(Seen this email before? I send it each year. But Bologna doesn’t change much, so I keep using it!)

It must be said that Italy has a lot of language-travel destinations to choose from.

So why study Italian in Bologna?

Here are some reasons…

1.) History – 3000 years of it!

Ok, most of Italy has history going back millenia, not just Bologna.

But look at a map, look at the ‘Pianura Padana‘ (the rich, flat sediment of the River Po’s flood plain).

At a glance, it’s obvious that this place will have been inhabited since the earliest days of agriculture.

Before the modern era, in the middle ages, Bologna was one of Europe’s largest cities.

It’s said (depending on who you ask) that we have the world’s oldest university. Students have been coming here to study law, then medicine, for almost a thousand years.

Before that, Bologna was the Roman city of Bononia.

And back even further, to around a thousand years before the Christian era (so three thousand years ago!) this place was an Etruscan city, known as Felsina.

Suffice it to say, Bologna is a very OLD city, and one that people have been coming to to learn for a good chunk of recorded history.

(Find out more about Bologna on Wikipedia.)

2.) Easy to get to

OK, here’s a little quiz for you.

On Tuesday 18th December (years ago, this is an old article…), Bologna Marconi ‘Aeroporto di Bologna’ was expecting arrivals from these international airports (excuse the occasional Italian spellings):

Alicante, Amman, Amsterdam, Bacau, Barcelona, Berlin, Budapest, Brussels, Casablanca, Chisinau, Copenhagen, Craiova, Dubai, Eindhoven, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Kiev, Krakow, Lisbon, London, Lyon, Madrid, Marrakech, Moscow, Munich, Paris, Prague, Seville Sofia, Suceava, Tenerife, Timisoara, Tirana, Valencia, Vienna

Bet you can’t tell me (without checking on the Internet, as I had to) which countries ALL those places are in??

There were also flights arriving from these rather far-flung Italian destinations:

Bari, Brindisi, Cagliari, Catania, Lamezia Terme, Palermo, Roma, Trapani

A bonus point if you know where all of those are. I didn’t.

You’ll notice there are no international arrivals from the USA or Australia?

That’ll be because the really long distance flights arrive at the hub airports of Milan and Rome.

But not to worry – there are fast (and inexpensive) trains to Bologna from just about everywhere.

And travel times, in these days of high-speed trains, are amazing!

Milan (1.01) is just an hour and a minute away, for example, while Rome (2.15) is only two and a quarter hours these days.

Talking of trains, once you’re here, if you fancy a day trip to Florence (0.34), Venice (1.27) or even Naples (3.15) – well, why not?

In short, Bologna is an excellent base for exploring Italy. Read this article I wrote years back: Psst! Wanna see Italy? Start here!

Or this one: 6 (cheap) day-trips from Bologna by train

(The train times quoted are from the Trenitalia website. Use it to plan your weekends!)

But maybe trains aren’t your thing?

So rent a car!

Interstates (U.S.A.), motorways (U.K.) – Italians call them ‘autostrade’ – leave Bologna in all possible directions.

3.) Not too big, not too small!

Bologna is Italy’s seventh largest city.

Which, in my opinion, makes it just about right.

Not too big, and yet not to small, either.

Students stay within walking distance of the school, which is nice.

And you can get around easily on foot, or hop on a bus, or rent a bicyle.

Green hills are visible from many places in the city. The countryside is just a few minutes walk away.

And yet it IS a city, still, with more or less everything that you might need…

4.) Lots to do (and eat!)

We run a language school, not a tourist information service.

But if I ever change role, I won’t be short of things to promote.

There’s Bologna’s world famous gastronomy, dozens of museums, a modern art gallery, a choice of theaters and movie houses, live music venues, street markets, and luxury shops.

Plus churches, piazzas, porticoes, and so on.

This is a medieval walled city, though the walls are mostly gone now. It’s laid out like a wheel, with spokes going out from the central piazza.

If you have an idle moment, just follow one of the spokes and gaze around you as you walk.

When you get out to the city gate (which marks the boundry of the old town), walk around the main road and come back in on a different ‘spoke’.

