Accademia Vivarium Novum

The Vivarium novum Academy was founded several years ago as a place where classical Greek and Latin language could be taught by means of the method that humanists used for centuries. For many years, students from various countries of the world have come to Montella, in southern Italy, to spend a year among us, attending to classes on the following subjects: Latin literature of the Classical, Middle and Modern Ages, ancient Greek language, history of philosophy, Latin and Greek composition, and spoken Latin. At Vivarium novum, the use of Latin (and Greek) as a communication vehicle is not only expected in the daily lessons, but also greatly encouraged during the rest of the time: students speak Latin to the professors and to one another since morning to late night. Besides Greek, which is occasionally used for conversation, no other language is permitted in the campus. Therefore, this Academy is perhaps the only place in the world in which people actively use Latin as a communication instrument. This allows students to rapidly achieve a Latin proficiency level so elevated as to let them read confidently and understand without any troubles entire works written in Latin by both ancient and modern authors. Besides language itself, students and professors in the Academy make an effort to cultivate the humanities and nurture humanism in themselves. The Academy houses a large library, with almost forty thousand volumes; there are also computers and audiovisual devices for the use of the academic community. The facilities comprise classrooms, gardens and sport courts that are always open for diversion during leisure time.   

 

   

 

This year, the Academy is moving to the eternal city of Rome, to establish its main campus in larger facilities, so that more students can be comfortably accommodated. The building which will house our activities is surrounded by extensive and pleasing gardens and it is also equipped with everything necessary for our educational program. Besides several dormitories, there are spacious halls, classrooms, a vast auditorium, a kitchen, a large dining room, a swimming pool and sport courts. We will begin our courses on October the 5^th and they will be held until June the 30^th, 2010. Students who apply for admission must meet these two requirements: being between sixteen and twenty five years old and to have studied the rudiments of Latin language (basic grammar and an appropriate range of Latin vocabulary). Boarding and schooling are completely free of any cost: all expenses are sustained by means of scholarships granted by the Mnemosyne foundation. Every year we receive no more than twenty five students. This year, however, only male students can be admitted, since the facilities in Rome belong to a religious congregation.