Italian for the studio you came to join. Turin.
The Italian program built for international designers, architects and students applying to Politecnico di Torino, IAAD, Domus Academy or any Italian design school. Studio language, technical vocabulary, portfolio-defence prep - in the city of Fiat, Lavazza and Italian automotive design.
Apply for the design track →Why designers need studio Italian
A 6-month internship at an Italian design studio in English is rare. A portfolio crit in fluent Italian decides your second-year jury at Polimi. The brief, the pin-up, the conversation with the client - all in Italian. This program teaches the studio dialect, not the textbook one.
Built for three audiences:
- Polimi / IAAD / Domus Academy candidates - preparing the language requirement for admission interviews and portfolio defence.
- International students already enrolled at Italian design schools - needing fast functional Italian to survive studio culture.
- Working designers and architects joining Italian studios or relocating to Italy - building professional Italian for the workplace.
Why Turin for this
The automotive design capital
Pininfarina, Italdesign-Giugiaro, Bertone - all born in Turin. The city where modern Italian automotive design was invented. Walking distance studios, real industry presence.
Politecnico di Torino
Italy's second largest engineering and architecture university - 35,000 students, half international. The Castello del Valentino architecture campus, 25 min from us. Design, engineering, urbanism programs.
IAAD & the design scene
IAAD (Istituto d'Arte Applicata e Design) trains the next generation of Italian designers. The Turin scene includes Domus, the Salone del Mobile satellite, multiple architecture studios.
Real working city - affordable
Lower cost of living than Milan or Florence. A real working city, active professionals, less tourism. Substance over scenery - the right environment for a serious studio commitment.
Curriculum - what's different
General Italian core (A1-C2) + design-specific modules below.
| Module | What you actually do |
|---|---|
| Italiano del progetto | The vocabulary of design briefs, project phases, concept presentation. Italian for sketch description, model description, prototype iteration. |
| Pin-up & jury Italian | How to present a portfolio in Italian. The vocabulary of crit sessions. Defending your design decisions to a jury - culturally correct register, no awkward translations. |
| Studio & client conversation | Real Italian for a design studio context - talking to the studio principal, talking to the client, talking to fabricators. The difference between Italian for university and Italian for the working world. |
| Architectural Italian | For architecture students specifically: building typologies in Italian, urbanism vocabulary, heritage and restoration terms (a huge field in Italy). Reading Italian architecture journals. |
| Polimi / IAAD admission prep (optional) | One-to-one sessions if you have a specific admission interview coming up. |
Design Intensive Track - 3 months
20 group lessons/week (general Italian) + 4 dedicated design modules/week + 1 monthly studio visit (curated). Visa-eligible.
All-inclusive · design modules + studio visit program.
Long-form Design Track - 9 months
Full academic year. A1/A2 → certified B2/C1 with design specialisation. Built around the Italian academic calendar - perfect parallel to Polimi/IAAD year 1.
All-inclusive · add-on: 10 one-to-one admission prep sessions €690.
Non-EU students: all 3+ month tracks visa-eligible. See Student Visa Italy + Visa & Permit Support.
How to enroll
Small-cohort program - we cap intake at 12 students per term. Pre-application is by 15-minute video interview to confirm fit.
Apply for the Design & Architecture track
Tell us your discipline (industrial design / architecture / interior / transportation / graphic), your level, your target school or studio. We reply within one working day.
© Accademia di Italiano - Turin campus. Politecnico di Torino, IAAD, Domus Academy and Italdesign-Giugiaro are independent institutions; this program is not affiliated with them.