FIELD TRIPS (optional)

Each semester there is a two-day (one night) field trip to Venice and another to Rome for a cost of Euro 200 per person. The school also organizes on e-day sightseeing trips to other cities in Italy such as Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, Lucca, Perugia, Assisi, Ravenna, the Chianti hills, the Island of Elba and so on.

These are specially organized by APT, allowing students to travel to key central and northern Italian cities at budget prices. Students are responsible for the cost of these optional field trips.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Below is an example of what APT offers as regular extra-curricular opportunities, included in the tuition fees, although more detailed information will be handed out during orientation and at the beginning of each month:

Seminars and Discussion groups on the following topics:

Italians: gestures and idiomatic expressions

Folklore in Italy : Traditions and Holidays

The Italian Media

Italian Politics

Lectures by famous Florentines cover various topics, from the History of Film to Linguistics, from Literature to the History of Music

La Bella Italia : Discovering Unusual Artistic Itineraries

Excursions to Pisa , Siena , Assisi , Venice , Ravenna , Arezzo , etc.

Visits to Artisan Workshops (art restoration, jewelry making, pottery, etc.)

Visits to the following museums and monuments: the Cathedral, the Baptistery, San Miniato, Fiesole , the Uffizi Gallery, Palazzo Pitti, the Boboli Gardens , Santa Croce, Santa Trinita, San Marco, Santissima Annunziata, S.M. Novella, Santo Spirito, the Brancacci Chapel, the Bargello and the Semi-Precious Stone Workshop.

Movie viewing and discussion.

Every week, after an introduction by the History of Cinema teacher, a film is shown by a famous Italian director, such as Fellini, De Sica, Scola, Tornatore, etc.

A Night at the Opera. During the summer, special excursions are organized to attend live performances at the Arena in Verona , La Scala in Milan or the Puccini Festival at Torre del Lago.

Italian songs: listening to the best by modern Italian songwriters (for example Lucio Dalla, Pino Daniele, Francesco De Gregori, Ligabue, Vasco Rossi, Zucchero), along with a reading of the lyrics.

Cooking course: Traditional Italian and Tuscan cuisine (supplemental fee required)

Wine Tasting: Chianti, Barbera, Bardolino, Tocai, Verduzzo, Vernaccia, Orvieto, Lambrusco and dozens of others (tasting sessions and fact cards are included).