FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

   Listed below are some of the benefits to be derived from choosing to study Italian in the beautiful Salentine region, dispelling a number of common misconceptions:
- The population of the region speaks in Italian that may be characterised as mainstream, rather than dialectic. Small pockets of dialect do remain in certain areas, but these can be considered as tasty "desserts" for those still hungry after digesting the main "course"!
- Our region of Italy is one that has thankfully escaped the negative implications of a large tourism industry. The result is that the local population has very little English fluency, meaning that students will encounter a true Italian immersion, virtually devoid of people speaking English, whether locals or tourists. Indeed, 90% of Otranto's tourists come from other parts of Italy rather than abroad, further ensuring an English-free aural experience!
- Another distinct benefit of the region's low tourist profile is the fact that the individualistic tourists who do visit this magical land have interests different from those associated with mass tourism. For these discriminating visitors, the appeal lies with the culture, history, traditions and gastronomy of Apulia. Only in August does the population of Otranto traditionally swell with an influx of Italian holidaymakers.
- The Salentine peninsula of Italy is a region which breathes more slowly and deeply... The fast pace of life and short tempers of the North are dissolved by the atmosphere of this timeless landscape. People have time to stop and speak to you (in Italian!) and are more than generous with their help and enthusiasm. Otranto is a town that distils this spirit into one word: congeniality. There are no worries about crime or disorder, the sense of tranquil security is pervasive.
- The sea flanking Otranto is not only azure blue; it is the clearest and cleanest in Italy! This is a fact established in each of the last 3 years by virtue of Otranto's winning first prize in this important environmental cleanliness category.
- Otranto and its environs offer the student a sensorial feast. The air is free from pollution, scented with nature's bouquet of sweet and spicy fragrances. This sundrenched landscape provides the perfect conditions in which verdant crops flourish, with little artificial irrigation required. The land is carpeted with olive groves, vineyards and fruit orchards; natural vegetation also includes cactus, palm trees and pine forests. There are a number of environmental areas set aside by government as nature reserves, including dramatic, wild coastlines plus an Oasis founded by the WWF. Expanses of white sand beckon visitors to swim, or simply wade, in the warm azure waters lapping shores of hidden bays and crescent beaches. The school offers very interesting guided trips allowing students to experience firsthand these, and other, natural delights.
- Our school offers a friendly, personal and attentive approach to learning Italian. We are a small, intimate institution with a big desire to inspire learning in relaxed, yet professional surroundings. Individual attention is assured at all times.
- The climate of southern Italy is very benign; the cold, frosty winters of the North are unknown here. Our summer lasts from April to October. The hottest days of August are tempered in Otranto by gentle sea breezes from the Adriatic.

Average Temperature in °C	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
	12.0	12.4	13.7	16.5	20.4	24.8	27.3	27.5	24.9	20.6	16.8	13.6
	7.1	7.2	8.2	10.4	16.8	17.8	20.2	20.7	18.5	14.9	11.6	8.8
	9.6	9.9	11.0	13.5	17.1	21.3	23.8	24.2	21.7	17.8	14.2	11.2

- Otranto provides a variety of services to meet all students' needs and desires. In town you will find banks, travel agencies, supermarkets, agencies to rent cars, motorbikes and bikes, restaurants, pizzerias, pubs, discotheques, a wide range of accommodation, exhibitions and cultural events, cinema, theatre and concerts (open-air in the summer).

TYPE OF STUDENTS IN OUR SCHOOL
   The average age of the students who attends our school is from 34 to 48 years olt. You are not too old or even too young to study itlian at our school; our youngest student was 4 years old and our oldest student was 77.
   Our students come from all over the world (in 2005 they came from 27 different countries): North America, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zeland; South America. The distribuition of the different nationalities per period is always homogenous and this fact encourages the use of Italian as common language.
   Au our school you will find different kind of persons: students, teachers, employees, retired, managers, entrepreneurs, business consultants, economists, lawyers, sellers, housewifes, journalists, tour operators, interpreters, designers, religious ecc...
   The course that can be chosen lasts from a minimum of 1 week to 6 months; the most part chooses to stay from 2 to 4 weeks. The level of knowledge of our students is: beginner 43%, medium 29%, advanced 23%, excellent 5%.
   The students that choose our school have a medium/high cultural level and interest towards the Italian culture. That means a strong participation to the cultural acttivities that the school offers: guided tours, seminars, etc. In the last year, during their stay here, all the students took part to at least 2 cultural activities proposed by the school. The students rate who took part to the guided tours proposed by the school has been over the 90%.
   The most part of the students already attended other courses in Italy and abroad; a good percentage, appreciating the mix of cultural offer, warm atmosphere of the school and of the rich region chooses to visit us again.