Each quarter is different and there’s so much to discover. Plus, walking is cheaper and more fun than going to the gym!

Tomorrow: Why Study Italian at Madrelingua?

2025 Italian Course Offer!

Until 25th December 2024, you can save 20% on group Italian courses of any length beginning in 2025 at our school in Bologna!

• All you need to do is to pay the ‘Winter Offer – 20%’ course deposit (€120 instead of the usual €150)
• The deposit guarantees you a saving of 20% on your whole course!
• This offer applies to group courses only, not to individual or online lessons
• Your course can be of any length: the more you study, the more you learn!
• There’s no need to decide the dates of your course now – just email us when you know
• This promotion ends at midnight on Christmas Day – 25th December 2024

Click here to Save 20%!

Or visit the school website:

Italian Courses | Prices | How To Book | FAQ | Contact us

Pay the €120 deposit / Save 20%!

(Seen this email before? I sent it each year at this time!)

But WHY do you want to learn Italian, rather than, say, wasting away your days in front of Netflix?

It’s not such a silly question.

Learning a language is, after all, a major undertaking. It can take months, or even years, to get to a level at which you can hold your own in a conversation.

And you’ll need to wrap your head around all sorts of unexpected complexities – irregular verbs, gender, unpronounceable words, and many more – all waiting to snag you and impede your progress.

So why bother? Why learn Italian at all?

There’s the obvious answer, and then there are the not-so-obvious reasons.

For a lot of students of Italian, it’s probably a combination of things that drives them to keep studying and improving.

The obvious reason is that people speak Italian to be able to understand others and to express themselves in that language.

At Madrelingua we have students who have, for example, bought a holiday home in Italy, or have an Italian partner, or who simply love to visit or travel here.

There may be connected reasons, such as a love of art or opera, or plans to work or retire in Italy.

One common one is having Italian grandparents or more distant relatives, so therefore the desire to better understand your (linguistic) heritage.

But everyone in this category (and not everyone IS in this category) has some sort of recognisable NEED to learn the language.

If I improve my Italian, I’ll be able to understand people when they speak to me, and express my ideas in turn.

But there are a host of OTHER reasons for taking Italian courses.

There are, for example, people who enter retirement and realise they have additional time to fill.

Taking an Italian course is a way to meet people, sometimes no more than that. Perhaps you start a class simply because your friend is doing it and has suggested you come along.

That might be the (rather trivial) initial reason. But as I mentioned, mastering a language is a major undertaking.

It requires sustained effort, strong motivation, and decision-making.

It’s a little like climbing a mountain.

Which brings to mind the famous quote from early Everest climber, George Mallory, who took part in three expeditions but died on the mountain (decades before it was finally successfully summitted…)

Asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, he replied:

“Because it’s there.” (Wikiquote.org)

So for the sense of achievement, then.

To prove something to yourself?

Because it’s a challenge (unlike watching Netflix…)

I bet that’s a big part of it for a lot of people, even if it’s not always acknowledged.

You might start out with a beginners’ course before a holiday in Italy, but there’s a real danger (as with scaling a Himalaya) that you’ll get hooked and end up spending years on your quest!

And as you learn, something interesting happens.

Decades back I worked in Turkey as an English teacher and started to pick up Turkish, in bars mostly.

People I met used to tell me something like “If you speak one language you are just one person, but when you learn a new language, you become a new person”.

As well, presumably, rather than instead.

I guess the idea is that you gain new knowledge, but also different points of view, fresh perspectives on the world.

As you study grammar, learn to read, listen to new sources of information about the world, you gain another dimension to your self, along with everything that goes with that: friends who speak the new language, a sense of ‘belonging’, and so on.

It’s true: you really do become ‘someone new’.

Sort of.

There’s a final reason people learn languages, unrelated to any obvious ‘need’, and beyond the satisfaction of opening doors to the world outside your own head.

It’s got to do with the pleasure that can be had from achieving mastery of something.

Think, for example, of that corny ‘Kung Fu‘ TV series from the ‘seventies, featuring a monk called Caine with amazing martial art skills.

