A new intensive course for beginners will begin on Monday 4th of May.

The course will be from Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 12.45pm.

For info write to info@scuolaromit.it

L’article New intensive course for beginners from Monday 4th of May 2026! est apparu en premier sur Scuola Romit.

For information, write to info@scuolaromit.it

Learn Italian with Romit :-)!

L’article Evening course for all levels! est apparu en premier sur Scuola Romit.

For those who cannot come to Rome, Scuola Romit continues with online lessons, in group or private.

Enrolment fee €30 (including book and material)

For information, write to info@scuolaromit.it

Study Italian with Romit:-)!

L’article Classes in presence! est apparu en premier sur Scuola Romit.

Maria Callas.

Many argue that our language sounds almost like a song and proves likeable and gentle.
They are, of course, judgments that often stem from personal taste and are very difficult to evaluate on an objective basis.

Opinions regarding the Italian language in the history of European and foreign culture are, in fact, too many to count: think for known example of an opinion on our native language dates back to 1388 and is of English origin; it is found in the prologue to the second edition of the Wycliffe Bible.

We must consider that already in pre-Renaissance Italian was the language of the European culture and that during this period flourished the great humanists and writers who contributed to the affirmation of Italian from Latin.

The appreciation of Italian as a noble language, however, was achieved only in the seventeenth century. For the Englishman James Howell, Italian is “the best composed language in terms of fluency and smoothness”. Voltaire spoke of the “beautiful Italian language, Latin’s firstborn sibling”.

The recounts of travel through Italy by the North and Central European nobility, in the time of the so-called grand tour, are the peak moments of the glorification of Italian as a noble and musical language.

Which are the reasons that underlie such judgments?

We could start by borrowing the opinion of one of the most important Italian humanists, Piero Bembo, who claimed in 1525 that “two are the reasons that make beautiful every composition, gravity and pleasantness; and the things that than fill and make these two parts are three: sound, number, variation “. From this point of view Italian has unique characteristics.

Gravity is mainly given by the amount of syllables and the characteristics of each in the construction of the word, i.e. their length in pronunciation. The modulation of the syllables in Italian is very interesting because certain words, if taken singularly, show a distinguished syllabic pronunciation from those obtained if contextualized in a sentence: this for pronunciation needs.

In fact, one of the main reasons why this occurs is because almost all Italian words end with a vowel.

But there is another, almost unique characteristic that distinguishes Italian from many other languages: Italian has the invaluable advantage of the use of double consonants. The intrinsic dance, the musicality that is often atributed to our language is probably due to this peculiarity, which creates a very interesting change in respect to the preceding vowels. Take for example the word “pena” (pain, punishment, …): here the first vowel has a normal duration and comparable to the second one, while the “n” is barely perceptible, almost only a support of the language. In the word “penna” (pen), on the other hand, the “e” undergoes a sharp contraction and the double consonant is rich, resonant, clear: pure rhythm.

The practice of certain phonetic and poetic choices, as the elision – or the elimination of a letter from a word – contributes greatly to changing the length of the syllables and to creating an alternative to the monotonous rhythm of a constant repetition of similar syllables.

This is because the elision creates the same effect of the double consonant where this cannot be used. An example is given by the famous concluding verse of L’infinito by Leopardi: “e il naufragar m’è dolce in questo mare” (and it is pleasant for me to be shipwrecked in this sea). The elisions (in bold) create a very strong rhythmic break, which affects the previous syllables.

Of course, the presence of the double consonant is not the only feature that makes our language so musical and lyrical. In poetry, in fact, examples abound with phonetic solutions and rhetoric figures, capable of altering the rhythm and cadence of the speech.

However, it is precisely the double consonant, so common in ordinary language that fascinate the foreign listener and transmit this sweet feeling of a rhythmic dance in the Italian language.

L’article The musicality of the Italian language est apparu en premier sur Scuola Romit.

First of all, we must say that in Rome time is very elastic and dilated, so evenings begin very calmly, you meet after dinner and begin to analyse the various choices, similar to those of many other cities: pub, brewery, disco, a walk downtown or just a small square where to sit on some steps and encounter friends. The climate allows for this for most of the year and it is an easy and inexpensive form of entertainment, very popular among those who would like to spend a peaceful and not too expensive evening.

