Last year I spent a week in Rome visiting Italian Language Schools to find one that best met my needs. My time was well spent. I found Torre di Babele to be an outstanding school that surpassed my expectatons.

The morning of my first visit, I found the school in a quiet, tree-lined neighborhood of stately homes just off a major thoroughfare. Viola, a friendly secretary fluent in multiple languages including English, met me at the front desk. Monika, the director, gave me a tour and invited me to visit a classroom. Pasquale immediately made me feel a welcomed part of the class. An hour later, I was certain I’d found my place.

A year later, I returned for a two-month program and found a true “Torre di Babele” of international students of varying ages and backgrounds. Class-size is small. Teachers encourage student interaction. Every instructor understands the continuum of language development from beginner to advanced and adapts lessons appropriately. In addition, the school prepares Italian teachers. Assistants are available. The instructional materials, developed and refined in-house, are the best I’ve seen.

The excellent after-school and weekend programs and tours amazed me. The relationship the school has with the local community facilitates finding student housing, a wonderful advantage in a busy urban center. I can honestly say the school strives to make every aspect of Italian learning meaningful, fun, and well, really outstanding.

If you are serious about learning Italian and want to do it in an engaging, challenging environment, you won’t find a better place than Torre di Babele!

The pulse of the city changed quite drastically yesterday as Man U and Barca fans crowded the streets, waving around their banners and chanting songs in restaurants, near monuments, and on the streets.

As the time of the game approached, a group of 15 of us from the school attempted to find a place to sit and watch the game. After a couple minutes of wandering, we found prime seats in a restaurant that served dirt cheap dinners and had a big screen TV right in front of our tables. The group ordered pizzas and drinks, getting ready for the game.

The atmosphere from the kick off onwards was incredible. I have never seen a group of more passionate Barcelona fans in my life. And as the game progressed, two men from BBC started interviewing the group in front of us on their opinions of the game. The chaos was hysterical and unique.

At the end of the game, due to true exhaustion, I headed back to the apartment and slept. However, tales were retold the next day at school of loony fans that escaped past the Rome caribinieri and scrambled up the Trevi Fountain. Apparently quite a sight to see hundreds of fans lining the Piazza and trying to avoid the human barricade created by the police in order to revel in the moment while splashing around in one of Rome’s most famous fountains.

The night was great – getting to experience the atmosphere that is attached with hosting the Champions League final was thrilling and exciting. While completely unattached to the result of the game, it was still a blast to see all the fans cheering (or crying!) throughout the city.

Rome is a great city for Football fans, whether you want to watch AS Roma or S.S. Lazio at home in Stadio Olympico, or Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich on TV. It’s all possible, you just have to know how.

To make your stadium visit or the search for a place to watch your favorite club live, here is a little tour of the city’s Football spots.

Live Games at the Stadium

First: Where can I buy my ticket?

Keep in mind: To buy a ticket, you must present a government issued form of identification. After purchase, the ticket will have your name printed on it, which means that only you can enter the Stadium with that ticket. It’s best to buy your ticket at the official stores of each club. There are several locations of each, but the most central are the AS Roma store in Piazza Colonna and the S.S. Lazio store on Via G. Amendola.

In which section should I get my ticket?

AS Roma

When Roma is playing, everything revolves around the Curva Sud. This is the only section where it is practically impossible to get a ticket , as most of the seats are taken by season ticket holders. I recommend that you ask for a seat in the Curva Nord. This is also an important fan section, but a bit quieter and more tourist friendly than the Curva Sud. The only thing you should be aware of in this area is that the visiting fans section is just to the right of the Curva Nord. If it comes to blows between the home and away supporters, you’re going to be right in the middle. For the most part this shouldn’t worry you though, and it gives you a unique view from a fan section with a lively atmosphere.

S.S. Lazio

When Lazio is playing at home, everything is exactly the opposite. The serious supporters sit in the Curva Nord, where it is almost impossible to get a ticket, and the Curva Sud, which you’ll probably find a bit more pleasant, is right next to the visitor’s section.

Step Two: How do I get to the Stadium?

From Termini:

Take Metro A toward Battistini and get off at Ottaviano. From here, take Bus 32 (direction: Tor di Quinto) or Bus 271 (direction: A. Dis. Giuliano) until the stop Bosello. Hint: if you can’t figure out when to get off the bus, just do what the other fans on the bus do. They will definitely know where to go.

