Bologna is a city full of surprises. A majestic square framed by historical buildings, some dating back to the 1400s; a monumental statue of Neptune, set in a fountain surrounded by four voluptuous sea nymphs; two stately towers, one of which you can climb for a breath-taking view of the city’s russet-coloured rooftops; almost 40 kilometres of porticos, offering shade from the summer heat and shelter from the winter rain; a window where you can look onto a magical, hidden canal; and a vast array of restaurants, bars and cafés where you can enjoy a meal, a snack or just a glass of wine ‘al fresco’ at any time of day. A city you won’t easily forget and the perfect place to study Italian! 

Methodology

Our method , which is regularly updated, is based on “doing” and “saying”, or “communicative acts”. Important international research has in fact shown that much more is learnt by doing than by simply studying…

History

Arca was one of the first schools of Italian as a foreign language in Bologna. Set up in 1998 with the aim of encouraging the meeting of different cultures and to spread the knowledge of Italian language and culture…

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Hans Harbers
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Goed georganiseerde school met lessen in kleine groepen. De kwaliteit en inzet van de docenten is buitengewoon. Naast de lessen worden er ook activiteiten georganiseerd om de stad Bologna beter te leren kennen en tevens het contact tussen de cursisten onderling te bevorderen.
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K. U.
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I have been here for one week as an absolute beginner (A0) and after one week I'm already able to have easy conversations, small talk ordering, introducing myself. It's a great base to continue from here. Already thinking about coming back next year 🧡 It was a great time and I would always recommend it :)
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Elaine White
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Lovely school! Very friendly and helpful. As well as lessons they organised some extra curricula activities e.g. city tour and wine tasting. I had 1:1 lessons with Ludovico which were excellent. I highly recommend this school and am lucky to have found it via Google search
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Anna
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Je recommande vivement cette école : accueil chaleureux et professionnalisme tant au niveau des enseignements que du personnel administratif ! une expérience très profitable. Je remercie sincèrement toute l'équipe.
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Rachel
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I have just completed an intensive, private two-week course at Arca Language School in Bologna, totaling 60 hours of lessons — and I couldn’t be happier with the experience. I have never met such gifted teachers! Ludovico taught me comprehensible grammar for the first time in my life, Sara shared insider tips you won’t find in any textbook, and Corinna trained me in elegant, natural conversation. Together, they made learning Italian feel effortless and genuinely enjoyable. Serena, the owner, interrupted her summer holidays — charmingly and without a hint of reproach — to organise the course for me at the last minute, arranging accommodation just seven minutes’ walk from the school. Serafina tested my Italian skills to ensure I was placed at exactly the right level. The other students were wonderful too! I worried I might feel lonely, but every morning from 11:00 to 11:30, all the students and teachers gather for coffee at a local bar, so I made friends on my very first day. This wonderful social atmosphere was reinforced by group activities the school organised on Monday and Thursday evenings. I’ve made huge progress and will absolutely be back every year! Thank you, Arca, and to all the friendly locals who shared the beauty of Bologna with me.
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Isabella Senise
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La mia esperienza presso la scuola Arca è stata davvero speciale. Mi sono sentita subito molto ben accolta, fin dal colloquio iniziale di valutazione delle competenze con Serafina. Dal primo giorno di scuola sono stata accolta in modo caloroso e personale e ho ricevuto un grande supporto anche nella ricerca di un alloggio. Un ringraziamento speciale va a Serena, che si è dimostrata incredibilmente disponibile e accogliente fin dal primo momento. Il corpo docente è eccezionale e lavora con contenuti creativi e standard pedagogici elevati. È stata molto più di una semplice scuola: ho vissuto giornate davvero speciali, tra attività uniche, consigli preziosi e momenti indimenticabili a Bologna. La consiglio vivamente!
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MC Chapelain
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Accueil très sympathique, les cours étaient intéressants et adaptés à notre niveau L'école est située dans le centre de Bologne,ce qui est très agréable Une belle expérience, à recommander
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Travis Rigby
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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I can’t say enough wonderful things about ARCA Italian Language School in Bologna. I came to Bologna from the United States and spent months studying at ARCA, and it became one of the most memorable parts of my entire experience living in Italy. Learning a new language as an adult is not easy—especially when you arrive with very little Italian! But the teachers at ARCA have an extraordinary ability to make you feel comfortable, encouraged and excited to keep trying. There was never any embarrassment about making mistakes. We laughed a lot, learned a lot, and somehow, little by little, Italian began to feel like a language I could actually use rather than simply something I was studying in a book. What I especially loved was that ARCA taught me Italian that I could immediately take outside the classroom and use in Bologna. I would learn something in class in the morning and then find myself using it later that same day in a café, a restaurant, a shop, or while traveling around Italy. That is an incredibly rewarding feeling. The atmosphere at the school is warm, personal and welcoming. The teachers genuinely care about their students and their progress, and they made going to school every morning something I looked forward to. ARCA became part of my life in Bologna, not simply a school I attended. After months of classes, countless mistakes, lots of laughter, and more verb conjugations than I ever imagined possible, I left Bologna with something I had wanted for years: the ability and confidence to actually speak Italian. I still have a long way to go, but ARCA gave me the foundation—and, more importantly, the desire—to keep learning. If you are considering coming to Bologna to study Italian, I would recommend ARCA without hesitation. Bologna is an extraordinary city in which to learn the language, and I honestly cannot imagine having had a better school experience. Grazie di cuore to everyone at ARCA. You gave me much more than Italian lessons—you gave me a wonderful part of my life in Italy that I will always remember. 🇮🇹❤️
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Lily Goff
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When I first arrived in Italy, I was slightly unsure about the experience. My homestay wasn’t quite what I had expected, and I was feeling very anxious. I had actually been struggling quite a lot before I arrived and had been unsure whether I should come at all. However, as soon as I came to the school, I felt so comfortable and welcomed. My time at Arca taught me so much, not only about Italian and the language-learning experience, but also on a personal level. I absolutely loved Bologna and found the whole experience incredibly valuable. Corinna and Analisa were incredible teachers, they made learning fun and engaging whilst appropriately challenging us at the same time. I’m very grateful that I decided to come, and I honestly feel that the experience came at a really important time for me. I only studied at the school for 2 weeks as I had to return to work. At first I was worried that this would not have been enough time and although I would have loved to stay longer, I truly feel I learnt so much in this time. As it was a fully immersive experience, lots of natural speaking with the teacher, and extra curlicular acitivities as a change to practise, my skills and confidence grew so much in such a short time. Since being back, I have decided to continue with my Italian learning and am now studying with a 1 to 1 tutor and looking to do my undergraduate degree with Italian. Thank you ARCA for bringing some excitement and passion back into my life! I would highly recommend the school to anyone thinking about learning Italian and would encourage anyone to go for it!
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Elisabeth Lavail
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Sono contenta del mio soggiorno alla scuola . Corsi interessanti adatti al livello del gruppo. Abbiamo studiato in piccoli gruppi per questo ho potuto fare progressi . Voglio aggiungere che gli inseganti ci ascoltano e ce la mettano tutta per rispondere alle nostre domande .
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