Learning Italian in Italy: A Day at Babilonia Language School.

by Stefy Marti, Swiss student at the Italian Language Center Babilonia – Taormina, Sicily

It’s not early in the morning, school starts at 9:30 a.m. for me. So I can comfortably get up and enjoy a coffee.

There is already a pleasant warmth outside. The sun is shining in all its glory. At 8.45 a.m. I make my way to the “Bam Bar”. Famous musicians or athletes can also be found here from time to time. There is a “granita with brioche”. The granita is nice and cool and the brioche is still warm. A typical Sicilian breakfast.

In just a 3-minute walk from there I can reach the Italian language center – BABILONIA. Some students are already there, enjoying a cappuccino after the previous private Italian lesson; others are just arriving. Everywhere you hear a “Ciao, Buon Giorno, Come stai?” The atmosphere is simply great and you feel right at home in the Babilonia. A quick chat and lessons start at 9.30 a.m.

Italian lessons in Babilonia

The teachers come up with something new for every day. Be it learning new words, a new tense, or deepening what you learned yesterday with a film or audio clip.

There is a break at 11 a.m. I either enjoy a cappuccino at school or stop by Cristina’s with some school friends to grab something to eat.

From 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. the second session of Italian lessons will take place at the school. Things are usually a little more lively here and what has been learned before is implemented – and even the last ones are still fully awake here 😊.

School ends for me at 1 p.m.

And then after the Italian course?

I often go to the beach with school friends or see what activities the school offers. Be it Scrabble in Italian, where we language students always find out new words that even the lecturers don’t know (because the words simply don’t exist, 😊) or a wine and cheese tasting later in the afternoon at school, which is always very entertaining , because here too everything takes place in Italian and of course there is always a lot to laugh about. But also a sailing trip in the bay of “Giardini Naxos”, a trip to Etna, or to one of the surrounding villages such as Savoca where the film “The Godfather” was filmed. A “must” for every stay is the Bar Turrisi in Castelmola, you can’t describe it, you have to experience it! 😊

Would you like to find out more about our Italian courses?

And in the evening? A fun evening for sure!

Either I get something to eat at school or I go to the small supermarket “New Mama Mia” where the staff usually knows us and there is always a quick chat. Everyone here is very interested in how the Italian language is progressing and during the conversation they quickly notice whether they have made progress or not. The locals no longer speak any language other than Italian to us, after all we are there to learn the language.

Depending on my mood and what was happening in the afternoon, I’ll be back in the apartment around 6 p.m. and relax on the balcony and watch the Sicilians.

Since I rented an apartment and I don’t always prepare my own dinner, I usually meet up with some other students at around 7:30 p.m. Contacts are always made quickly at school because everyone lives in the same situation and likes to go out.

— Speaking of which – these friendships sometimes last for years and you meet again in their homeland, visit each other or then meet again in the Babilonia next year.

The range of options for dinner in Taormina is huge and if you’ve been there for a few days, you’ll already know the staff in the restaurants. My absolute favorite is the “Villa Zuccaro” at the end of “Corso Umberto”, near “Porta Catania”. The reception is friendly and the atmosphere among the staff is good. The pizza is probably the best I’ve ever had and there’s nothing else.

Afterwards we usually go for a drink in the “Daiquiri Lounge” or in another bar on the “Corso” or in one of the many side streets.

There is always something going on at “Piazza IX Aprile”. Be it the sellers who sell toys for children or sunglasses. It’s very easy to get into conversation with these salespeople – and the next evening you’ll be greeted warmly and even asked about the school day. There are always musicians playing typical Italian music and oldies in the piazza. So there’s always something going on here. You should absorb the Italian mentality and talk to people on the street, because you are here to learn the Italian language – that is the best opportunity and practice.

Most of the time we are already making plans for the next day or the weekend. Should we go to the Aeolian Islands? Rent a car and drive to Agrigento? or do we just lie lazily on the beach? Everything is possible. In midsummer the beach is probably the best idea and the sea is pleasantly warm.

When Mount Etna is putting on a show, I always have to stop by the piazza in front of the Villa Paradiso hotel because the view from there is simply great and you can watch the spectacle.

I’m usually back home around midnight and go to bed with all the impressions.

Stefanie Marty

Would you like to find out more about our Italian courses?