From Piazza Venezia:

Take bus 271 (direction: A. Dis. Giuliano) and get of at the stop Boselli. As before, if you are unsure of when to get off, there will definitely be other fans on the bus who’s example you can follow.

Third Step: How do I behave?

Supporting the Team

Most importantly, it is a good idea to know how strong a rivalry exists between the two teams. Italy still has incidents of hooliganism and occasional fan violence, so use caution if you choose to wear team memorabilia, regardless if it’s of the home or away side.

Photos

It’s always alright to take photos. When you do, try to only take pictures of the supporters from behind them. It’s rare, but some hapless tourists have had their cameras broken by other supporters just for taking a photo at an inopportune (aka potentially incriminating) moment, like when torches are lit. To avoid trouble, just focus on the match and take pictures of Totti and co.

Be a Fan, not a Tourist

Whether a supporter of AS Roma or S.S. Lazio, everyone at the games is passionate and emotional. For the fans, their teams game is the highlight of the week, and the anticipation has been building in advance. So it’s important that you as a “Football-Tourists” don’t act too much like tourists, and try to blend in with the crowd. Maybe learn the fan song that is always played right before the match starts (for Roma, Roma Roma Roma, for Lazio, Vola Lazio Vola) so you can sign along. It makes a good impression, and you’ll have more fun, too!

Live Matches at a Pub

Where can I watch the important matches of my club?

You can find the most important games of the 4 biggest European leagues (England, Italy, Spain, Germany) as well as Champions League and Europa Cup matches is a number of pubs around the city. Especially if you are a fan of England’s Big Four, you have nothing to worry about. Sometimes I’ve felt like I’m in England when I sit in these pubs- the bar staff usually speak fluent English, which I wasn’t expecting in Rome. For me, it’s always a bit like being in another world, which also has its moments.

Pubs

I’ve been to a few pubs around the city to watch games, but only two really stand out. One is the Abbey Theatre and the other the Scholar’s Lounge. Both are Irish pubs with a great atmosphere.

Abbey Theatre
www.abbey-rome.com

The Abbey Theatre is centrally located, only about three minutes walk from Piazza Navona on Via Governo Vecchio. It’s divided into five rooms, with three or four TV screens in each. When you get there you just need to figure out what game is being show where and find yourself a spot in that room. It’s a bit more difficult if you go with a big group and everyone wants to watch a different game, you’ll often have to split up for 90 minutes.

Scholar’s Lounge
www.scholarsloungerome.com

Like the Abbey, the Scholar’s Lounge is also very well located. You can find it at Via del Plebiscito 101, about five minutes from Piazza Venezia. It seems perfect at first glance, since it is just one big room with three huge screens and about five or six normal sized tvs, and you can almost always find a table where everyone can sit together and still see the game they want. But it can get a bit chaotic. I was there for the second Champions League match day, and with everyone paying attention and cheering for different games, it can be a bit hard to concentrate on one.

There are pros and cons to both pubs, and personally the Abbey is my favorite.

Have fun with football in Rome, and I hope I made your experience a little bit easier!

A little bit of an inside scoop is always beneficial when trying to save your money, so here is a list of some of the free things you can enjoy while strolling through the eternal city:

Roma' n' Bike

• Roma’n Bike: a bike sharing service that has stations scattered throughout the city. With spots in multiple places including Via Nazionale, Piazza di Spagna, and Termini station, it is quite easy to find a place to grab a bike. The first 30 minutes are free and any additional time comes with a small charge.

• Tours: while you could take those overly expensive tours with non-native English speakers, it makes a lot more sense to do a free tour. Rome Free Tours offers at guide of the famous spots in the city starting at 5pm in Piazza di Spagna by the fountain every day – rain or shine. The guides are professional and very informative. Angels Tours also offers a free tour that focuses on the Pantheon. The guides show the group around the inside of the Pantheon (with the exception of Sundays) and give lots of tidbits of information that really brings this building to life. However, for these guides, a small tip is generally appreciated.
• Sites: sure, some of the sight entrance fees come with a hefty price tag, but there are also lots of free things to do. Dedicate one morning to a walk through Rome and you can see a myriad of important spots:

Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona, Campo di Fiori, the Spanish Steps, Piazza di Popolo, Bocca della Verita, St. Peter’s Basilica, San Clemente, Villa Borghese, Gianicolo, the list goes on. Always keep your eyes open as you walk because the streets are filled with unique statues and hidden artistic beauties. Street artists are also incredibly talented whether they are creating spray paint art or replicating a famous painting using chalk on the sidewalk.
• Famous keyhole view of the Vatican: St. Peter’s can be seen across the city. However, if you are looking for a unique way to see the basilica, head up to Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta in the Aventino height and peek through the keyhole to get a great view. A little difficult to get to but worth the trek.

