Think how your resume would stand out from the crowd if you gained an internationally-recognised certificate showing the level you have reached in Italian.

Plus, signing up to take a CILS (Certificazione di Italiano come Lingua Straniera) exam at our Italian language school in Bologna this December will also give you an excellent reason to study.

Take a course at our school immediately before or after your exam and we’ll even discount your course by the cost of the level A1 or A2 exam. In effect, you’ll pay for the course but take your exam for free!

The deadline for CILS enrollments is just 10 days from now: 24th October.

Find out more about taking a CILS exam in Bologna this December.

Choose from our various Italian language courses.

Or contact us with your question!

Twice a year, in December and again in June, there’s the opportunity to measure your progress in Italian by taking one of the CILS suite of exams organized by the Università per Stranieri di Siena.

Preparing for an Italian language exam is an excellent way to motivate yourself to study.

Plus, you’ll be working towards a qualification in Italian which will look great on your resume!

For more information about CILS exams, click here.

Enrollments are already open.

Save time by enrolling online or come and see us at our Italian school in Bologna.

The deadline for enrolling for the December 2014 exam is October 24th…

Fantastic special offer!

Kill two birds with one stone.

Sign up for a CILS exam in December, and add an Italian course at our school for the same period.

That way you’ll know you’ll be as prepared as possible come exam day.

But better still, we’ll discount the cost of your course by the price of an A1 or A2 level exam (or equivalent value, if you’d like to take one of the more costly higher level exams.)

In effect, you’ll get your CILS exam free!

Find full details of this offer on our CILS page:

Get an A1 or A2 exam FREE with your Italian course!

Or contact us.

Congratulations to the Madrelingua students and external candidates who have just received the results of their CILS Italian language exams!

On the 5th June 2014 our school hosted candidates from Australia, Spain, UK, Japan, China, USA, Russia, Brazil, France, Ireland, Germany, Italy and Sweden.

Levels examined were from A2 (pre-intermediate) to C2 (proficiency).

‘Congratulazioni’ from all the teachers and staff at Madrelingua to:

A2
SHIMADA DEBRA

B1
BENEITO FRANCES ROSA
CROWDEN LUCIA
KAWATA NATSUKI
PENG PENG
RAFFKIND JULIE ANN
TRAVKINA INNA [Read more…]

The 2014 Summer Offer on Italian courses at our school in Bologna ends at midnight tonight – 31st May.

Don’t miss it!

• offer applies to any group Italian course beginning in June, July, August or September 2014
• course prices as listed on our website, less any discount you may be entitled to
• plus GET A BONUS INDIVIDUAL LESSON – normal price €37 – to use during or after your course

Booking your Italian course couldn’t be easier:

1. Choose your Italian course
2. Discover how we can arrange accommodation for you too
3. Take a look at Italian course prices
4. Complete the (very short, very simple) booking form
5. Confirm your course with a deposit 

Contact Stefi with your questions (she reads her e-mails even at weekends).

See you in Bologna this summer!

P.S.

To find out what people say about our school, click here.

Hint: it’s probably not the cost.

But we’ll get to that later.

What’s your dream?

We all have things that, ideally, in a perfect world, we’d like to achive.

I’d like to sail my (30-year old) yacht across the Adriatic Sea and cruise the islands of Croatia.

Alone.

But there are all sorts of reasons why I’ll probably never do it.

There’s Italian bureaucracy (don’t ask).

Then there’s the engine, which has seen better days.

And of course it would mean leaving Stefi to run the school AND look after the kids.

She hates cooking, so they’d probably starve…

Clearly, this is not the right moment.

Maybe when I’m retired…

See how easy it was for me to talk myself out of living my dream?

I’ve got pretty damn good at it over the years.

You have a try: [Read more…]

Sometimes things are not what they seem.

Choose a quality Italian school and you’ll know that you’ll get a reasonable quality of teaching in a professional environment.

Check you’re enrolling on the right course for you by comparing the other options the school offers.

Take a look at the websites of a few other decent Italian schools, just to make sure that the one you’ve been recommended is not unreasonably priced.

And obviously, look out for any seasonal offers or discounts.

Decision made, you go do the course.

You pay for a certain number of hours or weeks, your Italian improves a certain (predictable) amount. Right?

Well, no.

You see, people are different.

