Luke’s Italian course in Rome

Below is an unedited account of a two-week Italian course in Rome from our lovely student Luke.

We first learned about Luke’s infectious enthusiasm for language and travel through an excellent Instagram post he wrote in response to our collaboration with Shut Up and Go.

Founded in 1974, our exceptional language school in Rome has recently celebrated their 45-year anniversary. As Luke has discovered, it’s unquestionably one of the best Italian language schools around. Read on to find out more – and, if you’re interested in taking a course in Rome yourself, get in touch!

Read more…

My favourite places to eat in Rome

I consider Rome as my second home. This is where my best friend lives and I try to visit her at least a few times per year. Thanks to her Roman knowledge, I have, over the years, got to know a lot of insider places that only true Romans are able to appreciate.

It’s often nice to be able to go to places that are mostly tourist-free. I will be recommending these places, which, I hope you will agree, is always interesting!

So, read on to discover Rome like a Roman with me…

Read more…

7 Insider tips for Rome!

After having lived and studied in Rome for five years, here are some tips on things to do in the Eternal City to discover the authentic Roman culture and make your stay special!

1) PEEP THROUGH THE AVENTIN KEYHOLE TO SEE THE ST. PETER’S BASILICA

Walk up the Aventin hill, away from the main tourist spots, and you will find a long white wall with a large green door leading to the ‘Priority of the Knights of Malta’, a religious order created in the Middle Ages and still active. Just look through the keyhole on the door and you will be amazed at what you can see: a stunning framed view of St. Peter’s Basilica at the end of a beautiful tree-lined path. It is incredible how the keyhole vista lines up perfectly with St. Peter’s cupola!

Read more…

Roma is the city for everyone!!

I took a 6 week course in Roma and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! Roma is definitely a city that suites all types of people as it has everything and more. It’s a big city but almost everywhere you go you can see beautiful old roman buildings! The city is full of so many things to do and the roman people are SO friendly! It’s also so easy to get around the city by either bus or metro.

The school is in the centre, and so after school you can head into the centre for sightseeing, or go for a stroll and get an ice cream – I really got addicted to Italian ice cream whilst I was there! The food is also amazing and there is a great typical restaurant just around the corner from the school, where many Italians and students go.

Read more…

Walk with me through Rome…

As I sat in the taxi on the way to my accommodation I began to realize just how beautiful Rome and the Italian language really were, and I was very excited for my Italian course to begin. The remarkable ancient buildings surrounded me as we drove through the Roman streets, and I couldn’t help but stare out the window the whole time! I asked my driver a 1000 questions abo de the whole way there! He pointed out famous buildings, cathedrals, and the river, and he made sure to tell me over and over again how much he loved Rome.

My host family was very comforting, and showed me their cozy European apartment. It had beautiful marble and stone floors and paintings in almost every room! Of course the kitchen always smelled of fresh garlic and herbs, I never went hungry!! The whole family seemed to have a much better fashion sense that anyone I knew back home, even the little children! They dressed with casual elegance, and always seemed to have a beautiful scarf and shoes to go with every outfit. How do they make jeans and a shirt look so stylish?

Read more…

My beautiful 50+ Programme in Rome

I’ve just spent two weeks on a Club 50 course Rome. Although I am a retired teacher, this has been my FIRST vacation on my own! My daughter is now old enough to take care of my husband for a while, so I took this opportunity to fulfil a long-held dream to visit Rome!

Before my trip I was worried about not really being able to speak the language. I’ve being studying Italian at home for a year, but really can’t speak it at all…, but fortunately everyone at the school in Rome, and ESPECIALLY my teachers, are very patient! The teachers don’t seem to mind at all about my slow pace, my many mistakes and lack of vocabulary… It’s hard to believe, but we really do communicate in Italian …somehow! This is good for me, because to be honest, studying was not the only object of my trip… I also wanted to see Rome!

Read more…

My Academic Year in Rome

Ciao!

I don’t know how to start here… Maybe I should tell a little about myself first. My name is Camilla, I’m Norwegian and 19 years old. I’m totally fascinated about Italy, and I’ve always dreamed about learning Italian, a language I consider as the world’s most beautiful.

So, I decided to take the plunge and learn the language by signing up for an Academic Year Italian language course programme in Rome!

I remember the first day of school: I was nervous and curious at the same time……

Read more…

Enjoy Yourself When in Rome!!

After an awesome trip to Italy, I am convinced that the number one city for an Italian course is ROME! It has such a unique atmosphere, incredible sites and sounds, and friendly locals everywhere you turn. I loved it so much I found it hard to say goodbye!

Everyone knows Rome for its incredible ancient remains, and I had done plenty of research in guidebooks before my trip… but no matter how many photographs you see of Rome nothing can compare to the feelings of awe when you actually see the Pantheon, the Vatican, or the Trevi fountain up close. Most amazing of all is the beautiful Colosseum for the first time – I was mesmerized! I imagined the arena being full of Romans watching gladiator fights, cheering and booing as they used to do. And the sheer scale of the Colosseum is breathtaking – it is enormous! I simply can’t imagine how it was ever built. The only word that I can use to sum it up is: “WOW!”

Read more…

Excursion to Pompeii and Naples

I’m studying at a language school in Rome  and in September we went on an excursion in the cities of Pompeii and Naples. I wasn’t sure about going there, but my teachers told me it was something that I should have seen. They were right!

We met at the school at 7.45 a.m. to take the bus that took us to Pompeii.  The first spectacular thing when you arrive, is of course the view of the Vesuvium in  the background of the antique city. When you take a walk in the streets of the Roman antique city, you can discover thermal baths, laid, temples, basilicas, forums, sanctuaries, a big number of houses, villas, enceinte, necropolis, bakery, theatres, amphitheatre, portiques, public’s fountains and thermopiles.

Read more…

Rome – a city of culture and beauty!

I’ve just come back to Rome after studying Italian last year for 2 months in this beautiful city. It was a great experience, not only because I met a lot of nice people from all around the world on the course, but because I was in Rome!

Last year I participated in a photo competition organised by the school and I won the first prize which gave me the chance to come back for another two weeks. So here I am once again in Rome.

After arriving in Rome, I immediately felt at home. Even though Rome is the capital of Italy, it doesn’t feel like a big city. There are so many things to see here, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Vatican and so many other things, but there is more to Rome. If you just walk around the city you will find places that are beautiful and without many tourists. For example I did a “passeggiata” (a walk) with some people of the language school to the quartiere Coppedè. This is a lovely part of the city with some nice architecture.

Read more…