Learn Italian and Live Florence

Understand and speak real Italian in a short time, discover and admire art and architecture beauties of Florence, get to know the rich Italian culture by living it, make new friends with Italian people and students from all over the world, have fun with our activities, taste the real Italian cuisine, live an unforgettable experience!
ISTITUTO IL DAVID – ITALIAN LANGUAGE SCHOOL – FLORENCE – OFFICIALLY AUTHORIZED BY THE ITALIAN MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

Next starting date of Italian courses for beginners: April 7th

Click here to find out all the beginner course starting dates 2026.

Non-beginner students who already have an A1 to C1 level can start any course for any level on any Monday.

ISTITUTO Il David

Your Italian language school in the center of Florence.

The Istituto Il David is located in the center of Florence, a few steps from the square Piazza della Repubblica, on the third floor of a bourgeois building in one of the most prestigious and safe areas of the city, the area of ​​world-wide famous fashion shops and financial services. It is officially recognized by the Italian Ministry of Education. It is a member of the association of Italian language schools Scuole Licet (Italian language, culture and tourism), it is associated with Eduitalia (association of linguistic services for foreign students in Italy), and it is part of the European Union's Erasmus program. The Italian language school was established in 1983, and for over 40 years it has carried out a wide variety of Italian language and culture courses throughout the year. READ MORE

Our Location

Why Istituto Il David?

RIGHT IN THE CITY CENTRE OF FLORENCE

The Italian language school is located in the heart of Florence, within walking distance of all the most important monuments and the central station.

40 YEARS OF TEACHING

The school was established in 1983, one of the first Italian language schools in Italy. The experience of over 40 years is a guarantee of professionalism and reliability.

INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

Each year, dozens of students from over 80 countries attending our courses. That enables a remarkable intercultural exchange among students.

FLEXIBILITY AND CUSTOMIZED SOLUTIONS

Friendly environment and flexible personal service that allows students to feel at home and make new friends with ease.

MANY COURSES AND MANY OPTIONS

In addition to various Italian language courses, the school offers courses in Italian culture, art and craft courses, individual courses customized to any subject, summer courses.

QUALITY OF THE COURSES AT AFFORDABLE PRICES

Our all inclusive prices are among the best even if you consider that we provide also accommodations, all in the city center.

Our Italian language courses to learn Italian in Florence throughout the year.

Discover all opportunities for study and holiday, Italian culture, laboratories and educational services. Choose your course.

School awarded with 5 stars on major review websites

Latest Posts from our blog

Fresh frittelle di riso on a wooden tray in a Florence pasticceria with a handwritten Italian sign, representing spring language practice in Florence

March in Florence: How to Practice Italian Through the City’s Spring Rituals

Florence in March does not look the same as Florence in August. The tourist pressure has not arrived yet, the light is cooler and cleaner, and the city follows its own quiet seasonal rhythms: pastry shops fill their windows with frittelle di riso for the Festa del Babbo on 19 March, the Tuesday market at Cascine wakes up along the Arno, and neighbourhood fornai return to their early-morning rhythms after winter. This article shows language learners how to use these specific, repeatable March moments — not as cultural sightseeing but as structured Italian practice. Each ritual becomes a conversational anchor: a phrase at the pasticceria counter, a question at a market stall, a sign read slowly on a festival board. The result is Italian acquired through the city’s own calendar, one micro-moment at a time.

Open Italian dictionary and vocabulary notebook on a wooden table in a Florentine café, representing surprising facts about the Italian language

7 Surprising Facts About Italian That Even Advanced Learners Don’t Know

Italian surprises even its most dedicated students. Words that learners eat for breakfast — gnocchi, spaghetti, ravioli — are already in their plural form, a fact most people study for years without noticing. Seven per cent of all German vocabulary traces back to Italian, classical music communicates exclusively through Italian across the entire world, and the Italian alphabet officially contains only 21 letters. This article unpacks seven well-documented but rarely taught facts about the Italian language, covering grammar, phonetics, vocabulary, and cultural history. Each one deepens the reader’s sense of why Italian is worth learning and why Florence, where the language was born, remains its natural home.

Student studying Italian in a historic Florentine study room with Dante's Divina Commedia and a grammar textbook on the desk

Why the Italian You’re Learning Was Born in Florence: The Tuscan Dialect Story

Most students who enrol in an Italian language course never stop to ask a simple question: why does the Italian they are learning sound so much like what people speak in Florence? The answer reaches back to the fourteenth century, to a small group of writers who chose to set aside Latin and write in the dialect of their city. This article traces the journey from medieval Florentine vernacular to modern standard Italian, explaining the literary, economic, and institutional forces that made Tuscany the cradle of the language. It is both a historical narrative and a practical insight for anyone who wants to understand why studying Italian in Florence still feels, today, like going straight to the source.

Visitors with a notebook practice Italian in Florence’s Iris Garden amid spring blooms

Florence Gardens in Spring: Cultural Immersion in Bloom

Florence in spring transforms into a giardino in fiore, a garden in bloom. This guide explores the most stunning and accessible gardens opening their gates with the season’s first blossoms. From the regal avenues of Boboli Gardens to the hidden giardini segreti of Bardini, and the fleeting blooms of the Iris Garden and Rose Garden, each offers a unique cultural experience. Visitors will discover not only vibrant flowers and panoramic views of Florence, but also chances to immerse in la lingua italiana – the Italian language – through every stroll, sign, and conversation. Enjoy a spring journey where nature and language learning blossom together under the Tuscan sun.

Florence: the right place to learn Italian in Italy!

Florence is the ideal place to learn Italian or to improve your knowledge of the Italian language for many reasons. It is the city where the Italian language was born and where it evolved. It is therefore here that the purest form of Italian is spoken with its distinctive and unique dialectal inflection.

Read More

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Contacts

Information request to Istituto Il David