Fontanella Romana "IL NASONE"

• Water: while I would usually drop dead from thirst before sipping out of a city tap, the Rome fountains are famous for their cleanliness and great water. Just carry around an empty bottle (not recommended to use the wine bottle from last night though!) and you will be able to quench your thirst without opening your wallet all day long.
• If you are feeling super fit, you can walk everywhere, but everyone has their lazy days, so the public transport is always a good option if you want to see everything without dropping dead from exhaustion. The metro, buses, and trams, while not free, are dirt cheap (1 euro=1trip, 4 euros=1 day, 16 euros=1 week, 30 euros=1 month) and a great way to get around.

And while you are walking the city, be sure to take advantage of the free Italian practice. While you can learn a lot of grammar in class, the best way to build fluency is by talking to real Italians, developing an accent, observing how they form sentences, and understanding the general gist of their conversations. Don’t be worried about making a fool of yourself – you probably won’t see them again!

So good luck all you penny pinchers, and may all your free pursuits be successful ones!

Rebbecca at work

This year I went to Rome for one month and had one of the best experiences of my life without spending a fortune.
I really wanted to come to Rome again (I had already been to the school the year before) but I couldn’t afford to come to Rome and pay for the course, so when I found out I could work as a gardener for a couple of hours a day in exchange for free lessons it sounded like the perfect opportunity.
I talked to Monika about it (the director of the school) and she agreed to let me do it the month of September. I was really excited about going to Rome a second time; it was nice knowing that I already knew my way round Rome fairly well and I knew the school and some of the teachers.
When I arrived I was a little bit nervous about doing my job well, but after the first day or two, I settled right in. I enjoyed doing the gardening; the garden is really pretty so it was a pleasure to take care of, it didn’t take up too much time which meant I could still go out and enjoy Rome with my friends after, and also it meant I had a little bit more pocket money to spend on going out.
My experience in Rome has been fantastic, the school is very friendly, if I ever had a problem doing the gardening the school was very easy to talk to and very helpful. The course was also very good, I learnt a lot of Italian while I was there, and I made some really good friends. The hardest part about going to Rome was leaving.

1. hang out with thousands of other Romans at the same time: CHECK
2. get lots of free stuff: CHECK
3. trot past the Coliseum with a bunch of other people: CHECK

Let's go!

This past Sunday, my roommate, her friend, and I took part in the 10th annual Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. Listening to thousands of people belting out “We are the champions, and we’ll keep on fighting ‘til the end” while waiting for the starting gun to go off was heart wrenching and incredibly inspirational. While my girly emotions were chucked out the window when I was gasping for air and all gross and sweaty twenty minutes later, it was still a great experience.

The registration process in itself was quite exciting as it felt surprisingly like Christmas. I handed over 10 euros and they just kept handing back random stuff in return. Apart from my race number, they gave me a free shirt, bag, and lots of samples of who-knows-what that I don’t really need but are always super fantastic when I get given them for free.

Race day was equally as exciting – double the amount of free things! While it was slightly amusing watching everyone elbowing their way through the throng in order to get something else that was free that they so desperately wanted and needed, I soon discovered that I actually also needed that free stuff. In the end, my pursuit was quite successful as I finished with another free shirt, couple of drinks, and a photo courtesy of Samsung.

Through Piazza Venezia next to Circo Massimo

The actual race was amazing. Running through Piazza Venezia and next to Circo Massimo with thousands of other people was awesome, to say the least. Everyone was there to have fun and the atmosphere was truly unique. While my time will not be revealed in this blog post (somewhat disgraceful, to be honest!), it was still great to cross that finish line. And obviously my hard work warranted a well earned trip to G. Fassi to eat one of those delicious mouth watering gelatos afterwards.

Let’s hope there are many more races – and gelatos – to come!

