Twenty regions, each boasting their own traditions, dialects, and food, provide a variety of options for those who want to study Italian in Italy. From the Italian Riviera to Southern Italy, you can’t go wrong when choosing a location for Italian language programs in Italy. But seriously, you really can’t go wrong in a country that has its own pizza making contest (Pizzafest in Naples, FYI) and lavish masquerade balls (Carnevale in Venice).
Rome. When in Rome, walk through history. Every. Single. Day. Gaze up at the Colosseum and Pantheon on the reg, people-watch on the Spanish Steps, get lost in Trastevere, eat gelato in Piazza Navona, and head to St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City (or any of the over 900+ churches). When you crave more, the Lazio region offers easy, yet exciting, day trips around the capital, such as the archeological site, Scavi Archeologici di Ostia Antica, and World Heritage Sites in nearby Tivoli. You’ll be eternally thankful studying Italian in Italy’s “Eternal City,” so start practicing your grazie mille.
Florence. A snappy two-hour train ride north of Rome lies the terracotta, rooftop Renaissance mecca, Firenze. Under the Tuscan sun, Florence breathes fine art; just pass by Piazza del Duomo, take a gander at Renaissance masterpieces at Galleria degli Uffizi, or gaze at Ghiberti’s bronze doors and Giotto’s bell tower and you’ll understand. Florence is set within a wine-rich countryside, hence endless enoteca (wine bar) opportunities, which can fabulously be paired with copious amounts of gelato and a sampling of spring veggies at Mercato Centrale.
Naples. Intense, dramatic, and overlooked by the looming Mt Vesuvius, Naples seems less touristy and more passionate than the rest of the classic Italian cities. It has Centro Storico (one of the largest historical centres in the whole world), Graeco-Roman artifacts in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, and Neapolitan Baroque in the Certosa e Museo di San Martino. With a culinary reputation to blow your tastebuds away, Naples will have you eating sfogliatella (ricotta-filled pastry), wood-fired oven pizza, and the oh-so-classic insalata caprese, and washing all this goodness down with some limoncello. Explore lots of markets and small shops before venturing to Pomp-ay ay oh ay oh (okay, Pompeii), the island of Capri, or the Amalfi Coast.
Venice. A city literally built on water is already mind-blowing and awesome, but add in its tapas-style cicheti (think polenta, pork meatballs, and seafood) and ombra (small glasses of wine) and you’ve reached a whole other level of Italian indulgence. The famed Piazza San Marco, bustling Rialto bridge, and Byzantine domes of the Basilica de San Marco are iconic images of Venezia. Learn Italian in Venice as you inevitably get lost within the Venetian labyrinth of footbridges, explore waterways on the vaporetto (water bus), and fall for its mysterious unconventionalism. You can’t even get mad about canal traffic because it’s romantic and you’re on a boat (or possibly being serenaded on a gondola).
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