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Six Reasons to Learn Italian

Learn to eat, live and love like an Italian

From Six Reasons to Learn Italian by Michael San Filippo, updated March 14, 2018

When you have an innumerable amount of other “useful” languages to choose from, why would you choose Italian? It is a language spoken by around 59 million people, compared to Mandarin’s 935 million, for example.

Despite the fact that every day more and more Italians are learning English, there is still a huge appeal to learn la bella lingua.

Here are six reasons for you to study (or continue studying) Italian:

Investigate Your Family History

Many people feel drawn to Italian because it’s a part of their ancestry, and learning Italian can be a great tool to utilize as you. While you can do a lot of research in English, actually visiting your great grandfather’s birth town in Sicily will require more than just a list of survival phrases. To truly get a feel for the locals and hear stories about what the town was like while he was alive, you will need to know Italian. What’s more, being able to understand and tell stories to your living family members will add a depth and a richness to your relationships.

Experience a More Authentic Italy

Imagine that you’re going to Italy for ten days and you’ll be flitting between Rome, Pisa, Florence, and Venice. It would be relatively painless to get by with English. However, by learning enough Italian to order food at restaurants, ask for directions, shop at fashionable boutiques, and make small talk, you’ll see a more authentic side of Italy that typical tourists rarely experience.

Dive into Italian Literature and History

While there are plenty of the classic Italian texts translated from Italian to English, there is something magical about reading Boccaccio in its original native form. The language has changed a lot since the Renaissance, so you can’t be expected to understand every word. If you only need to reference, instead of rely on, the English version of the text, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the sentiment behind the literature and have a better appreciation of the historical context it was written in.

Improve Your Craft

Perhaps you're an aspiring musician who wants to learn what adagio, allegro, and andante mean, or an who wants to improve her pronunciation. If you engage in any kind of craft that has Italian influence, it’s likely you’ll find new techniques to explore, new artists to discover for inspiration, and a renewed passion for your art.

Improve Your Memory

If you’re at all concerned about the possibility of Alzheimer’s or Dementia, that learning a language can delay the negative effects for up to seven years. However, at this point, there is no evidence that learning foreign languages can prevent the diseases entirely.

Live in Italy

If you’ve ever dreamed of waking up and walking outside to be greeted by an Italian lifestyle, learning Italian is a must if you want to feel integrated and experience how Italians live. When you make friends or are able to participate comfortably in community events, you’ll find yourself behaving, speaking, and eating like an Italian. If you’re interested in researching how to move to Italy, here is a great place to start.

Why Italian?

From the Italian American Committee on Education

• A knowledge of Italian is important for people in business, the arts, technology and many professions. It also is useful for high school and university students planning careers in art, fashion, history, music, linguistics, education and international relations.
• Students preparing for the SATs who have studied Italian tend to score higher on vocabulary and grammar. The reason is simple: Italian developed from Latin and an estimated 60 percent of the English vocabulary also comes from Latin.
• Italian is the 4th foreign language most spoken in U.S. homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It also is spoken in Switzerland, parts of Africa, the Balkans, and the island of Malta.
• Italy is one of the top five economies and is a leading member of the G8 Group of the wealthiest democracies in the world.
• An estimated 7,500 American companies do business with Italy, and more than 1,000 U.S. firms have offices in Italy including IBM, General Electric, Motorola, Citibank and Price Waterhouse.
• Italy is a world leader in machine tool manufacturing, with advanced technologies in robotics, electro mechanical machinery, shipbuilding, space engineering, construction machinery, and transportation equipment. Many of these firms have offices in the United States.
• Italy's economy is changing: state-owned companies are becoming publicly held, opening up the Italian market to American investment.
• Italy is a world leader in the culinary arts, interior design, fashion, graphic design, furniture design, etc. Those planning careers in such fields benefit greatly from knowing Italian.
• Italy has long been a magnet for the tourism industry: in the Jubilee Year 2000, Rome alone hosted over 30 million visitors.
• Young Americans who want to become physicians, dentists, and veterinarians, but who cannot afford the tuition at American schools, can study at Italian universities for a fraction of the cost. Their degrees are valid in the U.S.
• Art historians need Italian. According to UNESCO (the cultural and educational agency of the United Nations), over 60 percent of the world's art treasures are found in Italy.

Arba Sicula

Arba Sicula (Queens, NY) is a nonprofit international organization that promotes the language and culture of Sicily.

Casa Italiana Zerilli - Marimò

Established in 1990, affiliated with New York University the Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo organization offers hundreds of events throughout the academic year pertaining to Italian culture, all of them free and open to the general public.

Coccia Foundation

Coccia Foundation supports various educational, cultural, and social events for the youth of the Italian and Italian American community, particularly those organized within institutions of higher education. The essential goal of the Foundation is not only to promote awareness of Italian and Italian American culture, history, and societal contributions, but to celebrate and preserve these areas for younger generations of Italian Americans in the United States, as well as those of other backgrounds and ethnicities who are interested in discovering all things Italian.

Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations

COPOMIAO is comprised of 61 cultural, educational, fraternal and anti-defamation groups that seek to preserve and promote our history and traditions for today’s generations, and tomorrow’s.

Consulate General of Italy

The goal of the diplomatic-consular missions is to protect the interests of, and provide services to, Italians when not on Italian soil.

