The Best Italian Classes in Rome in 2026: 6 Options Ranked

The best Italian classes in Rome are the ones that get you saying Italian out loud, to someone who answers, within the first fortnight. Most of the city's evening courses meet twice a week after work, and every minute of each class is shared with the rest of the group.

Rome has plenty of choice: private schools with small evening groups, schools that sell 10-week blocks rather than terms, and a state adult-education centre that teaches Italian for a voluntary contribution. Which one suits you depends on your budget, your evenings, and whether you need a certificate for a residence permit or citizenship.

This guide is for adults in Rome comparing ways to learn Italian by what each costs, when it runs, and how much speaking it actually gives you.

How we ranked them

We compared six ways to learn on the five things that matter most to someone starting out in Rome:

1. Speaking practice per session: how much of the time you spend saying Italian yourself. For a class, at most the session divided by the group size.
2. Feedback: whether someone answers or corrects what you actually said.
3. Schedule fit: whether it runs in the evening or at any hour, and how soon you can start.
4. Honest price: the published price for 12 weeks of evening classes where the school sells them, otherwise its nearest published block, from each provider's own website.
5. What you come away with: whether you end with a certificate, and whether it counts for a residence permit.

No option wins all five, so the order weighs them together. Prices were checked in November 2026.

Should you use more than one?

Yes, and it costs less than adding a weekly tutor. A Rome class gives you a routine, a teacher in the room and, at a CPIA or at a school that holds the CILS or PLIDA exam, a route to the A2 certificate the long-term permit asks for. What it can't give you is much time talking: a 90-minute class at Expats Living in Rome, shared by up to eight, leaves each of you about eleven minutes at most when the class is full, before the teacher says anything. Daily speaking practice fills that gap: 15 minutes a day of saying it yourself is what lets you order at the bar without rehearsing first.

When to upgrade from your first pick

Most learners in Rome hit the same wall: they follow the class, then go blank when the man behind the counter at the alimentari asks what they would like. That is the moment for one-to-one time: a private tutor in Rome costs about €28–31 an hour on average on Preply. Expats Living in Rome builds a little of it into its package.

The other upgrade is the exam. For the EU long-term residence permit you need A2 (DM 4 June 2010, art. 2 (1)), shown by the state test or a recognised certificate such as the CILS A2 Integration or PLIDA A2. For citizenship you need B1 (Law 91/1992, art. 9.1). Our guide to CILS B1 Cittadinanza preparation in Rome compares ways to prepare for one exam that proves it.

Which one should you choose?

Pick the one that fixes where you get stuck.

• You want two evenings a week in a small class for the lowest price per hour: Kappa Language School.
• You understand Italian but freeze when you have to speak: Echoa, every day, for €39 a month.
• You want a 12-week evening course for the lowest course fee among the schools, starting when you are ready: Expats Living in Rome.
• You need an A2 certificate for the long-term permit and can wait for a place: CPIA 4 Roma.
• You are a complete beginner and want a fixed A1 term with everything included: Accademia Studioitalia.
• You want to move fast and can give three evenings a week: Language in Italy.

Most people will want a class and one other thing. If speaking is the part that worries you, make it Echoa: lesson 1 takes about 15 minutes and ends with you booking a table for two, out loud, in Italian. The first 3 lessons are free. No card needed.

Frequently asked questions

How much do Italian classes in Rome cost?

Twelve weeks of evening group classes cost about €355–370 at the ranked schools, for 35–40 hours in class. Scuola Leonardo da Vinci charges €480 plus €80 enrolment fee, valid 12 months, and Ciao Italia €450 plus €45 registration fee, including course materials, entry test and certificate. Schools that sell shorter blocks charge €300 for 10 weeks at Kappa and €700 for 8 weeks at Dilit. A private tutor costs about €28–31 an hour on average on Preply. Echoa is €39 a month for every language course, with the first 3 lessons free.

Are there free or cheap Italian classes in Rome?

Yes. The state adult-education centres (CPIA) run Italian courses from pre-A1 to B1 for a voluntary contribution; an A2 certificate from a CPIA course exempts you from the long-term permit language test. You enrol with CPIA 4 Roma and the school tells you where and when your class meets.

What level of Italian do I need for a residence permit or citizenship?

A2 for the EU long-term residence permit (DM 4 June 2010, art. 2 (1)), and a spoken A2 is the aim of the integration agreement you sign with your first permit (DPR 179/2011, art. 2 (4)(a)). For citizenship by naturalisation or marriage, B1 (Law 91/1992, art. 9.1). An A2 certificate from a body the decree recognises replaces the long-term permit language test. If citizenship is the reason, read what the CILS B1 Cittadinanza asks before you book.

How long does it take to finish A1?

At Accademia Studioitalia, one 12-week term of about 35 hours. The other schools sell terms or blocks by level rather than a whole A1, so ask the school how many make A1.

Can I take Italian classes in the evening?

Yes. Kappa, Accademia Studioitalia, Scuola Leonardo da Vinci, Expats Living in Rome and Language in Italy all run evening groups. Dilit is the exception: its small groups of 2–5 meet by day and in the early evening.

Do I need a laptop, or is the phone enough?

For Echoa, the phone is enough: it works on your phone or computer. For the classes, you need to be in Rome on the evenings they meet, or online for Kappa's Zoom course. If you are comparing language apps, Babbel vs Pimsleur for Italian sets the two side by side.

About Echoa

Italian. Accelerated. Echoa is a speaking course on your phone or computer, in German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch and Italian. In each 15-minute lesson you build sentences and say them out loud, and Sam answers every one. Real conversations in 20 hours. A2 in weeks, not years. It costs €39 a month for every language course, and the first 3 lessons are free. We compare classes the same way in other cities: German courses in Zurich, Spanish classes in Madrid, French classes in Paris, Portuguese classes in Lisbon and Dutch courses in Amsterdam.