, as there is a great deal of public embracing and kissing upon greeting people.
Specialised Programs
YFU Italy offers Specialised Programs in the following areas:
- Art and Music
Please contact us for prices, departure dates and more information.
Italy Programs
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