Verb conjugation of "imparare" in Italian

After testing the audio lab at the University of Bern, other universities such as the one in Zurich, ore the one in Geneva have shown interest. Of course, all this takes time. I will let you know.
It was the first time that we were on the Italian side of the lakes. It is amazing to see how different things can be on two sides of the border. People dress and behave differently. It was a great experience. I even used words from Lesson 45.
What is the past tense of 'to swim'? So either you say, I was swimming or yesterday I was swimming. Or: I was running yesterday vs. yesterday, I ran. You know the answer? I have no clue.