The Institute
The Domus Aurea School was founded in 1997 to create a joint program with Apulia that would reveal all the different facets of Italy. The school is located in the heart of the city, between via Nazionale and the Coliseum, just a short walk from the legendary Trevi Fountain and the eternal Roman Forum. The school is on the first floor of a 19th century building. There are 5 classrooms each with tables and chairs, whiteboard and tape recorder. There is a small multimedia laboratory with free internet connection, a spacious administrative area, the Director’s office, 2 toilets and a small garden terrace. In the entrance hall there are the drinks dispensers (coffee and water) and a notice board. Near the secretary’s office there is a small lounge and waiting room.

Methodology
The teaching method is based on communication and interaction with some grammar work. The teaching units are based on linguistic skills taken in the following order: reading-listening, comprehension, speaking and writing. Vocabulary is a part of the reading-listening and comprehension module, while grammatical analysis is when students examine the syntactical structure of the language. To help our students learn quickly and enrich their knowledge of Italy, Domus Aurea helps them develop their language by combining language with general culture. Our students come from all over the world. For best results, communication in the classroom takes place mainly in Italian.

Teaching Materials
We use the following:
1) Teaching materials: used by the teachers in structured teaching units together with other publications and authentic materials such as newspapers, photographs and advertisements etc.
2) Multimedia support material: basic use of teaching materials like TV, video and computer for multimedia programmes, contribute to maintaining the students’ interest and motivation.
3) Work outside the class: watching films and reading in Italian guarantees the continuity needed for good results.

The Programmes
There are five language levels: Beginners, Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced and Proficiency. Each level is completed in 80 hours of class time. The teachers employ progressive vocabulary to help beginners express themselves correctly from the very first lesson.

Certificates and Diplomas
At the end of each course, students receive a Diploma showing the teacher’s comments, number of hours studied, level and type of course taken. Students also receive a certificate indicating their performance in each of the skill areas. This information is used in conjunction with the teacher’s advice for continued language study, either individually or in another course.

Accommodation
We organise host family or other accommodation conveniently located near the school. Housing is available in private homes, student apartments and hotels.

Social and Cultural Activities
Our belief is that a balance must be found between language and culture. While language study is our primary concern, students also learn about many cultural aspect of Italy. Students may take part in two activities a week free of charge: a guided tour of the city and a film in Italian. These two out-of-class activities help students with comprehension and to express themselves in Italian. We urge students to use the lending library and ask for the list of books and films that are available in the secretary’s office. To encourage complete integration, the school organises conversation exchanges with native speakers, parties and conferences; and, especially in the summer months, the students are invited to participate in the extraordinary evenings in the open air to discover the “estate romana”, literally Roman Summer, a series of concerts, film festivals and “happenings” that take place every summer in the Eternal City.