Italian General & Cooking + Wine Course (20 lessons + 12 hours per week)
Bologna School

"The teacher was helpful and skilled at involving everyone in conversation. The course was intensive but enjoyable. The extra-curricular talk on fashion and the tour of the town were first class. I liked the fact that Bologna was a working town and not a busy tourist centre. I was fortunate that an open air film festival was taking place when I was there. There was little time for sightseeing due to the homework tasks set during course time, so I will leave a few days after the course finishes for this. All things considered it was a most enjoyable experience!" (Ruby Donnelly, June 2010)

"I chose this course because of its competitive prices, its good package value and its choice of course. Bologna is a lively city. I will defintely recommend Cactus" (Shazia Pompeo, April 2010)

"Everything is excellent! The family we're staying with is welcoming and they're helping us to learn in a very encouraging atmosphere after class. The classes themselves are demanding yet also fun, and the teachers are very encouraging. We're amazed at how much we've learnt after only four days! Total rating: 10/10"
(Harry Biggs, July 2009)

"The team at Cactus was very helpful in suggesting which schools would have a good mixture of Italian and cooking lessons. The school was excellent with teachers who were fun and we covered a lot in the grammar lessons. The cookery lessons were good and there were extra events organized by the school. Bologna is a great city for a language school, very few tourists, great food and atmosphere. I will certainly always look first to Emilia-Romana in future."
(John Manley, May 2008)

"I had an absolutely brilliant time. The school was excellent, well organised, good teaching, fun atmosphere and I learnt a lot. I also found the appartment very good, clean and comfortable. I had a fantastic time and have no complaints at all - only that I wished I had gone for longer. Besides Cactus Staff managed to find the course I wanted, which I thought not to be available."
(Jessica Shepherd, March 2009)

"The location was very special in a middle age palace. It was lovely and perfectly located in the heart of Bologna. We were 6 students in the class. It was so good.
I will recommend Bologna to everybody who wish to visit a true Italian Renaissance Town. I stayed in a private accomodation arranged by Cactus. I think it was good. Especially the location was great.
What I enjoyed most about my trip were the old town and the language course."
(Rene Juul Jensen, September 2008)

"I choose Cactus for the clear website,the good prices and the ability to do what I wanted (cookery as well as Italian).
The school was quite well organised.The lessons were very well prepared and the teachers were helpful. The welcome meal and tour was a good idea. The cookery course was very well organised too and the teacher was very kind.
Bologna is a good place to learn Italian as it wasn't touristy so I actually had a chance to practise my Italian. It was great to have Modena Ferrara Ravenna close enough to visit.
I stayed in a flat which was 10 / 15 mins away by bus. The flat was fine and the landlord was lovely.
The service provided from Cactus was very good"
(Katherine Merricks, August 2008)


"I chose Cactus because it is simply to found it online. It was a great atmosphere in school, the course was very well organised and the course conducted entirely in language, which was excellent. It was a great spirit of learning among students. Bologna is ideal for an italian course because there are not many tourists. I stayed with a family and found it very suitable, because there was also another student there. There were a lot of nice things like meeting the other students, a great range of nationalities and my first encounter with Japanese people who are so pleasant."
(Jim Herron, August 2008)



"I thought both the school and the classes were excellent. The town was amazing, very beatiful and very friendly. I guess the only thing I would recomend is not to get there too far before the course actually starts as this can be a bit lonely if travelling alone. I stayed in a student flat and found it very good, the landlady was lovely and I would like to go back to the same place again. There were so many nice things but meeting the other students and actually being able to conmunicate with a Japonese man who spoke no english was definitely the highligt of my stay."
(Mal Morris - June 2008)

"A chose Cactus because a friend did a Spanish course in Barcelona last year and was impressed. The location of the school and the building were good. The teachers were very charming as well. Bologna is totally unspoilt and has something for everyone, history, art, architecture, nightlife, fantastic food and shopping. I stayed in a nice and clean apartment."
(Monique Chambers - May 2008)

"I chose Cactus because there were very good feedback comments from past students on your web site and this was supported by someone I met myself.
The school was good and staff friendly. The teaching was excellent. It was all very lively and the tutors found original ways to get us to practise grammar skills and talk.
Bologna is beautiful and I want to go back sometime. I can highly recommend it. It was possible to walk everywhere and there were large pedestrianised areas. It is a very good holiday to go on alone. I was anxious beforehand that all the other students would have been there for some time and already know each other but this was not the case. There were plenty of new faces to meet and I hope to keep in touch with 1 or 2 of them.
Overall I had a fantastic time and didn't want to come home."
(Katherine Read - May 2008)

