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So you’re going to Italy and that means you finally have a chance to put your Italian language skills to work.
But how can you do that?
Especially when you may naturally end up in the more touristy areas of Florence, Rome, and Venice where many speak English.
If you are in the midst of planning your trip and want to build it more around honing your language skills while enjoying the trip, start at the beginning.
If you already have your trip planned and need some quick tips on what you can do in addition, start at part 2.
But no matter which category you fall into, here are the two overlying principles you need to remember.
1.) You have to declare to yourself that you will get out of your comfort zone.
2.) You have to make it your mission to let defaulting back to English your last option. (If you need help buffing up your Italian language skills before your trip, the Not Your Typical Tourist Workbook might be the answer you’ve been looking for.)
Part 1: How to Build Your Trip Around Speaking Italian in Italy
— At each point or at least at one point in your trip, stay with a host in a home-stay program. There are many available, like Lucia on the Studentessa Matta blog, and most can be found through language schools or individual teachers.
— Start taking lessons from professional teachers or informal tutors on a site like Italki from native Italians who live in Italy. Then make a plan to visit them and take lessons in person while you’re there.
— Meet some language partners on sites like Italki or Interpals. Get to know them prior and if it feels right, visit them while in Italy. You’ll get lots of speaking practice and a deeper view into the everyday language. Plus you’ll get insider tips on where to go and what to do.
— If you like a more traditional feel, look into language schools in the places you’re visiting. They’ll often have individual lessons or small weekly classes you can drop in on.
— Before you choose your itinerary, keep in mind that smaller towns with less of a tourist footprint will typically have more native Italians who don’t speak English, which forces you to speak Italian.
Some of my favorite small towns are:
— Gubbio
— Orvieto (Read: How to Learn Italian in Orvieto)
— Viterbo
— San Gimignano
But there are lots, so don’t let that tiny list limit you.
In fact, here’s a list I found a small towns in Italy: Seven Places Off the Tourist Map.
— You may want to consider traveling solo. This makes you less dependent on speaking English with your travel companion. If you can’t do this, explaining to whomever you’re traveling with that practicing Italian is one of your main focuses will make you more productive.
— Look up language specific retreats. Retreats in general are popping up all over the place, and there are many that focus specifically on learning Italian. If you want the experience without the headache of planning a trip, you may want to consider these.
A couple that I know of are here:
Not Your Typical Tourist Retreat (this is one that I host with Rachel!)
Studentessa Matta Italian Trips
The fabulous customized classes offered at Toscana Mia
— Join CouchSurfing.com and post that you’ll be in XYZ city and that you’re looking for a language partner to practice with.
I used CouchSurfing.com while in Italy and France and found so much value from it.
In Aix-en-Provence I stayed with the coolest French guy EVER (No seriously. He had ridden a bike from France to India.) and I was able to meet all of his friends, learn everyday French and get a better feel for the culture and the mindset.
My advice for safety is just to read each profile carefully of people who contact you, which includes making sure there is a picture, reading all of the reviews, and making sure at least 75% of the profile is filled out.
Part 2. Create Mini-Missions to Practice Your Italian While in Italy
One of the best ways I know to push yourself out of your comfort zone and get practice in Italian is to play a game with yourself.
So not in the sad “I’m playing a game by myself because I’m alone” kind of way, but in a way where you know what to do next to get to the next level.
Below you’ll find 29 mini missions that you can try on your trip to practice your Italian. If you need the phrases and dialogues that go along with these challenges, check out the Not Your Typical Tourist Workbook.
— On all of your tours, especially in museums, opt for the Italian language handheld. I believe some of them switch between languages so you may be able to switch between English and Italian to make sure you’re understanding everything correctly. Yeah, it may take more time. But you’re here with the intention to learn the language, so you’ll be fine.
— On that same note, find tours that are specifically for Italian speakers instead of English speakers. You might not catch every word, but a challenge might be exactly what you need to keep your head in the game.
Here are a couple Italian-speaking tours in Italy:
Guide Turistiche di Roma
Guida Turistica Firenze
— ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS…even if you already know the answer. By this, I don’t mean obvious questions like “Is this door green?” But if you’re shopping and you can’t find the eggs, ask where they are. Ask if a shirt comes in any other colors. Engage in conversation through questions whenever possible.
— Walk into an Italian bookstore, ask for a recommendation and start a conversation around the types of books you like to read.
— Buy a book in Italian. Try to read it.
— Ask the bookseller was his/her favorite books are.
— Ask a random person in a bar {like the kind of bar that sells coffee} how they’re doing. Use the formal.
Not sure what it means to use the informal/formal? Read this article.
— Pretend to be lost and then ask directions from a friendly-looking person.
— Actually be lost and then ask directions from a friendly-looking person.
Want to know what to say when you get lost? Read this article.
— Ask someone on the train if you’re going in the right direction.
— Ask your taxi driver about the weather.
— Go to an open-air market and ask a vendor where {insert food} is.
— Go to the supermarket, and get bread and cheese from the person behind the counter.
Want to know what questions to ask in a market? Read this article.
— Ask the front desk person where you should eat in the area.
— Tell your waiter how much you enjoyed your food.
— Order some food to go.
— Go out to a pub or i locali notturni and strike up small talk with anyone friendly looking.
— Ask any Italian who their favorite singers are.
— Go to a record store, and ask the clerk who his/her favorite singers are.
— Ask the front desk person what their favorite region of Italy is.
— Ask your waiter at each restaurant what dishes you should try while you’re in Italy.
— Compliment an Italian.
— Ask the front desk at your hotel/hostel what you can ?do at night and on the weekends.
— Buy yourself – or someone else – a drink.
— Go to a discoteca.
— Go to a pasticceria and ask what two items are, and then buy them.
— Go to the cinema, and watch a movie in Italian.
— Take a yoga/any exercise class in Italian.
Want to practice before you go? Check out this YouTube video in Italian for Yoga and this one in Italian for Pilates.
Want to learn faster + sound more like a native in Italian?
Rocket Italian will offer you the structure you’ve been craving with learning Italian, tools to whip your pronunciation into shape, and plenty of review for what you learn as you go along the course.
My favorite part about Rocket Italian is their healthy balance between the phrases that are fun to learn, the grammar you need to know, the practice for understanding Italian, and the pronunciation that will get you speaking with confidence. Check out this article to read more about.
