La Giara

La Giara is a school that differs from other language schools we have experienced, as the other schools were more institutionalized.

Gianni, the Director, is a wise and experienced teacher who deals with his students on a personal level.
La Giara is a small school in a traditional house in the heart of the old part of Mola di Bari.

As our one-week course (=too short!) started on Easter Monday (traditionally a Holiday in Italy) there were only four students. The result was Private grammar lessons of 1.5 hours daily, followed by 1,5-2 hour conversations with Gianni with all four students. We have enjoyed this personalized experience very much.

One afternoon Gianni treated us to a visit to his family vineyard where he explained the ins and outs of growing consumer grapes. In interesting experience.

In contrast to the bustling and touristy city of Bari, nearby Mola di Bari is a quiet town where one can concentrate on the learning process without being distracted, Some restaurants we recommend are Van Westerhout (upscale), La Cantina del Briganti and Pizzeria Da Aldo. And, of course, there are many excellent ice cream shops.

We rented a traditional Puglia house in a narrow alleyway in the old town. Quite an experience, if you don't mind the 3 flights of stairs to reach your kitchen/living space, your bedroom and your bathroom. Each floor has a small balcony.

Mi è piaciuta il metodo di Gianni. Fare esercizi e allo stesso tempo qualche ripasso di grammatica. Anche la ripartizione fra la scuola e il bar.

I spent a fantastic week here! The school was excellent, with great teachers who made learning both effective and enjoyable. The location is beautiful — right by the sea — and the atmosphere felt truly Italian and authentic. It's also conveniently close to Bari, with easy flight connections, and exploring Puglia was both interesting and simple. A perfect mix of study, culture, and relaxation. Highly recommended!

Authentic, competent, flexible stay at the school. The teachers are very well. Lovely and friendly city.

WE spent two hours on grammar, had a pause, then two hours in a conversation group outside the classroom. The student were enthusiastic, which made for a better learning environement.

I would have liked to have ana additional outside activity, such as going to the market or having a cooking class, where we could learn the vocabulary and d put into practice Italian day to day life. We did go to a working table grape farm where we learned a lot of new terms and way of expressing ourselves.

I had a couple semesters of Italian in college, which was 40+ years ago.....had stayed in Ticino for a month or so....had travelled multiple times to Italy. But, I needed an intensive one to one course and La Giara satisfied that. And, I'll be back in 6 weeks to continue my classes, which should say something.

I stayed down in Polignano and took the train up to Mola each day (1.20 Euro btw) and walked to the language school (15 minutes). My teacher Rosella quickly figured out my strengths and weaknesses and pushed forward in the areas I needed help.

Soon, 2 hours went by fast....and then the rest of the day I was immersed in asking for directions, listening for how much something cost, going to la lavanderia, going grocery shopping...ie, immersion.

Puglia is wonderful. If you've done the usual Como, Milano, Cinque Terre, N Italian thing.......give southern Italy a try. I hadn't been south of Rome and I absolutely loved it. The school, the towns, the train line, the history, the food......absolutely should not be missed.

PS- I did an AirBnb in Polignano, so I didn't use school housing. Also, I was there in November taking a 1 on 1 course.....so, I had no school "activities" to report on. But, the location, the teaching, the learning...........totally top notch and highly recommnended.

I liked everything. There was nothing I did not like. I will consider returning at some time in the future.

The school was located in a very calmed area of Mola di Bari, which made easy to go and park the car.
Giani, the teacher, was very good at teaching concepts which I found very useful.
I liked the activities organized by the school, I found them either interesting or fun.

I really liked the conversational approach that Giani took regarding the classes, making everything more useful and not too focused on grammar.

The only detail that I did not like that much was the school furniture, for the chairs were a bit old so it was not too comfortable. Despite of that I really recommend the experience.

The location fitted with where I was already staying, conveniently located within walking distance from the train station. I provided my own accommodation, consequently I didn’t explore the town or wider community that much.

The teacher was welcoming and generally respectful of each individual’s ability. His willingness to organise an additional excursion to a local town of historic interest greatly enhanced my experience of the week’s study.

My overall aim was to help build my confidence in Italian conversation, which was really helped by our daily gatherings at the local bar over coffee.

I had a fantastic stay in Mola. Mola is just a very little town, with nearly no tourists, everybody knows everybody.The school is situated in the middle of everything. The teacher is so great, that I felt tears in my eyes during the lessons. Bari is not far away and easy to reach by train, also Monopoli and Polignano.I loved everything.

Warm friendly atmosphere. Teachers explain very clearly, but if something is unclear, they will willingly repeat. In addition to practical language skills, we were shown a lot and told about the history of the city and the region, their traditions and culture. Wonderful school and the people who work there. Giovanni, Rossella, thank you so much for your knowledge!
In addition, the school is located in a completely non-touristic city, which gave me the maximum immersion in the language environment!

I loved my course at La Giara. It is a small school with nice and experienced teachers. The lessons were fun and I learned a lot. He lessons were from 9 till 1, the first 2 hours were grammatical lessons, and after that we went with all the students and 1 teacher to a bar to practise speaking in Italian. This was really great, cause it gives you the opportunity to learn from eachother and use the grammatical structures that we studied earlier in the morning. Another good thing is that they also do excursion to cities in the province, so you also get some cultural knowledge.