Best place to study Italian

Tropea is a bit out of the way from anything else.
If safety is a big concern, be aware of cliifs and deep waters both in the Amalfi Coast and also near Tropea. Having aqua shoes is a good idea. But overall if you exercise caution when you are in the water and don't swim too far or with rough seas, you will be safe in both places.

Thank you for your reply. I was thinking about crime. Which place is safe for a single woman? Thank you.

You could also look at places like Orvieto, Siena, Florence, Rome, Assisi, etc. Depending on the class schedule, you may not have much time to spend at the beach.

In terms of crime anyplace in the US is less safe than either Salerno or Tropea. Staying in the US is what would put your life at risk.

I've heard of this school in Sorrento (obviously near water) but have not heard anything about it Sorrento Lingue.
I have attended the Lucca Italian School in Lucca and Saena Iulia in Siena -- both are great -- no water but perfectly safe and wonderful cities.

What is your time allotment? (week, Month, three months) Some of the places mentioned by others may be nice, but expensive for an extended amount of time in June. If only a week, then it really does not matter, both in locale and what you might learn, for a period longer than a month, I would focus on the quality of the school first, then "living cost", then other amenities.

Hi Paul: I plan to go for a month. I like the school in Salerno. I would rent a flat from them for about 800€. What do you think? Any suggestions.

If I were spending four weeks somewhere taking classes (I've done two weeks, twice) and the classes only consumed 3 or 4 hours a day--hopefully all in the AM (preferred) or all in the PM, being somewhere with lots of surrounding places to visit would be key. All those free half-days... So I'd look at how many places I could get within about an hour with conveniently-scheduled buses or trains. Especially for buses, there are often some large gaps in schedules that make it difficult to manage quick side-trips to places where you think you only need a couple of hours.

The best place to study Italian is the place where you want to be. You say you want to be near the coast and that you like Salerno.

Can you find a place to live for less than 800 Euro a month? If not, then 800 Euro is ok. I paid 900 Euro a month to Il Istituto di Michelangelo for an apartment at Firenze.

In my case the Institute hired private drivers and buses to transport the students out of town every weekend. We went to Lucca, Pisa, Cinque Terre, Siena, and the beach at Pietrasanta on the Ligurian Sea. During the week the Institute escorted us on various tours and dinnertime ristorante visits. So if your school is doing its job, your weekend trips and some weekday and evening fun should be covered.

The concern is what to do with All the free time you will have most afternoons, evenings, and single weekend days. Will Salerno have enough to do to hold your interest and curiosity for travel? Will you easily be able to travel outside the town to points of interest in the many free half days you will have and the several whole weekend days?

This comes from my own experience at Firenze. At least there I had Firenze to explore on my free time!

Stay where you wish, but, if learning Italian is your objective consider the following.

You need to stay away from people who speak English. Hanging out with your school mates, all of whom are likely to a large degree fluent in English, will impair your effort. Staying with an Italian family is best. Making Italian friends is also essential.

Another strategy is to stay in areas where English speaking students or tourists are few. The city centers of cities like Florence or Rome are not ideal in that respect. However even in those cities, as you get out of the city center or go to nearby suburbs, English speaking tourists and students disappear.

Sandra has a point. Some places are better bases if you also intend to take day trips in your free time. Florence is great, provided you stay away from the many English speaking people in the city center (few speak English in Grassina or Bagno a Ripoli).

Consider that in some parts of Italy, people speak, at least among themselves, a heavily accented form of Italian or even a dialect that would be harder to understand to a foreigner.
The Elevator in standard Italian is l'ascensore and so is all over Tuscany and much of Italy. But in the Naples area the elevator is o'trammammuro (literally 'the wall tramway'). Just to give you an example.