"I investigated other agencies but I chose Cactus because they were more efficient at getting back to my e-mail enquiries. As I was tight on time, I was sadly only at the school for four mornings so wasn\'t really able to get to know the staff particularly well. However, I was impressed by the spacious setting, the efficient service, the computer and study aid (eg dictionary) facilities and my teacher Francesca was great.
I found Bologna to be a really lively and animated town with the high student population and the food was delicious! However it did feel less touristy than other Italian cities and very characterful.
I arranged to stay with a host family largely because I wanted to maximise my opportunities to speak in Italian during the short time that I was in Bologna. I can\'t fault the location, two minutes walk from Piazza Maggiore and five minutes walk from the school.
Francesca my teacher very quickly assessed what kind of exercises would help me and I really appreciated her help and enthusiasm and particularly the opportunity for lots of oral practice which I don't get at University."
(Eliza Apperly - April 2008)

"The school was really well organised and I received excellent teaching. The lessons were fun and the staff was friendly. Also, the social acitivies were very good. I enjoyed meeting others that are keen to learn and having such good teaching. The travel pack that I received from Cactus was excellent and there is nothing that could be improved about their service."
(Rachel Bucknall - April 2008)

"I chose Cactus because it looked good, but the clincher was, firstly, the comments from past students and, secondly, the helpful and enthusiastic person I spoke to on the phone when I called for information.
I cannot fault my school-it was perfect! Everything was so well organized-from my initial introduction to my final day when I recieved my certificate, it all ran like clockwork. Through the email test and the conversation test when we arrived, each student was placed at exactly the correct level so that no one struggled or became bored. The teaching was exemplary: even difficult aspects of grammer were explained very cleary in Italian without ever reverting to English. I never felt stupid or intimidated when speaking but was always encouraged to have a go. Classes were small enough that each student got a lot of attention. Lessons were extremely well planned and organized. The extra activities were excellent and wonderfully interesting-and all in Italian! Every single person attached to the school was friendly, helpful and very enthusiastic. I was amazed with my progress and would love to go back!
Bologna was a superb location: interesting, medieviale city with a real buzz from having the university. The centre, which included the school, was very easy to gets to grips (and all on foot). Loads of interesting places nearby within a short (and affordable!!) train journey.
I had a private room in a shared flat. The flat was ideally located right in the centre of Bologna behind Piazza Maggiore! It was a very pleasant 10 minute walk to the school (with a friendly little bar en rout where I stopped for cappucino and brioche each morning). The landlord was kind and helpful. My room was huge and comfortable. There was always hot water, there was a kitchen and the place was clean.
I loved being a student again! I loved Bologna and got a real feel for it. I loved my school. I met some lovely people from all over the world. I had a fab week end away in Verona. I\'m so happy with my progress. Food and wine were super...
I doubt I could improve on anything: it was all so well organized, standards were excellent, everything really was perfect!"
(Laurie Scott - October 2007)

"I chose Cactus because of the location, the dates of the course and their general help.
I found the school very good. Bologna is great for young people. I made good friends in my group and others. I enjoyed meeting people and socialising after the lectures."
(Alexander Paull - September 2007)

'' Cactus was recommended to me by my brother. I thought the school and classes were very thorough, interesting, well tought. The school was very friendly and inviting.
The town was good when full with graduating students and its usual every day life, however became dead when their summer breaks came. I loved the accomodation (shared apartment with locals) and I was so glad to have such lovely landlords and flat mates.''
(Leo Bieber- July 2007)

"I chose Cactus because of the position in Google listing. The classes were excellent. My two private teachers were professional, patient and encouraging. Bologna is a beautiful city, many parks, busses that run on time, with great restaurants and places of interest; it is also well located for side- or weekend trips to Florence, Rimini, etc"
(John Caswell, May 2007)

"I have used Cactus before and found reliable and easy to book. The school was extremely friendly especially the introductory talk on the first day. The tutors were friendly, encouraging and had good levels of humour. It is a pleasant town. I most enjoyed being able to be submerged in Italian for a week; meeting students from other countries; finding the best pistachio ice cream to date in a gelateria just around the corner from the apartment!"
(Gill Leyton, April 2007)

"The school was very well-organised and the teachers were very enthusiastic. I really had a lot of fun during the lessons.
Bologna is a very accessible town. It is particularly easy to get around on foot and the airport is very close with an excellent airport bus service. There is also a lot of culture and lots to see. It was great to have the opportunity to listen and talk to native speaker teachers. The one-to-one lessons were very tiring but very useful."
(Janet Cole - Aug 2006)