Which are the most popular areas where to spend the evening having fun? Certainly Pigneto and San Lorenzo (with its famous square, where many young people stop to relax and chat with a cocktail in their hands) are the emerging areas full of informal pubs and cafes, Piazza Bologna, a university area, Testaccio and Ostiense, where you’ll find plenty of places where to dance salsa, house and electronic music, discos, risto-cafès and gay clubs, Trastevere with Piazza Campo dè Fiori, literally assaulted on summer nights, the area of Piazza Navona and Via della Pace, with pubs and very chic wineries, the rione Monti, a kind of mini bohemian Trastevere, rich in literary cafés and art shops, and Ponte Milvio, with very fashionable clubs, cafés and restaurants.

In these neighbourhoods most of Roman nightlife is concentrated and there are so many young people ready for fun and eager to spend their evening in various ways.

At the end of the evening, especially if it is very late and you are tired and hungry, you might want to stop for a warm croissant with Nutella or honey in one of the many artisanal bakeries scattered around the city, which you will discover a bit by chance or as a revealed secret from some true Roman. Love for food is there even in the small hors of the night and is a real treat!

In summer, with the arrival of the hot and sultry evenings, often people move to the Roman coast, which offers beach resorts that in the evening become outdoor pubs and clubs where to have fun while breathing the sea air or participating to festivals and outdoor parties. The most popular places are Ostia (close to Rome), Fregene, Fiumicino, Santa Marinella, Cerveteri.

The opportunities to enjoy yourself are many; up to you to choose and explore, so that you may understand what you prefer and spend your evenings in full Roman style. Have fun!

L’article Where do young Romans go to have fun? est apparu en premier sur Scuola Romit.

Each district has its own characteristics, which often have determined the given name:

1. Monti (mountains): the name comes from the three hills on which it extends (Esquiline, Viminal and Caelian). It is a very large district, which houses some of the most interesting remains of the ancient capital, as well as some of the more noticeable and now rare remains of the medieval city (the tower-houses)
2. Trevi: owes its name to the Latin trivium, which indicated the conjunction of three roads in the Piazzetta dei Crociferi, located not far from the Trevi Fountain. The medieval city originated precisely from this area.
3. Colonna (column): as is easy to imagine, the name derives from the presence of the Column of Marcus Aurelius located precisely in Piazza Colonna.
4. Campo Marzio: not much remains of the ancient Campo Marzio, which in the past was extended also to the current Pigna district, apart from the name and the presence of green areas (the Pincio).
5. Ponte (bridge): owes its name to the bridge Sant’Angelo, which originally belonged to the district, until it was absorbed, for wish of Pope Sixtus V, by the new-born Borgo district. In this ancient era it was the most densely populated district and also the only one that has been inhabited from the city’s origins until today.
6. Parione: this district includes the famous squares Navona and Campo de’ Fiori. In ancient times it was full of commemorative monuments and it is precisly to these that the district owes its name (from the Latin pares which means “wall”)
7. Regola: contrary to what you might think, the name of the district comes from the Latin arenula, to indicate the sand deposits that were created along the Tiber, which runs along its entire length.
8. Sant’Eustachio: the characteristic square from which it takes its name is also at the origin of the dense urbanization that took place in this area already in ancient times.
9. Pigna (pine): the origin of this curious name is due to the discovery of a gigantic pine cone located in medieval times near the Baths of Agrippa.
10. Campitelli: this is probably the most touristic and frequented district, despite being the least populated. This is due to the many institutional objects in the area, including the Capitol and the Roman Forum. The name probably derives from the Latin campus telluris, or dirt field.
11. Sant’Angelo: this district, home to the Jewish ghetto, is the smallest one and takes its name from the church Sant’Angelo in Pescheria.
12. Ripa: the name suggests the location, at the bank of the Tiber immediately next to the Tiber Island.
13. Trastevere (on the other side of the Tiber): one of the most popular districts, especially for its nightlife. Since ancient times the right bank of the Tiber hosted the main shops and was one of the hearts of the commercial town.
14. Borgo (burg): located on the right bank of the Tiber, it expresses the typically medieval characteristic of calling its streets “borghi”.
15. Esquilino: the Esquilino district was founded back in 1870 and was named after the hill on which it extends. In ancient times this area was located outside the city walls, but was annexed to the city in the Augustan age. The name comes from the Latin ex colere, literally “live out”.
16. Ludovisi: the Ludovisi district, which in the Renaissance hosted numerous noble villas, including Villa Ludovisi, was made known to the whole world by Fellini’s film La Dolce Vita.
17. Sallustiano: of the Horti Sallustani, the sumptuous gardens built in the first century BC by Emperor Sallustio, remains only the name. It is located on the northern part of the Quirinal Hill.
18. Castro Pretorio: characterized by the presence of the Termini train station, it welcomes the main arteries of communication and trade.
19. Celio: known worldwide as the district that is home to the Coliseum, its name recalls the presence of African legionnaires led by Scipio, stationed on the Celio hill.
20. Testaccio: owes its name to the mount testaceus, a huge accumulation of debris created by the port of Ripa Grande in ancient times.
21. San Saba: the district with the most recent denomination (even if it was a an already urbanized burg) and housed the monastery of the same name, for centuries the only inhabited site.
22. Prati: in imperial times this area housed vineyards and farmlands, known as horti. It is adjacent to the Vatican.

