During the summer the city is enlivened with baroque concerts in the Chiesa di San Lorenzo, folk dances in Piazza Rinascimento, and many other cultural activities. The 25,000 inhabitants of Urbino are very proud of their city and country and celebrate life in the traditional Italian spirit. These friendly people are always willing to help and enjoy talking to American students. Combining the location and the people, every day is a learning experience. The program holds classes in the morning, ending at lunchtime.
Groups are small and taught conversational-style by American and local professors.
In addition to the classroom, students are encouraged to take part in the life of the town during their free time. Conversing with Italians is the most rewarding aspect of learning the language. This is easily accomplished since Italians are naturally curious about Americans and will seek them out. This social interaction promotes fluency by hearing and using what is learned in the classroom in a real context. Confidence in the language is strengthened through thtese types of conversations and students will find that their skills improve very rapidly this way.