"apprendere" e "imparare" hanno lo stesso significato, ma in alcuni casi si preferisce "imparare":
"Ho imparato a guidare" - I learnt to drive a car
If you did something of wrong and someone scolded you, you could say:
"Ho imparato la lezione" - I got it, and I will never do it again
"apprendere" sometimes is slightly stronger than "imparare". "Apprendere" comes from "ad" + "prendere" (to catch)
that's what I learnt from life:
"questo è quello che ho imparato dalla vita"
"questo è quello che ho appreso dalla vita"
the meaning is the same, but the second one means also what I learnt and what I catched (in my mind and in my heart) from life
Be careful:
"apprendere" has also other meanings, in this case is different from "imparare":
hear, to find out.
"Ho appreso la notizia solo oggi" - I heard the news just today