L’article The districts of Rome est apparu en premier sur Scuola Romit.

From enigmatography to quizzes, to nursery rhymes, which, thanks to their phonetic features help memorize, many are the tools available to the student getting ready to learn a foreign language. The study of Italian includes also moments of play.

When studying Italian, a series of these instruments can be of help; in fact, their playful nature helps maintain high levels of attention and reinforces the learning and memorizing processes. Integrating the theoretical study with more carefree moments and sharing with others, becomes a useful element for enhancing motivation, which plays an important role in learning in general.

How many times, while intent on studying a subject, we seem to immediately forget what we had just read in the books? Well, when studying a language we must be even more receptive and exercise not only the theoretical aspects of the language, the syntactic, grammatical and morphological ones, but also delve deeper into the dimension of the use of the language.

For the study of Italian there are indeed a number of online resources that can be used in this sense, such as certain tabs, which help improve the pronunciation, or games designed for all ages and learning levels, such as those that focus on verbal tenses, on synonyms and antonyms, on the vocabulary and the grammatical structures.

Some exercises use the riddle formula, others to the “memory” one, a sort of game that consists in recognizing phonetic similarities, like in the traditional game where similar images are juxtaposed in pairs.

It must be clear, however, that resorting to the “play” factor in the study of Italian does not mean reducing the study of the language to a moment of entertainment that is an end in itself, but to give it a playful perspective. This learning approach is increasingly appreciated and supported in various studies on the matter.

In particular, thanks to this repetitiveness, certain compositional forms like nursery rhymes or riddles successfully secure in the memory of those who learn them certain linguistic aspects, thus facilitating the process of learning.

Similarly, memorizing poems, rhymes and songs is also part of this approach, alongside with motion games such as mime, exercises games such as the completion of sentences, word chains, dialogues and even dramatizations with puppets, masks and simulations of various types.

An example?
‘Fu, tre, re, me, no, so, va, sta, fa, vo, sto, fo, io mai accenterò!‘ (…I will never put an accent on!) It is a refrain that can help you remember that these Italian words are never accented.

Even board games like scrabble, dominoes, memory, tombola let you dwell on the most interactive and creative aspects of a language, together with crossword puzzles and riddles of various types, which prove suitable for this purpose.

In addition, as is easy to imagine, using a nursery rhyme or a song that is part of the tradition of the studied language is also an opportunity to discover curiosities and learn about important aspects of the country’s cultural life where the language in question is spoken.

L’article Games and nursery rhymes to learn Italian while having fun est apparu en premier sur Scuola Romit.

Piazza del Popolo is certainly among the most beautiful squares of the city. In ancient times, the famous Porta del Popolo, formerly called Porta Flaminia, was one of the main access points to the city. Porta del Popolo opens today on this elliptical urban space, always visited by the many visitors who come every year to the capital.

Piazza del Popolo, 1890/1900

Its name is linked to the presence of the neoclassical church of Santa Maria del Popolo, which houses particularly important works of art, such as the two paintings by Caravaggio, the Conversion of St. Paul and the Crucifixion of St. Peter.

The physiognomy of the piazza, with its spectacular and harmonious effect, and its monuments are the work of the architect Giuseppe Valadier, to whose genius we owe many interesting spots in Rome. Those who arrive in Piazza del Popolo are struck by the presence of a massive obelisk, the Flaminio obelisk, built under the reign of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II and currently located in the centre of this space. From the urban point of view, the square constitutes an important hub. Several particularly popular streets branch off from here: via del Babuino, Via di Ripetta, Via del Corso.

Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Vedute di Roma. Piazza San Pietro.

Among the most famous squares of Rome and of the world is also St. Peter’s Square, located directly in front of the Basilica that goes by the same name, built to commemorate the first Christian Pope, the martyr Peter. This is one of the most important pilgrimage places for the Christian community, and its square welcomes the faithful, tourists, lovers of art and architecture. It was Bernini who designed the square with its wonderful colonnade during the seventeenth century.

