the magic of the ancient world awaits

a place where mythology, archaeology, and the Italian language and culture meet in a spirit of creativity, scholarship, and curiosity

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Welcome

A corner of Rhode Island, sharing a love of the classical world.

The Ariadne Institute was born from a desire to share what makes us most human: language, stories, heritage. We teach the myths of Greece and Rome and the living language of Italy, not from a curriculum kit, but from life, and years spent among the ruins, libraries, people, and streets where these subjects were born.

Programs

Ages 5–9

12 sessions · 60 minutes · once a week

  • Winged Words The myths of Greece and Rome, gently explored: making the monsters, heroes, gods, and goddesses come alive through stories, song, and hands-on crafts.
  • Topolini Tiny steps into the Italian language, through songs, movement, play, and craft, all steeped in the culture and traditions of Italy.

$375 per child

Siblings 20% off · Limited to 12 students

Ages 10+

12 sessions · 60 minutes · once a week

  • Stories in Stone A deeper dive into the meanings woven into Greek and Roman mythology, why they still matter, and how they continue to shape us today; brought to life through interactive storytelling and hands-on projects.
  • Scugnizzi Weaving the language and culture into a deeper exploration of Italy, through conversation, stories, songs, and crafts.

$375 per child

Siblings 20% off · Limited to 12 students

Ages 9+

12 sessions · 60 minutes · once a week

  • Stories Unearthed Uncovering the ancient world, while understanding what archaeologists really do, through hands-on mock digs, crafts, maps, and artifacts.

$375 per child

Siblings 20% off · Limited to 12 students

Scheduling and location coming soon. New classes, including Latin, will join the program rotation in future sessions. Sign up with interest below for updates!

Launching Fall 2026

A glimpse of our world

Where these subjects come alive

The Caryatids of the Erechtheion on the Acropolis, Athens
The Caryatids · Acropolis, Athens
The Colosseum in Rome at golden hour, a bird crossing the sky
The Colosseum · Rome
The Serpent Column at the sanctuary of Delphi, mountains beyond
The Serpent Column · Delphi
An olive tree before the Erechtheion and the Caryatid porch, Athens
Athena’s Olive · The Erechtheion, Athens
The Capitoline Wolf nursing Romulus and Remus, Capitoline Museums, Rome
The Capitoline Wolf · Rome

All pictures are sourced from my own adventures!

Our Approach

We believe heritage and culture are two of our greatest gifts as humans: rich life-experiences that deserve to be heard, touched, felt, tasted, explored, and seen by everyone, not just the places and people they come from; and both need constant tending and care. We believe in being custodians of these great gifts, and in spreading that joy and custodial fire to others; most importantly, children.

We are both weavers and wearers; like Ariadne, the thread and the guide.

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled,
but a fire to be kindled.”Plutarch, On Listening

The nine Muses, from a Roman sarcophagus of about 150 AD in the Louvre

the canonical Nine Muses: keepers of the firesfrom a Roman sarcophagus, the Louvre

Ciao! Salvete! Χαίρετε! My name is Bianca.

The ancient world took hold of my heart as a small child, watching my Italian grandfather draw pictures of the great Roman aqueducts, and tell enchanting stories about the Etruscans. I have followed those threads ever since: through degrees in Classical Studies and Archaeology, years of teaching Italian, Mythology, and Archaeology in schools, and in travel and excavations around the Mediterranean world I teach. Ariadne Institute grew from a simple desire to make these subjects more accessible: to every age, every curiosity, and every kind of learner.

This academy is a love letter: as an Italian-Armenian American, raised around big tables full of family, on stories, songs, foods, and traditions far older than any textbook, I have known all my life how heritage can anchor and inspire a person. The ancient world holds that same power: its temples and myths, its languages and daily rituals, still warm to the touch after thousands of years. My deepest desire is to carry these torches of culture and heritage forward, and to pass their fire, carefully and joyfully, into new hands.

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