- Situation of the school in the city? Distance from the centre?
- The school is in the centre town, at 200 mt from the sea.

- Type of building and number of class rooms? (Old, modern, large, small, etc?)
- It is located in the centre in a new building, an apartment with 4 classrooms, a bathroom, a library, a terrace for summer lessons and a kitchen for cooking lessons.

- Other facilities at the school?(Cafeteria, study room, library, videos, etc.)
- There is a Internet connection and didactic softwares, videos, stereo and a library.

THE COURSES

Types of courses offered?
- intensive course (20 hours/week)
- intensive-plus 1 course (25 hours/week)
- intensive-plus 2 course (30 hours/week)
- course of conversation or Italian for tourists (10 hours/week)
- Italian courses for special purposes: the business Italian, the Italian of art, the Italian literature, Italian for Theologians, Italian of medicine, Italian for law, Italian of computer (25-30 hours/week)
- cultural courses: the Italian culture through cinema, cooking, fashion, songs etc... (25-30 hours/week)
- Italian courses for children
- courses for Italian teachers (20 hours/week)
- preparation courses for CILS and CELI diplomas (25 hours/week)
- preparation courses for DITALS certification
- Socrates/Comenius programs for foreign teachers
- cooking courses (3 hours two days per week)
- Art Courses: painting and drawing courses, mosaic courses, sculpture courses, ceramic courses

Starting dates?
Starting dates of the courses 2008: Every two weeks. Contact the school for differents dates.

- Are books and copies included in the course fees?
- Books and copies are included in the course fee. In the course fee is also included:
- Guided visit to the town of Otranto: free
- Seminar about the traditional music “Pizzica” and the anthropology of “Tarantismo"
- Italian cinema: a film will be pojetted: free
- Italian song: listening to Italian songs: free
- Course of home-made pasta: 20 €

- Can I study Italian with an Italian student?
- The school promotes linguistic exchanges with Italian speaking people in an informal context: you will speak Italian during meetings which can take place at the beach, at a restaurant or at a bar.  Our students find this method very useful to improve their speaking skills.
   Two people speaking different languages (i.e: an Italian and a foreigner) can work together to help to improve their knowledge of the foreign language while discovering some aspects of the partner's culture.

- Class schedule? Morning and/or afternoons?
- Usually classes start at 9 in the morning but classes can be held also in the afternoon.

- Length of a lesson?
- 1 lesson = 50 minutes.

- Number of levels?
- 4 levels:
1. Elementary level: acquisition of the ability to communicate in Italian and to elaborate simple information; acquisition of the general dictionary and the use of basic grammatical constructions.
2. Intermediate level: acquisition of the ability to face daily situations and to express opinions through the consolidation of grammar and the dictionary.
3. Advanced level (level of specialization): acquisition of the three fundamental abilities of language: listening, oral production and writing to express fluently own opinions about complex subjects.
4. Excellent (level of specialization): analysis and study of the different forms of the written and oral language; lessons focusing on the most important aspects of literature, culture and Italian civilization.

THE ACCOMMODATION

- Types of accommodation offered?
- Shared apartment for students;
- Indipendent apartment for 1, 2 persons or families;
- B&B;
- Hotels;
- Villas and Luxury Villas
- Farmhouses;
- Family.

Approximate distance from the school?
- All the apartments are max. 5/10 minutes walk from the school.

- Means of communication to the school?
- There is no need of means of transport because Otranto is a small touristical town.

Approximate number of people sharing the accommodation?
- max 4/5 students for apartment.

