Foreign languages taught in language high schools in Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto and Piedmont

This paper analyses foreign language education in Italian language high schools across four regions in Northern Italy: Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto and Piedmont. It examines regional language policies, the structure of teaching programmes and the languages offered. The study finds that English is compulsory as a first foreign language and that most schools also offer Spanish, French and German. The language high school curriculum includes 132 hours per year for the first foreign language and 99–132 hours for the second and third. A useful way of teaching foreign languages is CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning), teaching non-linguistic subjects in a foreign language. This research highlights the importance of linguistic diversity and intercultural understanding and how these skills prepare students for a globalised world. Furthermore, it notes the inclusion of minority languages in schools in Trentino-Alto Adige. However, despite efforts, there are still no effective strategies for intensive and sustainable foreign language learning. This article was published open access under a CC BY-NC-ND licence: https://creativecommons.org/licences/by-nc-nd/4.0/ .