To get good at Kung Fu (presumably), you’d need to make effective use of your time, exercise self-discipline, and become more AWARE:

Master Po: Close your eyes. What do you hear?
Young Caine: I hear the water, I hear the birds.
Po: Do you hear your own heartbeat?
Caine: No.
Po: Do you hear the grasshopper which is at your feet?
Caine: Old man, how is it that you hear these things?
Po: Young man, how is it that you do not?

In short, first you have to learn to learn, whatever it is, whether a martial art or a foreign language.

Only then can you really begin to master the new skill.

And that process of learning that you CAN acquire new skills – and learning to do so more effectively – is liberating.

After much time, and much effort, you’ll finally figure out just how much you’re capable of.

2025 Italian Course Offer!

Save 20% on group Italian courses of any length starting in 2025 at our school in Bologna, Italy!

• Just pay the ‘Winter Offer – 20%’ course deposit (€120 instead of the usual €150)
• That guarantees you a saving of 20%, not just on the deposit, but on the whole course
• This promotion applies to group courses only, not to individual or online lessons
• Your course can be of any length: the longer you study, the more you learn!
• No need to decide the dates of your course now – just email us when you know
• Offer ends at midnight on Christmas Day – 25th December 2024

Save 20% today!

Or visit our the school website to find out more:

Contact us | Prices | Italian Courses | How To Book | FAQ

Pay the €120 deposit / Save 20%!

As I mentioned last week, December is the month when we run our popular ‘Best Offer Of The Year’ on Italian courses over the coming twelve-month period.

And the waiting is over!

Starting today you can save a full 20% on group Italian courses of any length starting in 2025 at our school in Bologna, Italy.

This is what you need to know:

• Pay the ‘Winter Offer – 20%’ course deposit (just €120 instead of the usual €150)
• You’ll save 20%, not just on the deposit, but on the whole cost of your course
• The offer applies to group courses only, not to individual or online lessons
• Your course can be of any length: the longer you study, the more you learn

Read more in our online shop.

This promotion runs from today until Christmas Day (25th December 2024).

But why wait? Start making your plans today!

1. Choose your Italian course and check the price
2. Check out flights to Bologna and accommodation
3. Read about our simple booking process
4. Then over to our online shop to pay your course / accommodation deposit
5. That’s it – you’ve saved 20% on your 2025 Italian course!

Of course, you may not yet know when exactly in 2025 you’ll be able to devote some time to improving your Italian…

No problem!

There’s no need to decide the details of your course right now. Pay the deposit to lock in your discount (this offer won’t be repeated for another twelve months.)

Then just send us an email with the start and finish dates when you’ve finalized your plans.

So, you’ll have some questions, I expect.

Write to Stefania, who’ll be happy to help you! Her email is: info@madrelinguabologna.com (or reply to any email you receive from us.)

Here are some links to pages on our site where you can find out more.

Contact us | Prices | Italian Courses | How To Book | FAQ | Pay the 20% discount deposit now!

Just a quick announcement to all current, former and perhaps future Madrelingua students – our annual 20% discount promotion is coming soon!

The 2025 Italian Course Offer will begin on Wednesday 18th of December 2024 and end at midnight on Christmas Day, which is the Wednesday of the week after.

During that period you’ll be able to save a full 20% on group Italian courses OF ANY LENGTH at our school in Bologna in 2025.

A lot of our regular students pay a small deposit during the annual December offer, then decide later, depending on their circumstances, when to do their course and for how long.

That’s just fine!

That way, there’s no need for you to spend time making definite plans during this busy period before Christmas. While we get an idea of how many people are interested in courses for the coming year, and can therefore more confidently plan staffing and so on

Anyway, there’ll be full details of the 2025 Italian course promotion on Wednesday 18th.

In the meantime, I want to alert anyone who is NO LONGER INTERESTED IN LEARNING ITALIAN that now would be the ideal time to unsubscribe from our email list, so ensuring that you won’t be bothered in future.

Articles that we publish on the school website (like this one) are emailed out automatically. But there will always be an ‘unsubscribe’ link, either at the top or the bottom, or both.

To remove your email from the list, just click that link and follow the simple instructions. It should take just seconds.

But if you are, definitely, still interested?

