The Scuola Leonardo da Vinci group has been awarded the title of Best Italian Language School in Italy at the ST Star Awards for the second year running. In a survey organised each year by StudyTravel Magazine, a popular international magazine with readership in 129 countries, experts in the sector recognized the Florence-based company as being the best group of schools for the organization of dedicated language stays and study holidays.
This impressive achievement comes as the school celebrates 45 years since its inception in 1977. Over the decades, the group has brought more than 200,000 international students to Italy from over 80 countries, with an average of about 5,000 students a year. Since international travel was reinstated this year, Scuola Leonardo da Vinci saw an increase in attendance at every one of its schools, which are in Florence, Milan, Rome, Turin and Viareggio.
“This is an important result not just for our schools, but for the whole of Italy, because this prestigious award focuses the attention of thousands of international tour operators on our country, and it’s a strong sign of recovery for a sector that has been battered by the pandemic and is now finally seeing the light,” says Chiara Poggi, who founded the company with her husband, Hans Gedeon Villiger.
Alongside Italian courses and tours, the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci also produces a free Italian language podcast available on Apple and Spotify called Italiano ON-Air, where listeners can learn vocabulary, expressions, and idioms, practice listening and pronunciation skills, and even hear about current topical discussions and culture.
