Solemar-Sicilia Cefalú

At Cefalù, our students use the rooms of an ancient school, which, today, is partly inhabited by a nuns' order. The school also has an outdoor courtyard. Language courses, of a two weeks medium length (40 lesson units), take place from Monday to Friday in the morning hours. It is possible, of course, to reserve a week only, or to prolong the frequency, having, beforehand, the certainty that the course continuation will seriously consider the knowledge level reached until that moment. The integration into the appropriate groups will be decided through a preliminary written valuation test and a short guided conversation. Usually groups for lessons are formed by 4 - 5 students (max. 8 per lesson)

The lovely old town of Cefalù extends between the sea and the imposing "Rocca", which dominates the pebbled alleys and lanes and homes of the medieval city, from the foot of which rises the majestic Arab/Norman cathedral. The bay to the west of the town has a sandy beach, extending to approximately one kilometre, while on the east side there is a succession of small inlets and bays surrounded by rocks and cliffs. In the background is the highest peak of the Madonie, which climbs to a height of 2000 metres and is part of the Natural Parkland. Cefalù is an attractive and lively seaside town, rich in tourist infrastructure, found just 70 kilometres from Palermo, with excellent rail connections which make it an ideal point from which to explore the island.

By booking an "intensive" Italian course (1 week - 20 lesson units of 45 min. distributed into 4 lesson units each day), beginners, after two weeks' lessons, possess a wide vocabulary to express themselves and to understand, not disregarding the construction of an excellent grammar basis, seen as a means and not as a purpose, onto which one could continue to build up a serious study of the Italian language. Students with pre-knowledge enrich their vocabulary and learn to go more and more deeply into the beauty of the Italian language. Students of advanced levesl, too, and even teachers of Italian as L2, have the opportunity to attend a course that offers practicing their language skills with our highly qualified teachers. Our school issues a professional certificate at the end of such a course.

During your stay, it will be possible to expand the learning experience across a full program of excursions to island locations of extraordinary beauty and artistic interest, such as Solunto - an ancient Greek-Roman city close to Palermo at Bagheria - and a baroque villa, full of history and intriguing legend to be known, somewhat appreciated by Goethe during his journey in Sicily. It is also possible to visit and see the instruments and art of fishing by meeting some local fishermen. For mountain lovers, it is possible to go for walks in the woods and to discover vegetation of the Parco Nazionale delle Madonie. For the more adventurous, excursions on mozzafiato are planned with local expert guides. Not forgetting boat excursions, cooking courses and various activities with the purpose to consolidate the familiarisation with our Sicilian culture. A free guided tour of the famous old town of Cefalù is also provided for students. The local urban bus, which runs a regular and frequent service, guarantees connections with the town to students who stay in hotels that are located outside the city's centre. To accommodate you even further, it is possible to arrange for single lessons in your hotel or apartment