If you learned Italian in the United States, then, you travelled to Italy was it hard or easy to use your Italian skills?

Allen Bertimioli

About five years ago my wife and I finally decided that it was time to fulfill our dream to visit Italy. In preparation for our two-week trip, I did a little work with some miscellaneous apps to learn how to be polite, order food and say hello. Our first journey took us to major tourist destinations (Venice, Rome, Florence). I was pleasantly surprised to find that a large number of Italians spoke English very well. However, while visiting the city that my Nonno was born and returned to die, Ascoli Piceno, I discovered cousins that I did not know existed. This started relationships that I had never even imagined. I became Facebook friends with one of my cousins. Two years later, we decided to return. We planned to visit smaller, less touristy locations and spend intentional time getting to know my cousins in Ascoli. This time, in preparation, I decided to get serious about learning some Italian. I used the Duolingo app. I went though it twice over 7 months prior to our trip. Once in Italy, I found my Italian to be very useful. I was able to have basic, simple conversations, but the greatest difference was that I understood people much better.

The big test came when I visited my cousins where, to our surprise, we discovered that my cousin had been using Google translate and did not speak one word of English. One of the objectives of wanting to learn Italian was that I wanted to learn some of the stories of my Nonno and his brother, whom my cousins had descended from. I found that I was able to basically understand them and even ask questions.

After returning to the US my cousin shared that he wanted to come visit us for Christmas (yes one month from now.) That was about 6 months ago so I returned to Duolingo. I found that I wasn’t improving. So I decided to try Rosetta Stone. As a result, I now feel that I can have any conversation with my cousin while he is here. I still have to translate in my head, a reality that I will probably not overcome without immersion into Italian culture. I have run into Italians at the Grand Canyon and on a recent cruise. While I know that I mess up a lot, especially with tenses, I am able to actually build relationships, give instructions or advise and answer questions. It has been wonderful to feel a deeper sense of connection with people who I would never had been able to know had I not tried here at home. We plan to go back next year.