Our native speaker qualified Italian language teachers can train you and your colleagues at your office or home at a time to suit you. Classes can be any day of the week (even weekends) in the morning, afternoon or evening. In certain circumstances, if your home or office is not suitable, you can take your classes at the trainer's office. Course books are provided.
These Italian courses are more general in nature and are targeted at students with a whole range of different needs. While all beginners level students can expect to cover Survival Italian - required for short visits to a country where English may not be spoken and/or the intention is to make good contacts with the local population, students then generally progress in different directions depending on their needs. Typical students include those buying property overseas, spouses of overseas nationals, people about to set off on that long-awaited world trip, Italian culture enthusiasts and those who are keen to pass a particular Italian examination.
These Italian lessons are driven towards people who have a requirement to learn Italian to bolster their work output. For novices, you will find it useful to learn basic greetings and business etiquette; and once you have become more proficient then reading and writing will come to the fore. Typical students include those concerned with import/export, those seeking work in multinational companies, international negotiations, and anyone working with international colleagues or administration. Even on our most rudimentary beginners course, students can expect to finish the course with decent telephone and e-mail Italian, as well as a good enough grip on the language for a short trip to the country.
The Italian courses are also available for 2 or more people studying together (Two-to-One Italian Course or Small Group In-Company Italian Course). All participants must have the same level, the same business or general language needs and be able to study at the same time in the same location. The booking must be made for all participants at the same time. Listen & Learn do not recommend group classes of more than 6-8 people although In-Company Taster Italian Courses can be run with up to 12 people.
Italian is the closest to Latin in terms of vocabulary, out of all the Romance tongues
Italian uses the same alphabet as English, without the letters J, K, W, X and Y - though these letters still appear in loan words
In the Renaissance period, Italy was the most important cultural hub in the world; educated European men would generally visit Italy as part of 'the Grand Tour'
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Un tipico piatto della cucina ligure è la focaccia. Gli ingredienti di questo semplice ma gustoso piatto sono: farina di grano duro, lievito, sale, acqua ed olio extra vergine di oliva.
La preparazione è estremamente semplice ma molte volte il buon esito di essa è dovuto all’esperienza del cuoco e alla qualità degli ingredienti.
La storia di questo piatto è legata, come per la maggior parte dei piatti della cucina ligure, alla vita dei pescatori genovesi che dovendo stare per giorni in mare aperto senza la possibilità di tornare a terra dovevano riempire la cambusa con alimenti che si potevano conservare per vari giorni.
Ancora oggi questo piatto è reperibile nei panifici delle città e dei paesi liguri che continuano a sfornarlo apportando ad esso molte varianti per renderlo sempre nuovo e stuzzichevole.
Alcune di queste varianti sono la focaccia con le olive, con le cipolle, con la salvia oppure ancora con i pomodori. Questo piatto è stata la merenda dei bambini liguri per anni e probabilmente lo sarà ancora per molto.
Un altro tipico piatto della cucina ligure è il pesto. Questo viene fatto come suggerisce il nome stesso pestando il basilico in dei mortai di marmo insieme ad olio, formaggio parmigiano, pinoli e sale. Viene ottenuta una crema che si usa come condimento di primi piatti e per insaporirne altri.
Un primo piatto immancabile in ogni ristorante ligure, degno di questo nome, sono le trofie al pesto. La trofia è una pasta di farina di castagne che viene condita a cottura ultimata con pesto, fagiolini e patate.
Per concludere questa breve visita nelle cucine liguri dobbiamo assolutamente ricordare due piatti storici: il castagnaccio e la farinata. Il castagnaccio è una torta salata fatta di farina di castagne, olio extra vergine di oliva, pinoli, uvetta e sale mentre la farinata è una sfoglia fatta di farina di ceci, olio extra vergine di oliva e sale che deve essere cotta in una teglia di rame.
Quets’ultimi piatti non appaiono belli alla vista ma è assicurato l’appagamento delle vostre papille gustative!
Italian Testimonials
"Our native speaker qualified Italian language teachers can train you and your colleagues at your office or home at a time to suit you. Classes can be any day of the week (even weekends) in the morning."
Boston
Boston is the capital city of the commonwealth of Massachusetts and the biggest city in New England, housing around 600,000 people - though as the economic center of the region the city's population often swells to around 1.2 million during the day. The city is very cosmopolitan in terms of the cultures littered around the metropolitan area - there are sizeable communities of Irish, Italian, West Indian, Vietnamese, Bosnian and Croatian people, meaning there are different languages being spoken throughout Boston. With its reputation as a great hub of learning in the area (more than 100 colleges and universities are found in the Greater Boston Area), the city is a superb location to learn a new language.
