The Italian Internship, Language and Culture Program offers students the opportunity to experience the many layers of Florentine culture and history, while actively participating in Florentine daily life. Participants in this program may pursue intensive Italian language study; enroll in a range of elective liberal studies courses; or combine courses with a part-time internship. Elective courses are taught in English. Most internship placements require intermediate to advanced ability in Italian language; limited placements are available for students who do not speak Italian.
Students on this program will develop a greater understanding of Italian life and culture, both past and present, from one of its greatest cities.
Florence is the capital of Tuscany and a modern cosmopolitan city of just over 400,000 people. The city, a focal point during the Italian Renaissance, is famous for its intellectual and artistic history, having produced some of the greatest (and most infamous) artists and thinkers of its time, including Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Donatello, Dante and Machiavelli. Today, Florence has much to offer with Italian Renaissance architecture, museums, shops, and theaters. The Ponte Vecchio Bridge, the National Library, the Santa Maria del Fiore, the Santa Croce, the Monastery of St. Mark, the Piazza della Signoria, the Uffizi Museum, and the Pitti Palace are some of the many sites that make Florence a truly beautiful city.
The Italian Internship Program is organized in conjunction with the Scuola Lorenzo de'Medici, a well-known institution founded in 1972 as one of the first schools in Florence designed to teach Italian as a second language. Students come from all over the world to study Italian or follow other courses of study at the Scuola, creating an international environment that stimulates cultural exchange. The faculty and administration of the Scuola are outstanding educators with long experience in their academic fields and in teaching American students.
All program participants are registered for Italian Language, Culture, and Society, an intensive, 2-week, 3 credit course that provides students with over 30 hours of Italian language instruction and examines Italian culture and society through readings, lectures, and field excursions. In addition, a semester-long Italian language course is required. Elective courses are offered that may satisfy major requirements as well as fulfill some Humanities core curriculum categories. LDM Course Catalog
An orientation session is held for students once they arrive at Scuola Lorenzo de'Medici that provides an overview of the city of Florence, a guided tour of the city, an Italian language placement test, course registration, and a "welcome" party.
Students are normally housed in furnished apartments within walking distance of the school. Bus passes are provided when housing is not within walking distance. The apartments typically house 3-4 Marist program students. Students enrolling in the intensive Italian language program may choose to live with a host family.