Here too, like in Piazza del Popolo, one is struck by the presence of a massive obelisk, the obelisk of Heliopolis, and of two fountains, whose style blends perfectly with the general appearance of the square.

Campo de Fiori.

There is a less known square than the previous one, which does not host Christian places of worship but a monument dedicated to a philosopher. It is Campo de’ Fiori and the philosopher in question is the Dominican friar Giordano Bruno, who lived in the seventeenth century.

He was sentenced to death for heresy and his execution took place in this piazza. Today Campo ‘de Fiori is a quaint place, home to a local food market, popular especially at night, when many visitors, but also non-residential students, spend time in the bars and pubs that scatter the square and the surrounding areas.

Another important square in the capital is Piazza Navona. What impresses here is the beauty of the buildings, the aesthetic aspect of a place designed in baroque style.

Piazza Navona.

Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers, the Fountain of the Moor, the Fountain of Neptune, as well as Borromini’s Church of St. Agnes in Agony are among the monuments that make the square so famous from an artistic and cultural standpoint.

During the Christmas season this urban space becomes very busy due to the many stalls that exhibit some of this festivity’s most typical products together with the usual souvenirs. Street artists and portraitists expose their work here, depicting views of the square and making portraits and caricatures of the tourists.

Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Piazza del Quirinale.

As you know, one of the highest hills of the city of Rome is the Quirinale. Today this site important to the political life of the country, home to the Palazzo del Quirinale, the official seat of the President of the Republic, in the same space that once was the residence of the popes. Here too, in Piazza del Quirinale rises an obelisk next to a marble sculpture of great artistic value dedicated to Castor and Pollux with their horses. It is not by chance that in ancient times the square was called Piazza di Monte Cavallo (Square of Horse Hill) because of this characteristic monument.

Giacomo Brogi, Chiesa della Trinità dei Monti (Piazza di Spagna).

Those visiting Rome cannot leave without seeing the wonderful Piazza di Spagna, recently at the centre of unpleasant incidents regarding the fountain of “La Barcaccia”, violated by vandals.

Piazza di Spagna is found at the bottom of the stairway of Trinità dei Monti, crowded at any time of day. The Fountain of “la barcaccia”, designed by Pietro and Gian Lorenzo Bernini in memory of a flood that hit the city in the sixteenth century, is one of the most beautiful monuments of this urban space packed with a constant flow of tourists all year round.

Here we find bars and famous cafés, and from here depart the most characteristic streets of Rome, home to many shops and boutiques dedicated to the world of haute couture.

L’article Six memorable piazzas to see in Rome est apparu en premier sur Scuola Romit.

Essentially, everyone, sooner or later, will let a few words in “Roman” slip out! If you are already getting to know Italian quite well, you will probably understand most of the words that are said or, at least, you will have a pretty good idea, as Roman one is among the most comprehensible dialects in Italy, because the sentence structure remains essentially the same as in literal Italian and only the words change (you were lucky!).

Alberto Sordi

Have you ever seen (and understood) a movie with Alberto Sordi, with Carlo Verdone or with Gigi Proietti? These are examples of great comedy and verve in the Roman dialect.

Some words, expressions and idioms are in fact hilarious – sometimes very colourful – and typical of the good nature and straightforwardness of the Romans. Among the great figures of literature Gioacchino Belli and Trilussa, with their poems in the authentic dialect, are not to be missed.

You will have already noticed that the Roman dialect is characterized mostly by elisions (or apocopation) in nouns and verbs, by the doubling of consonants, by a poor use of verb tenses and the weakening of the double “r”. “Che stai a ffa’?” instead of “cosa stai facendo?” (What are you doing?), “Voglio dormi’ ” rather than Voglio dormire” (I want to sleep), “oggi sono libbero” (today I am free), “ ’sta pasta è proprio bbona” instead of “questa pasta è molto buona” (this pasta is very good), ”, “Devo fa’ quarche ccosa” instead of “devo fare qualche cosa”, “ho fatto un erore”, “ce so’ cascato in pieno” as opposed to “ci sono caduto in pieno” (I was really fooled), “stavo a scherza’ ’” instead of “stavo scherzando” (I was joking), “gnaa faccio” rather than “non ce la faccio” (I can’t do it) and so on. You will have no doubt already heard many of those.

