I’d rather be in Salerno!

I’ve been studying at a really nice school in Salerno, in the South of Italy. Originally I wanted to study in Rome but the cost of the course put me off and I decided that the location of Salerno, on the Amalfi Coast, was perfect for a summer course (in fact it’s only just over 2 hours by train from Rome so I managed a weekend visit in any case!).

The city itself is not huge, but there is plenty going on, open-air concerts (usually free!), evening walks along the seafront, local festivals where you can taste the typical food and drink from that village and plenty of great bars and restaurants. It’s amazing how many people are around in the evening – that’s when the city really comes to life in the summer!

The Accademia itself was very easy to find as it’s in one of the main streets in a really beautiful old building. The staff are friendly and the teachers in particular are all nice and helpful. In my class there were 7 of us, all different nationalities. There are also LOADS of social activities organized in the evenings by the school – with guided walks, evenings out with teachers to local restaurants, Italian film evenings in the school and excursions to Amalfi, Naples, Positano and other nearby locations – they’ve been a great way to get to know the area and make friends with other students from the school.

I’ve had plenty of conversations with locals too, as I found that most people were intrigued by foreign visitors and wanted to know where I was from and why I was visiting Salerno! It’s been a great way to practise what I’ve been learning in my classes!

I would recommend Salerno to ANYONE as a place to study as it has lots going on but it not so huge that you feel anonymous. The trains, buses and boats are well organized and quite cheap so you can always find a place to visit if you want a change. The people are friendly, the food is fantastic, the school is GREAT – I can’t wait to go back.

Elisabeth (England)