THE ACTIVITY PROGRAM

LA GRECÌA SALENTINA (The Greek part of Salento)
   Guided tour to some of the 9 villages where old Greek is still spoken:
- Visit to the most beautiful Greek-Byzanthine Churches (S. Stefano, S.Caterina, the second biggest church in Italy with more frescoes after the Basilica of Assisi): analysis of the Byzanthine frescoes on which the painting of Giotto and Cimabue was based.
- Visit to the historical centres: analysis of the Greek Conception of the Town and life in this area.
- Visit to a "Trullo" analysis of its building and of its symbolic conception.
- Visit to Soleto, the Town of the Witches; Corigliano with its beautiful Castle and the Lucchetti Arch full of strange and old symbols of the '500;
- Visit to Sternatia, the Greek town where the Greek old traditions are still alive;
- Visit to an underground olive oil-mill of the XVI Century: analysis of olive-oil production (entrance 1 Euro);
- Visit to Melpignano with its old monastery and the charming square.

GUIDED TOUR OF THE SOUTH COAST
The remains of the monastery of S. Nicola di Casole: the 2^nd biggest library of the XI century in the Mediterranean area, the first students' house in Europe, very important centre for the Greek and Byzantine cultures. Umberto Eco took the idea for his book "the Name of the Rose" from this monastery; Visit to the fortified farm houses of the XV century: understanding how they got the form of fortified castles to defend against Turkish invasion in 1480. Stops to admire the landscape: the cliffs are often lofty and inaccessible, yet they teem with caves and gorges that form a jagged coastline. Visit to Porto Badisco (charming little bay) where Eneas landed to go to found Rome; Visit to S. Cesarea Terme: Arab style town, Castro and grotto Zinzulusa, boat-tour to the Grotta Azzura (where the colour of the sea is deep-blue) and the Pigeon's Grotto (entrance 3 Euro).

GUIDED TOUR OF THE NORTH COAST
   The beautiful beaches of the South Coast, Alimini Lakes, S.Andrea and its beautiful landscape: little bays of white sand and cliffs, S. Foca and the archeological site.
   The coastline is dented with narrow strips of sandy shore, once bordered with sand hillocks covered by a glory of psammophyious (sand vegetation) plants. Lying at the feet of precipitous cliffs are enchanting little beaches that change shape according to the irregular and impulsive rhythm of the waves beaten back by the cliffs.

GUIDED VISIT OF THE TOWN OF LECCE Called the Florence of South Italy, known for its Baroque style; visit to the most beautiful churches and analysis of the Baroque conception of life; visit to the Roman amphitheatre and theatre, visit to a Papier Mâché laboratory to see how the statues are built.

OLIVE-OIL AND WINE ITINERARIES
   The wine and olive oil itinerary; visit to a Winery and a modern olive-oil mill: free tasting and explanations held by the wine and olive oil making experts about the techniques of wine and olive oil production.

- GUIDED EXCURSIONS: 35 €

THE CITY

- Where the school is located?
- Otranto is a beautiful town on the seaside at 40 km from the main city Lecce the socalled Florence of South of Italy for its artistical beauties. A bus and train service links Otranto to Lecce. Otranto is also placed at a short distance from the other touristical seaside resorts on the beautiful coast.
   Very famous touristical place Otranto offers several hotels, restaurants, shops, supermarkets, banks. The town overlooks the beautiful beaches with white and fine sand and the clear water. Otranto offers the possibility to enjoy and to relax with its several pubs, open-air performances, discos.
- Otranto is on the seaside, it is a touristical place, one of the greatest tourist-cultural seaside resorts of Southern Italy where study and leisure activities complement one another perfectly.

- Approximate number of habitants?
- In summer 25.000; in winter 7.000.

- Type/character of the city? (coastal-, university-, etc.)
   The historical centre is beautiful with its castle, byzantine churches, the cathedral and the little street that remind the Arabic countries; you can breath a Mediterranean athmosphere; the surroundings also are rich in history and traditions.

OTHER INFORMATION

- What is the nearest airport?
- Brindisi at 100 km

- What are the different means of transportation from the airport to the accommodation?
- There is an efficient bus service; but if you prefer you can take the train.

- Dates when the school is closed
- January 1^st-6^th, Easter and Easter Monday, April 25^th, May 1^st, June 2^th, August 15^th, November 1^st, December 8^th-23^th-24^th-25^th-26^th-31^st.

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• Scuola Porta d'Oriente
  
• Via Antonio Primaldo, 70 - 73028 Otranto (LECCE) Italy
  
• Web-Sites: www.porta-doriente.com - 
• www.italienischammeer.com
  
• www.italian-language-school.com - 
• www.ecole-cours-italien.com
  
• Phone: 0039 338 4562722 - Phone/Fax: 0039 0836 804431
  
• E-mail: porta.doriente@libero.it

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