Can you get by in Italy without speaking Italian?

Anyone traveling to Italy for the first time asks the same question sooner or later: will I get by with English? Or should I perhaps learn a few sentences of Italian after all?

On the internet, the answers vary widely. Some travelers claim that everyone speaks English. Others say that even the waiter in a tourist restaurant didn't understand a simple question.

The reality is (as always) more complicated. Anyone looking at the figures will discover a striking paradox: Italy receives tens of millions of foreign visitors annually, yet it is not among the European countries where foreign languages ​​are most spoken.

Italy is no foreign language champion

According to the most recent Eurobarometer survey 'Europeans and their Languages' 59 percent of the inhabitants of the European Union can hold a conversation in at least one foreign language. In addition, 47 percent of Europeans say they speak English as a second language.

Within Europe, Italy has not been among the leaders when it comes to language proficiency for years. In previous Eurobarometer surveys, only slightly more than a third of the Italians to have a sufficient command of a foreign language to hold a conversation.

According to the latest edition of the EF English Proficiency Index Italy ranks 59th worldwide out of 123 countries surveyed. Within Europe, the country is even among the lowest-scoring. In 2025, Italy finished in 35th place out of 37 European countries.

That does not mean that Italians do not learn English. On the contrary: virtually all students are taught English at school. However, there appears to be a significant difference between education and actual use.

Interestingly, Italy scores particularly low on speaking skills. In the EF measurements, the score for speaking is significantly lower than that for reading and listening. An Italian often understands more English than he or she dares to speak.

You notice that difference as a traveler. While in the Netherlands, Belgium, Scandinavia, or many parts of Germany you can often automatically switch to English, that is less self-evident in Italy.

There are several causes for this. First of all, Italy is a large language area. With nearly 60 million inhabitants, many Italians can easily lead their daily lives without ever needing another language.

In addition, foreign films and television series are traditionally dubbed. Whereas Northern Europeans are exposed to English-language media from an early age, Italians usually hear Italian voices. Naturally, this is now changing rapidly in the era of individualistic 'social' media.

Age also plays an important role. According to the Eurobarometer, about 70 percent of young Europeans aged 15 to 24 speak English. In Italy, you see the same pattern: young people speak better English on average than older generations.

Why tourists often have a different perception

Yet you hear many visitors say that they managed perfectly well with English. That is not surprising. After all, the average tourist does not meet a typical Italian. He speaks mainly with people who work with foreigners on a daily basis:

• hotel staff
• camping receptionists
• tourist guides
• museum employees
• airport staff
• waiters in restaurants in tourist areas

The language level of staff here is often considerably higher than the national average. Anyone vacationing exclusively at Lake Garda, in Tuscany, Rome, or Venice can therefore easily get the impression that virtually everyone speaks English.

Outside the tourist areas, the picture changes.

As soon as you leave the well-trodden routes, English becomes less of a given. In small villages, family businesses, local cafes, and at markets, many Italians speak little or no English. Older residents, in particular, know only Italian.

Just try striking up a conversation with a local baker in a small village in Umbria, a garage owner in Basilicata, or a fishmonger at a market in Sicily. The picture often changes quickly.

That doesn't mean you will run into problems. Italians are known for their willingness to help visitors, even if communication is difficult. With a smile, some hand gestures, and a smartphone, you can often get surprisingly far. But it is precisely here that you realize how valuable a few words of Italian can be.

Differences between North and South

Significant regional differences also exist within Italy. According to data from the EF English Proficiency Index, regions such as Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, and Trentino-South Tyrol score significantly better on English language proficiency than many regions in Southern Italy.

That difference is due, among other things, to economic development, international trade, and the share of foreign visitors.

For travelers, this means that English often works better in cities like Milan, Bologna, and Verona than in remote areas of Calabria, Basilicata, or Sicily.

For German, Austrian, and Swiss tourists, the situation is different again. In South Tyrol, German is an official language alongside Italian. Also, around Lake Garda and in parts of Trentino and Veneto, many hotels, campsites, and restaurants are strongly geared towards German-speaking guests.

That is the result of decades of tourism from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Someone who speaks German can sometimes even manage more easily in parts of Northern Italy than someone who speaks exclusively English.

So: can you manage without Italian?

For most holidaymakers, a lack of knowledge of Italian does not pose a serious obstacle. In hotels, restaurants, campsites, and tourist attractions, communication usually works fine with English, and in some regions also with German.

But there is a difference between save you en making real contactAnyone who does not speak Italian can travel through Italy without any problems.

Those who speak a few words of Italian often discover a different side of the country. A conversation with the owner of an agriturismo, a recommendation from a market vendor, or a chat with the waiter suddenly becomes much easier.

Perhaps that is the most important conclusion. You don't need Italian to visit Italy. But a little Italian often makes Italy a lot more accessible.

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Sources

• European Commission, Eurobarometer 2024 – Europeans and their Languages.
• European Commission, Directorate-General for Translation, figures on language proficiency within the EU.
• EF English Proficiency Index 2025.