ALCE | Accademia Lingue e Culture Europee

Activities and social programme

Discover Bologna and surroundings through the school

The social programme is organised directly by the school's director and the teachers in the school and all activities and excursions are accompanied by a teacher.
Our activities offer an ideal opportunity to explore the city and surroundings and to meet new friends: we strongly encourage the participation as this helps and accelerates your Italian language learning .

The historical, artistic and cultural heritage of Italy has been long considered the pride and joy of this nation. Nowhere else in the world can boast the same archaeological and artistic treasures as Italy. Your time at ALCE is therefore the perfect opportunity to discover our infinite natural and cultural riches.

ALCE invites you to visit a different Italy where you can discover and genuinely get to know the history and culture of its people: we will be happy to take you to lesser known, but equally beautiful and important places, and help you discover the countryside and Italy’s innumerable gastronomic delights.


WEEKLY TIMETABLE sample: You will always have something to do so you can learn as much as possible & practice your Italian every day!

1st Monday
afternoon
of the month
15:00-16:30 City orientation tour
19:00-21:00 "Aperitivo": italian welcome drink in the city centre
Monday 15:00-17:00 Activities and excursions witch teacher (sample below)
Tuesday Course related: grammar workshops
Wednesday 16:00-18:00 Activities and excursions witch teacher (sample below)
Thursday Course related: phonetic, conversation & pronunciation workshops
Friday afternoon 13:15-14:15 FREE networking lunch in school in-house kitchen
19:00-21:00 "Aperitivo": italian welcome drink in the city centre
Saturday
(every two weeks)
9:00-17:00 Full day excursion run by teacher (sample below)

“FULL DAY EXCURSIONS TO ART CITIES NEARBY”

FLORENCE: It is a city whose charm and splendid past have remained unaltered. And now is how the enchanting Tuscan capital still appears – it continues to enchant, by means of its artistic masterpieces, coloured marbles and architectural works (35 minutes away)

VENICE: Elegant, inimitable, exciting and romantic, precious: this is Venice, the gem on any tour of Italy where churches, palazzi, ancient bridges, monuments and piazzas confirm its artistic and cultural vitality. All this has testified to and continues to testify to the long history of the city. (1h away)

FERRARA: The beautiful city of Ferrara, included in the UNESCO World Heritage. This medieval and Renaissance centre has remained almost intact and is still the subject of studies by urban planners and architects thanks to its special atmosphere (30 min away).

RAVENNA: Of a beauty that is elegant and refined, she is a city of Saints, bankers and kings: Ravenna, in Emilia Romagna, is Italy's second-largest city by extension, but perhaps the most important when it comes to mosaics. This fascinating city boast eight monuments declared UNESCO World heritage Site. The Basilica di San Vitale, a 4th-Century Byzantine masterpiece, certainly stands out among these (1h away).

VERONA: a visually-stunning city of excellence and one of the 49 Italian sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Verona of Shakespeare and the “star - crossed lovers” is legend all over the world, and lives indefinitely through the places made famous in the play, Romeo and Juliet (50 min away).

PARMA: is synonymous with nature, history and art. Indeed, names such as Antelami, Correggio, Parmigianino, Verdi and Toscanini made their mark in this sophisticated and graceful jewel of a city (50 min away).

MANTUA: In 2007, Mantua's centro storico (old town) was declared by UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family has made it one of the main artistic, cultural, and especially musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole. the city is also known for its architectural treasures and artifacts, elegant palaces, and the medieval and Renaissance cityscape


Get the best experience any motor enthusiast could have in the Emilia Romagna Motor Valley: just a few kilometres drive from Bologna are the headquarters of motoring princes Ducati and Lamborghini. Come with us to discover unmistakable Italian style and experience the fascination of their museums and factories, see how passion becomes art, high tech and quality

Live, learn & fun

The cultural content of ALCE courses is considered an integral part of the learning experience and we keep you busy at ALCE!

SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

They are offered 3-4 times per week & the programme is changed every month so that students staying for longer periods will not have to repeat specific activities.
The programme differs in focus from educational to cultural, fun to inspirational.

Most of these activities are included in the course fee and are completely FREE:

-Visit to local historical places of interest
-Themed walking tours of Bologna
-Seasonal activities: games and sports in the nearby big park, open air cinema, walks in city parks
-Italian Film club at school or video dubbing
-Board games in Italian, quiz night at school
-Exchange evenings (students can meet and talk with some of our Italian students who are learning foreign languages in the school)

Some activities require a charge for admission, tickets and /or transport. These are organised on a pay-as-you-go basis:

-Visit to museums & galleries
- Aperitivo or diner out with teachers
- FOOD AND WINE at extra cost: the school specialises in these fields and is fully equipped for both activities. We regularly offer cooking classes with our passionate talented director or even with professional local chef & wine tasting session.

EXCURSIONS

They take place 1 every 2 Saturday (only transportation fee at your expenses, generally 20-30€).
We travel around by train which is very convenient. Bologna is very well connected and at the heart of the northern Italian railway network. Any city of art as well as a lot of other places is reachable in an hour, 1h30 or less. We though tend to use regional trains which are longer but much cheaper!
- Example of city of arts trips: Verona, Ferrara, Parma, Ravenna, Mantova, Padova, Dozza, San Marino, Florence, Venice, Milan.
- Example of other daily trips: enjoy Rimini’s famous beaches, walks in the surrounding hills with beautiful views & nature, adventure parks, balsamic vinegar factory visit, Faenza (ceramics museum), Ferrari museum…