Programme details
| Programme length | Start | End | Price | Age on departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFS year programme (academic year) | September 2009 | July 2010 | $11,550 +$200 visa | 14.9 - 17.9 |
| AFS semester programme (5-6 months) | January 2010 | July 2011 | $10,200 + visa | 14.9 - 17.9 |
| AFS Intensive Programme (up to 3 months) | December 2010 | February 2011 | $7000 + visa | 14.9 - 17.9 |
Italy, in its dynamic industrialised northern part as well as in its slower agricultural south, may be the world’s most art-filled nation. Italian artists and architects have been producing masterworks for 3,000 years. Today, Italy’s Tuscany region alone has more classified historical monuments than any other entire country. Ravishing churches are everywhere, some displaying enough fine sculptures and paintings to fill a museum. Surrounded and stimulated by this cultural expance, Italians can become passionate about almost everything – politics, soccer, opera, fashion, even food, and with good reason: Italian cooking is one of the world’s favourite cuisines, whether dished up in posh restaurants or in a home kitchen.
Family life
Strong, traditional ties bind families together and are of great importance, although Italian family dynamics vary from zone to zone. Normally, northern Italians are a little more reserved than southern Italians. There is a wide range of host families; most of them are middle-class. Many host mothers are housewives; fathers generally work and spend many hours away from home. Fathers usually help very little with domestic chores, although this kind of behaviour is changing, especially among young couples. Young people tend to live at home often until they get married. Teens do not normally have part-time jobs, therefore are dependent on a weekly or monthly allowance from their parents.
Host families are usually quite strict regarding schedules. Students must follow family rules and be helpful with chores. Most parents want to know where a student is going when he/she leaves the house, who the student is going with and curfews must be respected. Students are expected to accept all family rules, not try to impose his/her own.
School life
The Italian system has different kinds of high schools including academic schools, art schools and technical and vocational institutes.
The school year runs from mid-September to mid-June with two weeks off at Christmas and one week off at Easter, along with various other national or local holidays throughout the year. The school week is usually from Monday to Saturday, 8am to 2pm.
Italian schools are very demanding and students are expected to study hard and to participate in school life as Italian kids their age do. Because schools do not organise many extracurricular activities, students usually organise their free time on their own.
AFS Italy requires high academic levels and pre-existing Italian language skills are required.