To be honest, though, while I knew the classes were important if I wanted to learn anything, I was slightly terrified of going to level 1 classes.  What if everyone else was way better at the language than me?  What if I just couldn’t understand the teacher?  What if I physically couldn’t say certain words?  Millions of questions circled through my mind.

My greatest concern though was that I would feel like a complete idiot while sitting in class.  I thought the tendency for teaching elementary level students would be to talk to you like you are a baby in that annoying high pitched voice and kind of wiggle fingers in your face.  Fortunately, my teacher Laura was much more sensitive than that.  The teacher understands that while you can’t speak Italian, you can speak other languages and are a generally competent person.  Therefore, each member in the class was given respect and treated like an adult.  Also, to make everyone forget how silly they sounded trying to say certain words, we played lots of games and when someone made a mistake, Laura would politely correct it but would never single out a certain student.

Class started with the basics: “Hello, my name is”, “Where are you from?”, “How old are you?” and how to respond to those questions.  By forming a circle and passing a bouncy ball between students, a simple Q&A game was facilitated.  The exercise allowed students to repeat the phrases and get used to hearing and speaking Italian in a dynamic way.

Each day, the teacher built on what we had previously learned and by the end of week one, I was able to communicate with my flat mates and landlady in Italian and with a significant amount of hand gesturing (getting pretty good at that, must admit!), I was able to get my general point across to people in stores.

The most important thing about the class for me was that the teacher spoke in Italian the entire time.  While it seemed kind of daunting at first – how could she teach us, with just the Italian language, how to conjugate a verb? – it worked quite well, and we managed to cover a wide variety of grammar topics.  Also, through this full immersion, we were all subconsciously absorbing how to create sentences and picking up the odd word here and there.  It has been a great experience so far and after two weeks, my entire class moved up to level two and are building on the foundation created in the initial level.

Hello! I’m Marta from Barcelona, Spain. I would like to do an italian course in the school for 8 or 12 weeks. But I’m afraid I will need to gain some money to pay the acomodation, food…
Do you think is difficult to find a job/ part-time job in Rome? (in a restaurant, disco, shop…)

Thank u!!

P.D. Sorry for my english!

—————————– —————————– —————————–

Dear Marta,
Thanks for taking the time to ask… unfortunately, not many students have asked this question before, and some are discourage of embarking in a study abroad experience. I personally considered important when I was about to enroll at Torre di Babele. I knew that the experience of coming to Italy and learning Italian had to be exciting but I had to consider my budget first. I did not have my parents’ support.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Anyhow, as Australian-Italian, it wasn’t difficult for me to find a part-time job in Rome. Why? Because Rome is truly a cosmopolitan city. There are particular neighborhoods such as Campo dei Fiori, where at nights the common language is English. You do not need to be a pro in English, just know enough to get you by, and ask for a job as a waitress. They are always looking for people. Particularly, during the summer which is Rome’s highest visiting season.

As a Spaniard you won’t have any troubles with paperwork since you belong to the EU. In fact, my advice is tailored to your particular situation as a member of the EU.

Even though I can’t promise you that you will actually find a job in Rome (because it doesn’t depend on me but on you), the possibilities are endless. You just have to start looking. So please, do not be discourage…

Option 1: You enrol and Torre di Babele will find housing for you and book your language course. Learn enough Italian and then go out there and get a job.

-if you aren’t sure?

Option 2: Come to Rome first see if you can find a job on your own without Italian and then come to the school.

It’s all up to your own considerations, whether the budget is enough to get you by for a month while you find a job.

I took option one cause I had some money aside but I do not regret it. Learning a lil’ Italian before was a plus when trying to find my part-time job.

I have to be honest, Rome is not and easy job market. But it has so many pros on my personal balance of pros vs cons that I just decided to go for it. It was always a dream of mine to this on my own.

Italian will always be an important, believe me… learning the language and getting my CILS accreditation made it easy for me to find a more stable job. But hey… difficulties are also part of the whole backpacking experience.

Please do not hesitate to ask more questions. I hope I’ve answered your question. I’m so excited that I can give you advice from my own experience as a study abroad.

If you want to enrol at TDB for and 8 weeks or 12 weeks course be sure to check out their new enrollment application. Jesus (the school’s e-Marketing Manager) does nothing else but talk to everyone about it. So i felt it was my duty to inform everyone through the blog.