And some are just better prepared to learn than others… [Read more…]

We get a lot of visits to our site, and enquires, from people looking for ‘Intensive Italian courses’.

Well, if you insist….

Intensive Italian courses in Bologna

To quote from my own copy, it’s “the best choice for those who want to learn to speak and understand Italian as quickly as possible!”

But is it really?

In actual fact, we tend to advise people to avoid the more intensive option, and go for the ‘standard’ Italian course, despite it’s un-motivating name…

First, because this is probably what they were looking for anyway.

For most people, 4 hours of lessons each morning, for at least a week, is quite intensive enough, thank you very much.

Plus, if you’re really keen, there’s a tutor available each afternoon in the library (Monday to Thursday – on Fridays, people are packing, or resting…)

The tutor will help you with your homework, chat to you in Italian, or go through anything you feel you need extra help with.

And it’s included in the ‘standard’ course price, so there’s no reason at all that you HAVE to stop studying, just because your morning lesson is over for the day.

Plus, there are the social events – perhaps today you’ll be off for a drink with other students from the school (to practice your Italian, of course!)

Or maybe it’ll be a visit to a museum, or a cooking lesson, or a walk in the hills over-looking the city.

The point being that ‘intensive Italian courses’ don’t need to be more expensive and totally exhausting.

You can have a great time AND maximise your learning by making friends and taking advantage of every opportunity the school offers.

It’s your call: twenty hours of lessons (plus the tutor, social events and so on), or thirty hours, and collapse exhausted into bed afterwards.

Compare prices here: Italian course prices

P.S.

Don’t forget the 2014 Summer Offer, which ends at midnight this Saturday (31st May – just 6 days to go!)

Enrol for any group Italian course beginning in June, July, August or September 2014 and you’ll get a special bonus (as WELL as other discounts you may come across if you look carefully at our website…)

Oh, and if you haven’t been reading your e-mails lately, you may not have seen this:

Don’t miss Bologna’s ‘hot season of culture’ this summer!

Interested?

Contact Stefania for more information about Italian courses in Bologna.

(Don’t forget, the 2014 Summer Offer ends in just 6 days!)

 

Heard of ‘bè’?

Well, it’s the noise an Italian sheep makes (‘baa’ in English).

But also means ‘Bologna estate’ (Bologna Summer), a program of cultural events organised by the city municipality for Bologna’s ‘hot season’: June, July August and September!

As every year, Bologna in the summer is an unmissable cultural destination, with numerous live music events, a film festival (with open-air showings in the city’s famous Piazza Maggiore), dance, theater, exhibtions, meetings with writers and authors, and all in some of the city’s most attractive and interesting locations.

Plus, if you can’t make it to Brazil for soccer’s World Cup, not to worry! There’ll be mega screens, so you can follow Italy’s matches in the company of Italian soccer fans (that’s sure to be an unforgettable experience!)

Getting around Bologna is so easy, whether on foot or by bicycle, and many of the events in the program are offered free or at affordable prices.

Yes, Bologna in the ‘hot season of culture’ is just perfect for culture-hungry visitors, whether on a limited budget or otherwise!

And don’t forget, Madrelingua’s 2014 Summer Offer on Italian courses!

Sign up by the end of May for any group Italian course beginning in June, July, August, or September, and you’ll be entitled to the usual discounts available on our website…

PLUS a FREE individual lesson (normal price €37)! [Read more…]

Book any group Italian course at our school in Bologna this summer and you’ll get a ‘special extra benefit’!

• this offer is for group courses of any length starting in June, July, August or September
• it begins today and ends on 31st May 2014
• book now and get a bonus individual lesson worth €37
• 60 minutes one-to-one with a professional Italian teacher!
• your lesson will be completely personalised according to your needs and preferences
• take your free individual Italian lesson before, during or after your regular course
• or use it as an online lesson (normal price €32) once you’ve returned home
• you can even choose your favourite teacher!

What’s the catch?

[Read more…]

Unless you live a long way from anywhere, it’s not usually hard to find an Italian language course.

Maybe a nearby community college or adult education center offers them. Or you could probably find an Italian tutor on Craigslist, or look for a summer school at your local university.

Any or all of those options could work out just fine for you.

But why take a chance?

If you want to be sure to invest your time and money wisely…

12 reasons to choose a professional Italian language school

Any organisation can find a teacher and organise a course, but it takes a professional Italian language school to ensure that: [Read more…]