Learn Italian in Italy's experience, diary of a holiday in Bologna

The first week of September we kicked off a course in Bologna, my hometown, the beautiful capital of Emilia-Romagna. I had an amazing time together with my students Jane and Cecily and their husbands Jeff and Wil. In this picture they look very happy at the beautiful “taverna del Postiglione” in Bologna, a fantastic restaurant in the center where you can have beautiful food sitting under an historical portico.

Italian Tutor experience’s aim it’s not just learn Italian in Italy but indeed to get the students to discover other aspects of Italy, such as food, wine and art and above all get them to mingle with Italian people so that they can get constant feedback about their improvement from the locals: the best way to learn Italian.

I kept a photographic diary of this amazing week of italian lessons and I would like to share it with you!

Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning

Italian lessons in Italy. Lessons were held in the beautiful apartment rented by Jane and Cecily. The apartment is strategically placed, just 10 minutes walk to the station and 15 minutes walk to the center of Bologna. The second part of the lesson took place in a local cafeteria where we could taste the typical Italian espresso.

Monday afternoon

After the lunch break the lesson continued in the center but it became a walking one. After the magnificent Piazza Maggiore we were after some hidden gems in town, the anatomical theatre and the “stabat mater” hall, both inside the Archiginnasio once the palace of University of Bologna, now a beautiful library.

Tuesday

We went by train to Ravenna to see its beautiful buildings and its mosaics which are exquisite and decorate the inside of every single monuments. My students looked indeed very surprised when they saw the brightness of them

What looks like just a collection of tiny, bright tiles is in reality a vivid image of a sea voyage, an image of Jesus, or a choir of angels: I sometimes wonder how long each of these mosaics must have taken to create. What talent they had!

Thursday

We went to Ferrara by train, a beautiful small city, just 30 minutes away from Bologna. Once just an unimportant town, it became one of the most important European cultural centers during the renaissance.

The Este family, lords of the cities for nearly 300 years made Ferrara beautiful building a castle, some fantastic palaces and an extension to the city: here you find some pics of the day there: the castle, a beautiful fresco relating to the month of May in the beautiful months’ hall in the Schifanoia Palace and a lunch break at a restaurant near the castle where we had some “pumpkins cappellacci”, a stuffed pasta typically from Ferrara.

Friday Afternoon

After last lesson we went looking for some more hidden gems in the center of Bologna. The beautiful “compianto” inside the "church of the life" and the fresco relating the life of Santa Cecilia inside an oratory.

At the end of the tour we decided to celebrate the end of this beautiful holiday with some local food and wine!!!