Center for Italian Studies in Taormina Sicily

I had the absolute pleasure of attending Babilonia Language School for four months during the fall of 2016. My program started on August 5th, and continued until November 16th, when I left for a backpacking trip around Europe.
Throughout my stay here the focus was on immersion, and Babilonia provided that 100%. Throughout all your classes, administrative questions, restaurants, events, and excursions, they speak only in Italian. Fear not, the wonderful teachers do not speak to you as if you already know what they are saying! The teachers help you the entire time, and take the time to sit with you and walk through everything you are having issues with.
The classes are structured around grammar and conversation. You have each of this for an hour and a half a day, and a small 'pausa' in the middle, allowing you to meet all your friends!
During this break you can enjoy a coffee from the little kitchen and some other treat. After classes, if you would like, you can also order a meal from the kitchen, where you are provided a discount as a student. My favorite meal was a pasta dish sprinkled with pistachio and bacon.
When I went, I was the only person from my program, and I knew nobody. However, this did not last for long! Throughout my time at Babilonia I had the pleasure of meeting so many different people from diverse walks of life. To today, I still remain in contact with these wonderful people.
Of course, Taormina is magical. The small town of Taormina is always bustling with life and activity, and every vista is breathtaking. My friends and I would catch a bus down to Isola Bella or Letojanni for a short beach trip, or we walked up to the overlooking city of Castelmola for an incredible view of Sicily. Mount Etna, Sicily's resident volcano dominates the skyline as well from Taormina. Every resident of Taormina is amicable, and by the time that I left, I had made friends with many different store owners. Every time I walked down the street, I dropped in to say Ciao! Taormina is also a relatively short bus trip to Catania, one of the major cities of Sicily.
I also had the fortune of staying in a host family. This was one of the things that made Taormina and Babilonia unforgettable. Lucio and Olga provided me with everything I needed, and more. They treated me to home cooked food, Sicilian delicacies, and wonderful stories.
I know I will return to Sicily, and I am sure I will be welcomed back with open arms.

I had an absolutely wonderful experience with Babilonia. I not only learned the language, but learned about the local culture from the teachers. They have a super supportive staff that guided us through the process, but gave us enough space to develop on independently.

This past summer I studied abroad at Babilonia and had a great experience. I took Italian language classes as well as a literature class. I lived in a great apartment with one other person from the program, and I had a daily walk of only about six to seven minutes to get to the school. Every day consisted of three hours of language classes with students from all over the world, which forced us to communicate in Italian most of the time. There were also weekly cultural activities and excursions organized by the school that students could take advantage of. Taormina is absolutey beautiful and very safe. It is small so everywhere is within walking distance. Most days after school I would get lunch with my friends somewhere nearby then go back to the school for a cultural activity or walk down to the beach, which is a little bit of a trek, but it's worth it. Since I had my own apartment and didn't live with a host family, I was also able to cook myself dinner most nights which was nice. While I was there, the annual film festival was going on during which movies were screened in the ancient Greek theater, and all throughout the summer there were similar activites going on, such as an opera, which made added to the cultural experience of the program. Overall it was an amazing experience and I would definitely recommend it.

When I first read about Sicily I was excited and I was not disappointed
by Babilonia and Taormina. The school, the students and the teachers
were all wonderful, interesting and fun. The school itself is situated on a beautiful garden and it was always lovely to look out the classroom door to see the trees and flowers which were like a garden of Eden.
I learned so much, made friends and had the time of my life. I will never forget Babilonia, Taormina and, in fact, I hope to go back someday.