Giuseppe Gioachino Belli

Shall we to talk about the Roman ways of saying? There is an infinite number of expresions and some are real pearls, funny creations and worthy of note, some used very often and others less. Knowing a few can be useful as a note of folklore and also to feel comfortable in a conversation between true Romans:

• “M’è preso un abbiocco” (I was caught by sleepiness): is an expression used to express the drowsiness after eating, especially after lunch, that leads to a nap.
• “Ti ho preso cor sorcio in bocca” (I caught you with a mouse in your mouth): is used to express catching someone red handed, intent on doing something they should not.
• “Me sto a morì de pizzichi” (I am a dying of pinches): it means being bored to death, being in a situation without incentives and without interest.
• “Consolarsi con l’ajetto” (to console oneself with garlic): resort to not very effective solutions to address a disappointment or a problem, such as treating a disease using garlic.
• “Voglia de lavora’ sartame addosso” (Desire to work, jump on me): is an expression used when a person does not have the slightest desire to work.
• “Essere anticaja e petrella/essere dell’epoca di Checco e Nina” (Being junk and pebbles/being from the era of Checco and Nina: expression used to indicate something or someone very old and out-dated, belonging to an undefined ancient time.

You could write a book on the idioms of the Roman dialect, there are so many, each with its own peculiarity and its funny side. For a more in-depth analysis you just need to go around the city to the more working-class neighbourhoods and stop to talk to some older person, you’ll discover a whole world!

L’article Italian and Roman dialect est apparu en premier sur Scuola Romit.

Every manual of Roman history will punctually report the list of the famous seven hills over which the city developed from a native settlement. Aventine, Capitoline, Caelian, Esquiline, Palatine, Quirinal, Viminal are precisely the names of all the hills, as specified even by Plutarch and Cicero.

Regarding the Caelian, we know that originally it was known as Mons Querquetulanus, or “mount of the oaks” and it is only later that it is called Caelian, from the Latin word “Caele”. More precisely, its name is linked to an historical figure of the same name, Caelius Vibenna, from the Etruscan Gens, whose help proved fundamental for the rise to power of the sixth king of Rome, Servius Tullius.

From an administrative standpoint, although the district was officially established only in 1921, therefore in the modern age, today it is one of the most strategic places for visiting the city thanks to its proximity to the Coliseum, which is located right in this area.

According to sources, the neighbourhood was originally divided into different geographical areas: Coelius, Coeliolus, Succusa. The three zones formed the so-called Coelimontium. This part of town has been populated since the classical age; in fact, several important families lived here, such as Mamurra, a political figure linked to Julius Caesar, whose house was adorned with rich marble columns according to reports by the historian Pliny. Also in the Caelian district, the Emperor Marcus Aurelius was born in the imperial age in the villa of Domitia Lucilla Minor.

A dense network of streets which even today preserve some of their original names crossed the Caelian district. Among these are the Caelimontana and the Tuscolana. We also know that in the fourth century BC the aqueduct of the Water Appia crossed the hill. In this area we also find one of the most famous tombs of Roman history; it is the tomb of the Scipios, a funerary monument of which remain the galleries extracted from tuff that were used to accommodate the various sarcophagi.

During the pillage by Alaric in 410, the city was damaged, and this area was particularly affected by the descent of the Goths in general. Precisely Totila, in the sixth century, cut the aqueducts and from then this urban area was abandoned. During the medieval period, churches and places associated to the Christian cult were built, such as the Basilica of San Clemente, the Church of the Holy Four Crowned Ones and the Church of Saint Stephen in the Round.

At the end of the nineteenth century, precisely in 1870, this urban area was at the centre of the project “Capital Rome”, which intended reformulating various aspects of the capital’s urban plan. During this time the Military Hospital was built, and at the end of the century the popular Caelian neighbourhood rose.

This district now covers about 60 hectares. In one of the highest areas rises Piazza della Navicella with access to Villa Celimontana, one of the most famous green areas of the capital, dating back to the XVI century. Compared to other Roman districts, the Caelian is not overly populated, although in recent years many and touristic facilities have been created.

The district’s coat of arms depicts the profile of an African character with a headgear resembling an elephant’s head and with golden spikes. Surely its meaning is linked to the history of African legionnaires who were once on this hill, led by the famous Consul Scipio Africanus. This heraldic detail shows once again how the Eternal City is rooted to its mythical origins still today, and shows this bond in the various aspects of the cultural and social life.

L’article The Caelian, the hill near Monti and the Coliseum est apparu en premier sur Scuola Romit.