Scholae romanae: Latin by the nature method
from the 24th of June to the 2nd of July 2025
The direct method means that the sounds of the foreign tongue are associated directly with a thing,
or an act, or a thought, without the intervention of an English word,
and that these associations are grouped by a method.
(Rouse – Appleton, Latin on the direct method, 1925)
About the courses
The Scholae romanae are a Latin language course in Latin which is based on the “nature”, or “inductive-contextual”, method, and is directed towards everyone – teachers, students, or simply enthusiasts – who has a heart for the language of Rome.
Two levels
When registering, the participants will choose one of two levels: B2, the intermediate one, and C1, the intermediate-advanced one.
We recommend that you take into account not only your passive knowledge of the language, but also – and even more importantly – your active (written and spoken) proficiency.
To get an idea of the language level of the B2 course, we recommend taking a look at the following video.
The textbooks of reference will be: for level B2, H. H. Ørberg’s Familia Romana, for level C1, Roma aeterna, by the same author.
In the B2 level, chapters XXVII through XXXIV of Familia Romana will be covered, and particularly the gerundive, all the tenses of the subjunctive, the sequence of tenses, the syntax of period.
In the C1 level, chapters XXXVII through XL of Roma aeterna will be covered, which include, among other things, about 100 verses by Virgil.
During the course, participants will actively practise the language, enrich their vocabulary, strengthen their grammar skills, learn some everyday expressions taken from the colloquia of the humanists, and stage small shows.
Here is the schedule of a typical day (but some changes are possible, of course):
8: breakfast;
9 – 10: I lesson;
10 – 10:45: coffe break and individual study (the teachers will be present);
10:45 – 11.45: II lesson;
11:45 – 12:15: coffe break and individual study (the teachers will be present);
12:15 – 12:50: III lesson;
13 – 15:45: lunch and free time;
15:45 – 16:45: IV lesson;
16:45 – 17:30: coffe break and individual study (the teachers will be present);
17:30 – 18:15: V lesson;
18:15 – 19:45: individual study and free time;
20: dinner.
Teaching material
Students of level B2 must have the following books: Familia Romana, Latine disco (student’s manual), the Grammatica Latina and the Exercitia Latina I.
Students of level C1.1 must have these books: Roma aeterna, the Exercitia Latina II, Roma aeterna: instructions.
Other teaching material will be provided by our teachers during the lessons, free of charge.
An excursion to Pompeii
During the course, we shall make one-day trip to Pompeii, on Sunday the 29th of June.
During the Latin tour, we shall read together some relevant passages from authors of various ages, in order to hear the voice of classical writers, as it were, where their echo is stronger.
Where? When?
Classes will run from the 25th of June to the 1st of July 2025. The course will take place in Montella, a town in Campania about an hour’s drive from Naples and about three hours’ drive from Rome. Montella is a peaceful and pretty mountain town, surrounded by woods and rich in history and tradition.
Participants are expected and will be welcomed on June the 24th. Departure is set for the morning of the 2nd of July.
Location, accommodation and meals
The course will take place in the De Marco palace, an elegant building of the beginning of the 20th century, which stands in the park of the same name – in the centre of Montella.
Participants will take their meals at the “Zia Carmela” (“Aunt Carmela”) hotel, and will sleep either at the same hotel, or at the “Irpinia bike house”, or at the “Soggiorno Boccuti”, all at a few hundred metres from the De Marco palace. Accommodation consists of a double room, with an en-suite bathroom and internet connection.
For single rooms a daily supplement of 30 euros will apply.
How to reach us
You can get to Montella by car or by bus. Buses leave from Rome to Montella every day: some of them have no intermediate stops, some stop at Avellino, where you will have to change buses for Montella. Buses also leave daily from Naples and Salerno to Avellino: once you are at Avellino, you will have to change buses for Montella.
If you like, with a little extra charge we can send a car to Avellino to pick you up. You can get to Avellino from many other Italian cities, by bus (or by train).
If a sufficient number of participants asks for it, we shall rent a private bus, which, with a little extra charge, will take you from Naples airport, or railway station, to Montella.
How to apply
Registration closes on May the 10th. However, it might be closed before, as soon as the maximum number of 30 participants is reached: so apply sooner rather than later!
To register for the Scholae romanae, please fill out the form at the bottom of the page and send a deposit according to the option chosen. Upon receiving the application, you will be provided all the details needed to make the bank transfer. Registration is only valid upon receipt of the deposit, provided the deposit is sent within ten days from the sending of the form.
– Option A: all inclusive (course, meals, coffee breaks and accommodation as described above [double room], didactic material [excluding the books] and excursion), from the 24th of June to the 3rd of July: 940 euros per person; deposit: 500 euros.
– Option B: lessons only (lessons, didactic material [excluding the books] and coffee breaks): 60 euros per day; deposit: half the total amount due.
About us
The videos below contain the voices and the testimonies of some of those who took part in our advanced level summer courses (the Scholae aestivae in Italia).