CLUSS – Centro Linguistico Università per Stranieri di Siena

CLUSS is the dedicated language centre of the Università per Stranieri di Siena, one of Italy's two public universities specialised entirely in the teaching of Italian and in research on its international diffusion. The centre occupies premises at Piazza Carlo Rosselli 27–28, in a university district that sits on the western edge of Siena's compact medieval city, well connected to the central Piazza del Campo and the main public transport stops.

The centre is open year-round and welcomes students from more than one hundred countries, delivering general Italian courses at every level of the Common European Framework from absolute beginner A1 through to mastery-level C2. Instruction is shaped by the university's deep research tradition in applied linguistics and Italian-as-a-foreign-language didactics, giving learners access to teaching methodology that is simultaneously cutting-edge and rooted in decades of academic development.

Beyond general courses, CLUSS serves several specialist audiences. European and international university students arriving in Siena on mobility programmes — Erasmus+ and equivalent schemes — can enrol in dedicated language and culture courses designed for their academic and practical needs. A separate track addresses Italian for special purposes, covering professional or sector-specific registers. Teachers of Italian who work abroad can undertake in-person refresher and development courses. The centre also designs bespoke courses upon request for institutions, companies, or other organised groups.

CLUSS holds Eaquals accreditation, the leading European quality standard for language education, and operates the official CILS and DITALS certification exams on behalf of the university.