People have time to talk to you in Bologna. They really only seem
to hurry if their tagliatelle al ragú is on the table -
that's spaghetti bolognese to you and me. Nicknamed the Red City
for the warm colour of its rooftops and porticoes, Bologna is
elegant and embracing in a way that the larger tourist hubs of
Rome and Florence can perhaps never be. With a fascinating history
taking you back to the 6th century BC, today it is a lively university
city in Italy's northeast and still revelling in the glory of
being voted a European City of Culture in 2000.
Italian Course Bologna: Description
These courses consist of 20 lesson-hours
plus 6 hours of programme per week.
Classes take place either in
the morning between 9 a.m. and 12.50 p.m. or in the afternoon
between 1 p.m. and 4.50 p.m. There are four classes each of
50 minutes, with a 30-minute break in the middle. During the
first half of the morning or afternoon one teacher gives lessons
on grammar structure and vocabulary; during the second another
concentrates on expression and communication. At the end of
the course the student receives a certificate.
Classes are held by professional
teachers with experience in teaching Italian as a foreign language.
Classes consist of learning the forms of the Italian language,
its rules and its communicative use following the general lines
of the European Council for the teaching of foreign languages
(Threshold level).
Particular care will be given
to the usage of the language, to expression, to a good comprehension
and to the ability to use the language in particular situations.
Because of the intensive character,
our courses require much cooperation from the participant. About
2 hours' homework per day is expected of each student. In case
of didactic differences within a single class, the school will
divide the class into smaller groups and reduce the class-time
as follows: 4-5 people: three lesson-hours; 2-3 people: two
and a half lesson-hours; 1 person: one and a quarter lesson-hour.
Small groups do more intensive work in class and at home and
reach the same level as those in larger groups.
Language
Italian
Lesson Length (minutes)
50
Class Times
Lessons take place from 09.00 in
the morning, with a 20 minute coffee break.
Course Type
General
Age Range of Students
18 - 100
Typical Nationalities
15% English speakers, 15% Japanese,
30% German
School Associations
ASILS, the Association of Schools
of Italian as a Second Language, and a recognized centre
for the preparation for Siena University’s certificate
of Italian as a Second Language (CILS)
Client Comments
"Bologna was excellent, I really
enjoyed it! The staff at the school were excellent. All
the classes were conducted in Italian, and very creative.
The teachers were very lively and enthusiastic. I felt
that I made good progress and that finally my Italian
has been kick started ! The extracurricular classes were
excellent. There seemed to be something going on most
nights: I did a cookery course (which I paid more for)
and a lecture on the history of Italian music (which I
didn't), we went for a meal on Monday night, and there
was some sort of International thing organised for Wednesday.
2 nights a week, there was homework club, which I took
advantage of to answer my questions, which was an excellent
facility really. Bologna is a great place to spend a week,
the city is beautiful, the food is excellent, the school
and teaching are wonderful, and I really wished that I
had had more than a week to spend there. I would highly
recommend it to any other potential students. I would
also recommend having a few private lessons as well.
I hope these comments are useful, and thanks for your
efficiency and help in organising the holiday. I'll be
back !
Take care,
Lisa McCarthy
Italian Course Bologna: The School
The school is located in the Palazzo
Pepoli, a fine medieval building in the historic centre of the
city. Established in 1981, it has 10 classrooms and capacity for
a maximum of 130 students, who come mainly from western Europe
and Scandinavia. All teachers are university graduates with experience
and expertise in teaching Italian as a foreign language. Also
included in the price of your course is an extra-curricular programme
of 6 hours per week, giving you that extra point of contact with
Italian life and culture. Out and About Most visitors join the
locals as they flock to the Piazza Maggiore and adjacent Piazza
del Netuno for a well-earned drink after work. Lined by graceful
medieval and Renaissance monuments, these squares are home to
bustling cafés, pedestrianised streets and probably the
longest network of arcades you’ve ever seen. And the towers
of Le Due Torri, albeit at their rather precarious angle, afford
excellent views of the city. But at the end of the day, with local
eateries or osterias as important to your visit as those museums
and churches, you will have at least learned the meaning of 'la
grassa' and realised why the Bolognesi are so passionate about
their food.
