Italian Language Multi-City School Trips

School trips to a country where a studied language is spoken natively are an invaluable opportunity for students to expand their speaking and listening skills in conversation with locals. They can also utilise their day-to-day reading skills in city navigation and restaurant or café menus, or pick up a local newspaper. For Italian language students, multi-city school trips to Italy — or multiple visits, each to a different city — allow them to put their skills to the use in a country rich in diverse city culture. 

Rome

Italy’s capital and a vibrant, ancient city, Rome is an excellent cultural and language immersion possibility for school trips. Students can learn about the city’s ancient past and add new vocabulary to their repertoire by stepping into the Colosseum and its world of gladiatorial combat, or visiting the Roman Forum, the Pantheon and the Catacombs, among myriad ancient sites. Rome’s history grew with the years: students can then see the Santa Maria Maggiore, an early Christian basilica and its early 4th Century AD mosaics, before gaining a greater appreciation of a Renaissance great in the Piazza del Campidoglio by Michelangelo and admiring the Baroque Fontana di Trevi by Nicola Salvi. Chances to practise the language abound, whether in perfumeries and boutiques along the Via del Corso or ordering spaghetti and coffee in Rome’s cafés. 

Florence

The inland city of Florence has long been celebrated as one of Italy’s most beautiful destinations. Visiting it takes students to the birthplace of the Renaissance, where they can admire the world-famous Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral and cross the Ponte Vecchio Bridge, stopping on their wandering to order antipasto, peruse art dealers along the Ponte Vecchio and speak to locals about politics in the Palazzo Vecchio. An unmissable stop for Florence’s cultural history is the classic collection of Italian masters in the Uffizi Gallery, one of oldest and most famous museums of Western Europe.

Venice 

One of Italy’s most iconic cities, the canal city of Venice is an unforgettable destination for school trips. Starting in Piazza San Marco, where the palace of the Venetian Doge stands, students can explore the network of canals and the pathways alongside them, crossing the canals on a network of bridges - grandiose and almost private. They can learn about the city’s history of glass-working at the Museo del Vetro on the island of Murano, and test their Italian buying fresh fruit at the Rialto Market or squid-ink pasta in one of the many restaurants serving local cuisine.

Lido

After the heady Italian cities, it is fun for students to unwind in the resort town of Lido di Jesolo, along the Adriatic coast near Venice. There they can relax on the beach or explore the town, with the opportunities to practise their Italian remaining frequent, ordering gelato or browsing the shops.

Angela Bowden works for STS (School Travel Service), the UK's largest educational travel company, providing tours for secondary schools, primary schools and colleges. School trips with STS can encompass a focus on art/design, foreign languages, history, science/nature, geography and more, to worldwide destinations.

Report this Page