Language Barrier - Italy
 

I'm traveling solo to Italy in a couple of weeks and have some concerns about being able to effectively communicate while there. I don't like having a set itinerary and my fear is that I won't be able to get where I want to go or find a decent hotel if I can't communicate with the locals. Any thoughts or advice?

Hi Dubs, First of all, you'll be surprised how many people have a basic knowledge of English. In cities you'll find more English; off the beaten path it might be more difficult. But not to worry, that's part of the adventure. Bring along a English to Italian dictionary. Arm yourself with some basic phrases. But beware that if you have a good starter sentence that's something other than "non parlo italiano" you're likely to get a response you can't understand. :-)

Know some basics:
Buon Giorno (Buona Serra)= Hello (after 4 pm)
Per favore, grazie = Please, thank you
Parla englise? = Do you speak English

Have a great trip!

I wouldn`t worry at all. We have asked in foreign countries, how come so many peope speak english. They said CNN! Also, many people take english in schools.

Learn to say as fluently as you possibly can in Italian with proper inflection ... "I'm sorry, I don't speak Italian" and smile with sincere regret.

My bilingual friend who lives in Europe explains, especially in normal services (bakery, hotel, farmers market, small shops)... they have something they would like to sell, and you have money and want to buy it... believe me, you both figure it out.

I would not bother attempting phrases like "How do I get to whatever?" because as Grasshopper mentioned, you will not understand their answer, even if you can manage a coherent question.

You are approaching busy season in Italy. I personally would not travel without hotel reservations. I like to choose my neighborhood for travel in Italy whether I go solo or not.

I have been to Italy a dozen times and it is my favorite place in the world.

IMHO, I would avoid the areas around the stations.

Language is not a major problem but if you have a few weeks, you can make an effort to learn the basics.

It will enhance your trip.

Hi Dubs, have no idea where in Italy you are traveling through. All major cities will have a tourist oriented employee speaking English. Very small villages may not.

Younger people have several years of English classes in their schools so they will not perhaps speak perfect English but they will be able to understand you and no doubt be happy to practice their English with you.

Do take an English/Italian Dictionary with you. Regarding not making hotel reservations as you travel through Italy. Most cities/town have a Tourist Bureau. Go there. You should find an employee that you can converse with.

It sounds like perhaps this trip was a last minute decision and so you are not feeling prepared. Traveling by train are you? Do you have that figured out? May I suggest that you might want to jump over to the Europe Board. Much more activity there and if you post there and also give your itinerary, how you will travel throughout your trip etc. I imagine you will have more responses.

You will be fine in Italy but IMHO it seems like you need to do a bit of preperation before you leave for your vacation. Best wishes to you.

If you speak really loud and slow they will understand your English better.

Any tourist office that you stop at usaully has English speaking emoployees. Learn some basic Italian. Do you speak English, thank you, excuse me, where is the toilet, etc. In the more touristy towns, they speak more English, in smaller towns, it is not as common. Do not use contraction: say "is not" instead of "isn't". Even if you cannot tell them what you want, pointing works. Do not get upset if a person does not understand you.

While I understand about setting an itinerary, a basic idea of where you want to go is good. If you have a base city or two, you can take day trips from there.

I also suggest finding rooms ahead of time. At some tourist offices, you can check on hotels. Be leary of people approching you at train stations stating they can get you rooms. While this may be true, you have no idea of the saftey or kind of romm you will get.

In Rome, Florence, Pompeii, Pisa the train station area is ok, but noisy. Naples is a BIG exception to this. Get as far away from it as possible and do not walk in that area at night.

The Slow Travel site has some terrific practical information for traveling in Italy, including some of the most useful language tips I've seen. Check it out at http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/instructions/index.htm