AdG Info

Accademia del Giglio
Year of foundation: 1995.
Location: in the centre of Florence

Since 1995 Accademia del Giglio is a private school which is specifically aimed at helping international students to gain proficiency in the Italian language, understand the many aspects of Italian culture, as well as learn several drawing and painting techniques. Our school is accredited by:
- The Italian Ministry of Education through the “presa d’atto”;
- The Swedish National Board of Student Aid “CSN”;
- The American university Bard College as its Italian base for its abroad study programme.- The University of Kansas as its Italian base for its abroad study programme.In addition:
- Accademia del Giglio has received the “European Label 2007”. This Label is awarded each year to the most innovative language learning projects in the European Union. The Label is coordinated by the European Commission, and managed by the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Education.
- Accademia del Giglio is the Italian base for the Flora Tristan High School (France), participating in the scheme of the Leonardo da Vinci Programme, whose aim is to support improvements in quality and innovation in vocational education and training systems.
- Other occasional but intensive co-operations have also been arranged with other institutes in the past few years, such as

Campion School (UK),
Otterbein College (Ohio, USA),
De La Salle Schulen Marianum (Austria),
Newman College (Australia),
Long Road Sixth Form College (Cambridge, UK),
Blakehurst High School (Sidney, Australia).
Our Lady of Mercy College (Melbourne, Australia),
Broxbourne School (UK),
St Andrews (Johannesburg, South Africa).

The teaching staff of Accademia del Giglio:
- have contributed to the editing of the 2007 Itals
bulletin, official review of the University Ca’ Foscari of Venice;

- have been organizing training courses for teachers of Italian as a foreign language;
- are currently endeavouring to make use of modern teaching technologies both with school students and with distant learners.

Ms Cecilia PONTENANI *The Director*
	EDUCATION April 1992 Received a “Laurea” with full marks in Modern Languages and Literature (Italian Degree) from the University of Florence. July 1980 Awarded a “Diploma di Maturità” in sciences with full marks.
	EMPLOYMENT HISTORY June 95-present Director at “Accademia del Giglio” (Florence, Italy). June 95-present Italian language teacher for foreign students at “Accademia del Giglio”. April 93-May 95 Italian language teacher for foreign students at “Società Dante Alighieri”. June 92-March 93 Private tutoring to Italian students in English; translations from Swedish into Italian for several companies.
	LANGUAGES Mother language: Italian Good English Good Swedish
	OTHER INTERESTS Travelling, reading, bird-watching, skiing and going to the cinema.
Mr Lorenzo CAPANNI
	EDUCATION June 1995 Received a “Laurea” with Honours in Modern Languages and Literature (Italian Degree) from the University of Florence. July 1988 Awarded a “Diploma di Maturità” in Languages with full marks (60/60).
	EMPLOYMENT HISTORY July 97-present Assistant Director at “Accademia del Giglio” (Florence, Italy). July 96-present Italian language teacher for foreign students at “Accademia del Giglio”. Oct 95-June 96 Italian language assistant in two French secondary schools. Spring 95 English teacher for the employees of an Italian company. 1994-present Private tutoring to Italian students in French and English; translations for Italian companies.
	LANGUAGES Mother language: Italian Fluent French Fluent English Good German
	OTHER INTERESTS Travelling, reading, swimming, biking.
Mr Roberto BALÒ
	EDUCATION April 1997 Received a “Laurea” with full marks in Italian Literature (Italian Degree) from the University of Florence. July 1989 Awarded a “Diploma di Maturità Commerciale” with full marks.
	EMPLOYMENT HISTORY July 97-present Italian language teacher at “Accademia del Giglio” (Florence, Italy). June 89-Aug 96 Tutor for Italian students taking summer English courses in the U.K.
	LANGUAGES Mother language: Italian Good French Good English
	OTHER INTERESTS Reading, poetry, tennis and going to the cinema.
Ms Biserka PETROVICH
	EDUCATION 2007 – “Laurea specialistica” in Graphic and Visual Arts (Fine Arts Academy – Florence). 2004 - “Laurea” in Graphic Art (Fine Arts University – Belgrad). 1999 - Attended the last year of English and Italian literature at University of Belgrad.
	EMPLOYMENT HISTORY February 2010- present Teacher of Drawing, Painting and Fresco at “Accademia del Giglio” (Florence, Italy). 2009 Teacher of Drawing and Painting. 2008 - present Artist at the “Laboratorio Creativo” of Palazzo Strozzi, Florence. 2008 - present Graphic designer.
	LANGUAGES Mother language: Serbian Fluent English and Italian Good French and other Slavic languages
	OTHER INTERESTS Biking, studying languages, cinema..