Remember, the offer doesn’t begin until Dec. 18th, so don’t go booking your course immediately (someone always does…), unless you don’t care about the discount, of course.

Instead, you could check out the Italian courses page on the website, look at course prices (remember to mentally deduct 20%), read the FAQ and, if you questions are not answered there, contact us.

My wife, Stefi, will be happy to respond to your email, talk to you on the phone, or welcome you if you decide to come by the school to take a look around.

Two final comments – firstly, anyone who has previously paid a course deposit but has not actually come to do a course (perhaps because of the pandemic), absolutely need not pay again. Your deposit will remain valid. All you need to do is email the dates you intend to study. You could even do that now…

And secondly, what if you KNOW YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO DO A COURSE IN 2025 but still want to learn or improve your Italian?

Some of the school staff and teachers also work on other projects that might interest you.

For example, EasyItalianNews.com, which offers FREE audio + transcript ‘easy’ news broadcasts three times a week.

And of course there’s OnlineItalianClub.com, which features thousands of pages of FREE exercises and practice material, plus articles about learning Italian.

You could even take some Italian lessons online, without ever leaving the comfort of your home or office!

That’s everything, I think.

Buona giornata, allora.

P.S.

Don’t forget, if you’d rather not hear about the 2025 Italian course promotion, look for the ‘Unsubscribe’ link, at the bottom of any bulk email you receive from us.

The Christmas/New Year festivities are less than three weeks away!

But that can seem like a long time if you’re waiting for Santa to come down the chimney with a jute sack over his shoulder…

To keep you busy, we’ve scheduled our ‘2025 Italian Course Offer’ for the week before holidays!

You’ll be able to save 20% on 2025 group Italian courses at our school in Bologna.

Study for as little as a week, or as long as a year, at a fantastic discount!

You don’t even have to decide WHEN in 2025.

This is a busy period, after all.

Watch out on Wednesday 18th December 2024 for more details about the offer…

In the meantime, take a look at these articles about learning Italian.

For instance:

‘Why can’t I understand spoken Italian?’

and if you have time…

‘Ever wished for the super power of learning languages?’

There’s even…

Will an Italian course make me richer and more attractive?’

You’ll find more like this on our ‘best articles’ page.

Plus, Madrelingua also has a FAQ.

Suppose reading’s not your thing?

No worries!

Whatever you want to know about Italian courses in Bologna in 2025, just ask Stefi!

Ready to answer your questions!!

The final autumn/fall-term modules of Italian evening classes at our language school in Bologna begin next week, December 2nd 2024.

If you’re living or staying in the Bologna area at the moment and need to improve your Italian, why not join us?

We currently have classes at three levels:

A2/B1 (pre-intermediate/intermediate) on Monday/Wednesday evenings, 18.00-21.00
B2/C1 (upper-intermediate/advanced) on Monday/Wednesday evenings, 18.00-21.00

The A2/B1 group is full, so we have a waiting list in case anyone would like to take the place of student(s) who drop out. With Christmas coming, so people heading home for the festivities, that’s quite likely.

The B2/C1 group has six students. The maximum in a class is ten.

We also have an A1/A2 (elementary/pre-intermediate) group. The new module doesn’t begin until the week after (Tuesday December 10th), but as there are spaces in the group, and given the level is low – so missing lessons isn’t advisable – new students are welcome to begin immediately, even this week!

Contact us to find out more, and to arrange a level test if you don’t already know yours.

Read more about Italian evening courses in Bologna (including the scheduled dates for all four autumn/fall term modules) on the Italian evening courses page of the school website.

Details of course fees are on the Prices page – scroll down to the second section, ‘Italian Language Evening Classes’. You might also want to look at the Discounts page.

What about those of you who are not free in the evenings, or who aren’t in Bologna?

Explore our other Italian course options by following these links:

Italian Courses | Prices | FAQ | How To Book | Contact Us

P.S.

EasyItalianNews.com publishes simplified news bulletins in Italian three times each week (text plus audio). They’re FREE, so why not take advantage?

As a supplement to your evening Italian course, or if you aren’t able to travel to Italy right now, there’s no better value way to maintain or improve your Italian.

Visit EasyItalianNews.com to browse this great, free material for learners!

