Hi,
The forums here are an excellent source of info!! I am planning a 7 day trip to Rome during the first week of April, and I am a liitle scared now because I dont' speak Italian!! Am I doomed?!! Will I be able to navigate around and still enjoy myself?
Thanks

Millions of non-Italian speakers visit Rome every year. You'll be fine.

But as a courtesy to your hosts, it's always good to learn basic words like please, thank you, hello and goodbye, etc. Also a smile and a friendly tone goes a long way in getting people to help you.

I bought the Pimsleur 10 day Italian lesson CDs before we went, and it was nice to be able to speak the basics to people. Even as little as please, thank you, good day, etc. goes a long way as the previous poster said. You'll certainly be able to get by in Rome without more than that (or even that if you choose not to).

not everyone speaqks English but plenty of people do. You shouldn't have any problems. Take a phrase book just in case.
Carolena

We have found in the touris areasof rome someone always speaks - usualy fluent - english. but not every person in every place. And if you're in a local neighborhood and go into the grocer for example they may speak very little - or none. So - if you're renting an apartment you really should learn some of the basics - if staying in a hotel you can get by with none - but it's much more polite to learn at least greetings and thanks.

What's most useful is a menu reader - which describes dishes - not just ingredients. That way you're not stuck in those horrible tourist restaurant with pictures of the food - or bad transslations of each dish under the national flag. Berlitz has a very small printed one that covers about 14 countries - got it at B&N I think.

You are not doomed, you will love Rome and will have the opportunity of exploring for a week, you are so fortunate. Rome was our #1 place in Italy, we had 4 nights there and didn't want to leave.

Stay near the Pantheon, within walking distance. Great location.

You will greatly enrich your experience if you learn a little Italian before you leave. It is very rewarding to try out your newly learned Italian...buon giorno, buonna note...buonna sera...grazie... with an Italian speaker. I enjoyed tapes with basic Italian set to music which you can play in your car...I can't remember which brand it was, sorry, if I remember I'll pop back here and let you know. Get some tapes and learn a little bit of Italian, these phrases are very helpful:

thank you
please
one, two, three
bottle of water
toilet
where is ___________
excuse me
good morning
good afternoon
good evening
"I speak a tiny bit of Italian" (hold your fingers up indicating a tiny bit!)
or "I am learning Italian".

That will get you off to a good start! You would be surprised how much more Italian you can pick up in your week in Rome, just by practicing these phrases with your waiter, your cashier, etc.

Many people who work with the public in Rome do speak some English. Some people don't speak any English. Others speak a little bit of English.

People working at hotels where English-speaking tourists regularly stay usually speak English fluently.

You might find the BBC's site helpful:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/italian/quickfix/

I used this site for our trip this past weekend and it was helpful as a refresher. I studied Italian ten years ago using Pimsleur tapes and I was amazed at how much I remembered on this trip.

Enjoy Rome, it's a wonderful city!

Having a little book that explains the items you see on a menu is an excellent tip. I speak more than a little Italian and have been to Italy many times, and yet a menu can still puzzle me.

I've studied a bit of Italian off and on for several years, but can rarely use it in Rome because I seldom encounter anyone in the tourist zone (museum, hotel, restaurant, and shop personnel) who does not speak pretty good English.
However, everyone seems to appreciate my efforts in Italian before we switch to English to accomplish our transaction more efficiently.
You may be amazed at how many people address you in English even before you utter a word. It is the second langage of most of the world, so if you look a bit puzzled, that's the one the locals will use. You will do fine.
Buon viaggio.

The first thing you want to learn is "Mi scusi, parla inglese?" <excuse me, so you speak english?> if they answer yes you are in. Like others said learn how to say please & thank you, etc. Your trip will go just fine!
Ciao

Hi

My wife and I went to Rome last summer and we had a great time there. We don't speak any Italian but we managed to get by withouy to many problems But maybe you can learn a few useful phrases on www.travlang.com. I have posted a trip report with pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/rome_italy.htm . Maybe you can find some useful information there.

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway

Just wave those Euros, that's the universal language.

Actually, I mostly asked "Parla Inglese?"

Nobody seemed to take it as brusque or short and mostly they said "A little."

I travel to Rome for work usually once a week and still smile when the Italians tell me that their English is not good-they are more fluent than some Americans at times! You will have no problems if you have some of the basic phrases down....check,please/how much/where in terms of directions and please and thank you.As I always tell people-its amazing how fluent I become with a couple glasses of red wine in me?????
Have a great trip-Rome is magical!

Thank you, Thank you for all of the wonderful tips!! I fill alot better now knowing that I can still enjoy myself without being fluent in Italian. I will most defintely start practicing some common phrases!!!
Thanks Again