Use the following link to enroll in Spanish:

Book your Italian course in Spanish

Regards,

Carlie

P.S. I apologize for my delay… I’m still getting a hold of wordpress…

P.S.2. @ Everyone! Hello out there… please contribute on the comments if you have more info on how to find a part-time job in Rome. Common knowledge is power!

It’s a question everybody seems to ask. I asked the same thing before and after I got here, it always went something like this:

“how long before I can have conversations?”,

“well…”,

“how long before I can understand the news?”,

“It-”,

“Oh just get to the point will you! How long before I can chat up an olive skinned Italian girl?”

I remember my first day in class, it was the beginning of October, the sun was shining (as it always does in Rome), it was 27C, I was wearing shorts and a Hawaiian style T-shirt, with my pale English skin from another wet and heat-less summer. Apart from the large number of girls in the room, something else peaked my interest: Across from me sat a tall, curly haired, dark skinned guy, reading a newspaper………… in ITALIAN!

What? How could this be?

This is the first day of class of level one, don’t forget.

I later learned that this guy was Mexican, and therefore speaks Spanish, a mongrel version of the other Latino language, Italian. Italian and Spanish speakers understand each other, they just can’t speak each other’s language.

Having been at the school for a while now (JH: that’s coming up to three months now Duncs, eh?) I was surprised by the difference in how quickly people are able to speak Italian. Spanish speakers learn the quickest because the words are very similar, or the same. Then comes Portuguese and French speakers, because they are Latin languages and also share much of the same vocabulary and grammar.

Then, unfortunately, comes the pain.

It generally goes like this: English speakers have the least difficult time, then comes German speakers who find it slightly more difficult. Any languages similar or descendant from these are similar.

Lastly, infamously, comes Japanese and other Asian languages. English speakers who want to learn Japanese have been called masochists; and based on this I can only guess how it must be for the Japanese. The cultures of Italy and Japan couldn’t be more diverse. A friend at school told me a story of when he was was a tourist in Japan and asked for directions. In their respectful and polite custom the Japanese gave the directions, and my friend went off only to be followed quickly and secretly by a small Japanese man. Upon turning a corner and being out of sight, the Japanese man jumped in front of my friend and bowed.

“Escusse me, Sir, but he have given you the wrong direction.”

It turns out that he did not want to offend the first one, as it would be a large blow to his honour, and a sign of disrespect. The man bowed again, and left.

Now contrast with the Italian culture, on a busy street, mopeds darting here and there, bad tempered exchanges between drivers. Or, consider how the Italians speak their mind. Italy is a culture where talking is central to life. As more than one teacher has told me, in Italy, “if you don’t speak, you don’t exist.” And, if you don’t say anything interesting, you don’t exist either. It’s not like other countries, such as England, where you can quite easily go through a whole day without speaking to anyone. Not in Italy – people are constantly talking to you, to ask for directions, for an ‘accendino’ (girls keep asking me for one), people you don’t know stopping to tell you everything about their day, and their life. In Japan they never say ‘no’, as it is too impolite, but find some other way, however in Italy they will tell you about every problem and perhaps they even enjoy a good argument. On the contrary, I once knew a Japanese who had perfected the art of never answering a question wrongly in Italian, by making answers inaudible or a mix of all possible alternatives, then happily nodding his head in agreement after the correct answer was given. You can see how a Japanese person would have trouble, or could even suffer from a nervous breakdown.

It’s the opposite in my native England, where famously, people are too embarrassed to ask each other to close the window, and will just sit and get cold. A view on your own culture and other cultures is something you gain from studying and socialising with people from different countries.

The point is, nobody will tell you the answer to ‘how long will it take me to learn Italian?’. As important as it is to know how long you need to stay for, especially if you are doing CILS or need to get to a certain level for University or something, you will never know how long it will take beforehand. There are too many variables involved, including, age, having learnt another language already, your own language, whether you have practised the sorts of things that help in learning languages, or not. In my case I studied engineering, and all the neurons in my brain are on the side that deals with understanding, rather than memory. Memory of course is important for learning languages.

With all things being equal, there are things which I’ve been told by teachers, and have actually seen, which separates students who come here and learn quickly, from those who don’t. Firstly: willingness to speak Italian outside of class at all times. Secondly: taking advantage of the Tandem service at the school, wherein you meet to speak with an Italian in Italian. Thirdly: speaking up in class and asking questions when you don’t understand. People who have done these things I have seen make surprisingly fast progress, to the point you could say “this person speaks Italian”.