And/or subscribe (for FREE): just enter your email address on this page, then look out for the ‘please confirm’ email, which contains a link to click to verify that you wish to receive the simplfied news bulletins (text + audio) each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. If you don’t see that message, check your spam/junk folder!

The new module of the A1/A2 (elementary/pre-intermediate) Italian evening class at our language school in Bologna begins tonight (29/10/23). There are several spaces still available for anyone who’s free on Tuesday/Thursday evenings and needs to turbocharge their Italian!

A1/A2 (elementary/pre-intermediate) on Tuesday/Thursday evenings, 18.00-21.00

We also have spaces in the other (higher) levels, which run on Monday/Wednesday evenings:

A2/B1 (pre-intermediate/intermediate) on Monday/Wednesday evenings, 18.00-21.00
B2/C1 (upper-intermediate/advanced) on Monday/Wednesday evenings, 18.00-21.00

If there’s a group here that could work for you, why not ask to do a trial lesson?

Maximum class size is ten students. If the group you’re interested in fills up before you get around to enrolling, there’ll be a waiting list for the next module (three weeks later, or earlier if someone else drops out).

Details of course fees are on the Prices page – scroll down to the second section, ‘Italian Language Evening Classes’. You might also want to look at the Discounts page.

Read more about Italian evening courses in Bologna (including the scheduled dates for all four autumn/fall term modules) on the Italian evening courses page of the school website.

Contact us to find out more, and to arrange a level test if you don’t already know yours.

And for those of you who are not free in the evenings, or who aren’t in Bologna? Below you’ll find links to explore our other Italian course options:

Italian Courses | Prices | FAQ | How To Book | Contact Us

P.S.

Don’t forget to sign up (for FREE) to EasyItalianNews.com, which offers simplified news bulletins in Italian, three times a week (text plus audio).

As a supplement to your evening Italian course, or if you aren’t able to travel to Italy right now, there’s no better way to maintain or improve your Italian!

All you have to do to get started is to enter your email address on this page, then look out for the ‘please confirm’ email, which contains a link to click to verify that you wish to receive the simplfied news bulletins (text + audio) each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. If you don’t see that, check your spam/junk folder!

Visit EasyItalianNews.com to browse this great free material for learners!

The first module of the 2024 Autumn/Fall session of Italian evening classes at our school in Bologna ends this week (next week for the A1/A2 level group).

So the second module begins next Monday, October 21st, or the Tuesday after (October 29th) for the lowest level class.

There are four modules this term (each three weeks long, eighteen hours of lessons in total), so three more opportunities in which to improve your Italian.

Confirmed classes for next week (and the week after) in level order, from easiest to hardest are:

A1/A2 (elementary/pre-intermediate) on Tuesday/Thursday evenings, 29/10/23
A2/B1 (pre-intermediate/intermediate) on Monday/Wednesday evenings, 21/10/23
B2/C1 (upper-intermediate/advanced) on Monday/Wednesday evenings, 21/10/23

Maximum class size is ten students. Currently we have a few places left in each group. If the group you’re interested in fills up before you get around to enrolling, there’ll be a waiting list for the next module (three weeks later, or earlier if someone else drops out).

Details of course fees are on the Prices page – scroll down to the second section, ‘Italian Language Evening Classes’. You might also want to look at the Discounts page.

Read more about Italian evening courses in Bologna (including the scheduled dates for all four autumn/fall term modules) on the Italian evening courses page of the school website.

Contact us to find out more, and to arrange a level test if you don’t already know yours.

And for those of you who are not free in the evenings, or who aren’t in Bologna? Below you’ll find links to explore our other Italian course options:

Italian Courses | Prices | FAQ | How To Book | Contact Us

P.S.

Don’t forget to sign up (for FREE) to EasyItalianNews.com, which offers simplified news bulletins in Italian, three times a week (text plus audio).

As a supplement to your evening Italian course, or if you aren’t able to travel to Italy right now, there’s no better way to maintain or improve your Italian!

All you have to do to get started is to enter your email address on this page, then look out for the ‘please confirm’ email, which contains a link to click to verify that you wish to receive the simplfied news bulletins (text + audio) each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. If you don’t see that, check your spam/junk folder!