“The school in Bologna was perfect for me. The lessons moved at a good pace and there was the opportunity to learn grammar and speak regularly, even though the classes were reasonably large. I have no faults at all with the school there. The lessons were fun, the staff friendly and my Italian improved dramatically (though since learning Spanish I have managed to forget most of it). The school was very sociable due to the large classes and everybody in the classes seemed to be of a similar standard. I also liked the focus the school has on learning about Italian culture. The broad mix of nationalities also meant that for the most part, Italian was spoken by the students both inside and outside the classes.
I was truly very sad to leave Bologna and would recommend the school to everyone.”
(Nick Glicher, August 2005)

"I chose Cactus because they offered what I wanted; one week in a very nice city in Italy that was easy and cheap to get to (thank you Ryanair). A course level that was right for me (elementary but not beginners), inexpensive self-catering accomodation (not often possible on many courses I note) and good value for money. A weeks package holiday in an Italian resort somewhere would probably have cost me the same. Before I booked, I rang you a few times to check up on various things and found everyone I spoke to very helpful. Big range of locations. I thought the school was Very good. They had a professional and friendly approach. Bologna's great! My shared apartment was big, basic, comfortable and a half hour walk to the school., just what I wanted! I enjoyed the feeling that I was learning the most about my trip".
(Jeff Oliver, June 2005)

"The atmosphere was great and also the courses. I had a great time down in Bologna. I enjoyed the contact with other people, the grammar class was perfect"!!!
(Jonas Husam May 2005)

"The school was outstanding in all respects. The town was splendid. A friendly and non-intimidating city, small enough to walk around. I enjoyed the lessons most - they were such fun!
(Daphne Hall, April 2005)

"The teaching was outstanding! Classes well organised. Lively and positive commitment from students & staff. Excellent! I would recommend it to anyone! I stayed with an italian landlady in an apartment. I had my meals in the evening cooked for - excellent! Very friendly. Well organised. Tidy."
(Sabina Johnston, February 2005)

"Laura, a wee word to thank you and Sarah for fixing me up with such a wonderful week in Bologna.I'm still considering going back and in the meantime have bought a 16-CD Linguaphone prog for my car. Best wishes."
(Malcolm Allitt, May 2004)

"Bologna was excellent, I really enjoyed it! The staff at the school were excellent. All the classes were conducted in Italian, and very creative. The teachers were very lively and enthusiastic. I felt that I made good progress and that finally my Italian has been kick started ! The extracurricular classes were excellent. There seemed to be something going on most nights: I did a cookery course (which I paid more for) and a lecture on the history of Italian music (which I didn't), we went for a meal on Monday night, and there was some sort of International thing organised for Wednesday. 2 nights a week, there was homework club, which I took advantage of to answer my questions, which was an excellent facility really. Bologna is a great place to spend a week, the city is beautiful, the food is excellent, the school and teaching are wonderful, and I really wished that I had had more than a week to spend there. I would highly recommend it to any other potential students. I would also recommend having a few private lessons as well.
I hope these comments are useful, and thanks for your efficiency and help in organising the holiday. I'll be back !
Take care"
(Lisa McCarthy)

"Hi Rich!
Hope you are well. I loved Bologna and am thinking of going back perhaps in the summer. I have an exam to study for at the moment but will efinitely provide you with some feedback in a couple of weeks time.
Hope that's ok!
Regards"
(Ravina Shah - Apr 02)

"Anna, unfortunately I am back from Bologna , but I would like to say that I enjoyed it very much and will be returning for longer next year.
The tuitition at the school was at just the right level for me, I was very impressed with the tutors who did their best to make sure we spoke no English at all - the extracurricular activities were also very interesting and informative - and I definately felt I had learnt something even though I was only there for a week. thanks very much, Sara"
(Sara Dauti, 2004)

"I chose Cactus because a friend recommended it. The school was great. Bologna is a nice non touristy town, for me it was perfect, it might be too small for others. I stayed there with friends.
What I most enjoyed were the cooking classes."
(Francesca Gazzaniga, May 2006)

"I chose Cactus because I liked the website. The school was small, and my class had only 5 people, it was organised and I enjoyed the classes even though they were more intensive than I thought. Bologna was fantastic. It had some of everything - part student-town, part tourist town, and part historical town. Eating out was cheap where you could buy pizza slices. The best restaurant was called Ristorante Della Nella on the Via del Indipendenza, where they had traditional Italian food and mushroom specialities. I thought the flat where I stayed was ideal, I felt independent and was not too far from the city centre. I would recommend Cactus to my freinds!"

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Public Holidays for this school

2010

Airport Transfer Options

Nearest Airport Bologna

An airport transfer service is available. £53 pp one way.
Choose the option in step 2 of the booking process.