Visit EasyItalianNews.com to browse this great free material for learners!

Just a quick update on the situation with Italian evening classes in Bologna.

Anyone who’s living or studying in our city could take advantage of the autumn/fall months from October to December to improve their Italian an entire level!

And you’re still in time to sign up, as the beginning of the autumn/fall session at our Italian school in Bologna has been put back until next week.

The three-week (18 hour) ‘modules’ are now due to begin on 30th September 2024 (a week later for the lowest level group), after which there will be three further modules, each also lasting three weeks, so 72 hours in total.

We have three classes programmed:

A1/A2 (elementary/pre-intermediate) on Tuesday/Thursday evenings evenings, provisional start date 08/10/24

A2/B1 (pre-intermediate/intermediate) on Monday/Wednesday evenings from 30/09/24 – CONFIRMED

B2/C1 (upper-intermediate/advanced) on Monday/Wednesday evenings from 30/09/24 – CONFIRMED

Read more about Italian evening courses in Bologna (including the scheduled dates for all four autumn/fall term modules) on the Italian evening courses page of the school website.

Details of course costs are on the Prices page – scroll down to the second section, ‘Italian Language Evening Classes’. You might also want to look at the Discounts page.

And/or contact us to find out more, and to arrange a level test if you don’t already know yours.

So what about those of you who are not free in the evenings, or who aren’t in Bologna? Here are links to explore our other Italian course options:

Italian Courses | Prices | FAQ | How To Book | Contact Us

P.S.

If you’re learning Italian, don’t forget to subscribe (for FREE) to EasyItalianNews.com, which offers simplified news bulletins in Italian, three times a week (text plus audio).

There’s no better way to improve or maintain your Italian, as a supplement to your local Italian course, or if you aren’t able to travel to Italy right now.

Enter your email address on this page, then look out for the ‘please confirm’ email, which contains a link to click to verify that you wish to receive the simplfied news bulletins (text + audio) each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. If you don’t see that, check your spam/junk folder!

Browse EasyItalianNews.com to check out this great free material for learners!

The autumn/fall session of Italian evening classes will soon be starting at our Italian school in Bologna.

Anyone who’s living or studying here could take advantage of the months from September to December to improve their Italian an entire level!

The three-week (18 hour) ‘modules’ are programmed to begin on 23rd/24th September 2024 (depending on the preferences of the students), after which there will be three further modules, each also lasting three weeks, so 72 hours in total.

We have three classes programmed:

A1/A2 (elementary/pre-intermediate) on either Tuesday/Thursday evenings or Monday/Wednesday evenings from 23-24/09/24, depending on the preferences of enrolled students

A2/B1 (pre-intermediate/intermediate) on either Tuesday/Thursday evenings or Monday/Wednesday evenings from 23-24/09/24, depending on the preferences of enrolled students

B2/C1 (upper-intermediate/advanced) on either Tuesday/Thursday evenings or Monday/Wednesday evenings from 23-24/09/24, depending on the preferences of enrolled students

Read more about Italian evening courses in Bologna (including the scheduled dates for all four autumn/fall term modules) on the Italian evening courses page of the school website.

Details of course costs are on the Prices page – scroll down to the second section, ‘Italian Language Evening Classes’. You might also want to look at the Discounts page.

And/or contact us to find out more, and to arrange a level test if you don’t already know yours.

So what about those of you who are not free in the evenings, or who aren’t in Bologna? Here are links to explore our other Italian course options:

Italian Courses | Prices | FAQ | How To Book | Contact Us

P.S.

If you’re learning Italian, don’t forget to subscribe (for FREE) to EasyItalianNews.com, which offers simplified news bulletins in Italian, three times a week (text plus audio).

There’s no better way to improve or maintain your Italian, as a supplement to your local Italian course, or if you aren’t able to travel to Italy right now.

Enter your email address on this page, then look out for the ‘please confirm’ email, which contains a link to click to verify that you wish to receive the simplfied news bulletins (text + audio) each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. If you don’t see that, check your spam/junk folder!

Browse EasyItalianNews.com to check out this great free material for learners!