The services are administered based on equality, impartiality, efficiency and transparency, for the purpose of protecting Italian citizens and promoting respect for human rights and freedoms. The Consulate (Boston, MA) hosts educational and entertainment events, administers visas for travel to Italy, and verifies documentation for those applying for dual Italian citizenship. Consulate General of Italy Facebook Page

Dante Alighieri Society of Massachusetts

The Dante Alighieri Society (Cambridge, MA) is a nonprofit organization whose objective is to promote and foster Italian language and culture by helping to develop an appreciation of Italian achievements in the arts, literature, science, and industry. The Society also supports the study of the Italian language and spirit of understanding among people through the arts and other cultural activities.

Embassy of Italy

The Embassy of Italy (Washington, DC) coordinates a network of 9 Consulates, 5 Cultural Institutes, 6 Italian Trade Agency offices, and 3 Italian Tourist Board offices. The staff of the Embassy, based in various offices, is composed of personnel from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and from other Italian ministries and public entities.

Fratellanza Society

Incorporated in 1886 as a fraternal and benevolent society, the Fratellanza is the oldest Italian American organization in the United States. The Primary objective was and continues to be, to create an organization that will promote unity between Italians and their adopted country. A unity which meant the fusing of all Italian-Americans into one compact body devoted to the interest of patriotism, charity, and brotherly love.

The Frisone-Scott Center for Italian Cultural Studies

The Center for Italian Cultural Studies plans a host of events throughout the year, on the UMass Boston campus, at other sites around the city and online. Subscribe to our mailing list to keep current with our calendar.

Giorgio Cini Foundation

The mission of the Giorgio Cini Foundation is to promote the redevelopment of the monumental complex on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore. The foundation encourages the creation and development of educational, social, cultural and artistic institutions in its surrounding territory.

Il Circolo, The Italian Cultural Society of the Palm Beaches

Il Circolo (Florida) was incorporated by The Italian Cultural Society of the Palm Beaches as a nonprofit organization on April 6, 1977 and has sponsored numerous cultural and social events. The organization has been a major supporter of Florida Atlantic University’s Italian Studies Program, one of only two major programs in the Florida State University System. 

The organization’s mission is to promote Italian culture as a part of the mosaic of our daily lives, influencing our vision of art, beauty, fashion, design, architecture, cuisine, nature, language, poetry, philosophy, thought, music and opera.

The Italian American Leadership Forum (IALF)

Formed in 2023, this association of major Italian American organizations representing the needs of an estimated 17 million Americans of Italian heritage. The IALF serves as a mechanism to discuss, debate and act on the most important public policy issues facing our community. We are a coordinative body, providing a spiritual bond that encourages, supports and assists the membership to build consensus and advance our shared goals.

Italian Cultural and Community Center

The mission of the Italian Cultural and Community Center (Houston, Texas) is to advance, celebrate and preserve Italian culture and heritage. The Center coordinates the activities of more than 20 Italian clubs in the greater Houston area. The IC&CC has a wide-range of year long activities, including Italian Summer Camps for children 4-10 that expand a child’s knowledge of Italian language, culture, traditions and culinary arts without leaving Houston.

Italian Cultural Institute in New York

Founded in 1961 by the Italian Government with a mission to promote Italian languages and cultures in the United States. Cultural exchanges between Italy and the U.S. are sponsored in a variety of areas, from the arts to the humanities, to science, and technology. It provides an “open window” on main cultural and social aspects of past and current Italy by collaborating with the most prominent academic and cultural Institutions of the East Coast. The scientific exchanges, support of visual arts exhibitions, and grants for translation and publication of Italian books, inspire and nourish the Institute’s initiatives.

Made in Italy

Discover Made in Italy through nine narratives about the key Italian supply chains and services, a detailed foray into why Italy is the go-to choice for investors and buyers across the world: a mix of innovation, high-quality materials, know-how and sustainability.

The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF)

The NIAF (Washington, DC) is a nonprofit organization that serves as a resource for the nearly 26 million Italian Americans. The goals of the NIAF are:

1. To preserve the Italian American heritage and culture, making "Italian American" part of the national conversation
2. To promote and inspire a positive image and legacy of Italian Americans
3. To raise the prominence of all things Italian in American culture and society
4. To strengthen and empower ties between the United States and Italy

National Organization of Italian Women (NOIAW)

The NOIAW was founded in 1980 to educate and instill pride in Italian American women. Through educational and cultural programs, including scholarships, the organization strives to showcase the accomplishments of Italian American women and to foster the goals of young women of Italian heritage. Through an international network, the NOIAW helps create relationships with women of Italian ancestry worldwide.

Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA)

The OSDIA is the largest and oldest national organization of men and women representing the estimated 26 million Americans of Italian heritage. The organization is dedicated to promoting Italian American culture, traditions, language, the legacy of our ancestors, and contributions to the U.S. and the world.

Order Sons of Italy in America, Massachusetts Grand Lodge Records

The Order Sons of Italy in America, Massachusetts Grand Lodge was chartered in 1914. Records (1918-1986) consist of local and national OSIA materials. Included are Supreme Convention records (1981-1983), OSIA Immigration and Naturalization Commission reports (1950s), and OSIA hymns (1916, 1943). Massachusetts Grand Lodge materials include minutes, correspondence, financial records, officer lists, local
lodge charters, information on charities, photographs, motion picture films, microfilm, and copies of the Sons of Italy Magazine/News. Minutes include Grand Council minutes (1963-1987), and minutes of the Benefit Insurance Commission (1965-1986).

Pirandello Lyceum

This Boston based organization aims to encourage a greater understanding and appreciation of Italian culture among all people. Its various programs reflect the significant accomplishments of Italian thinkers in the areas of art, science, culture and humanitarianism. The Lyceum is committed to the protection and preservation of Italian/American heritage.

Center for Italian Culture Archival Collection at Fitchburg State University

Located in the Amelia Gallucci-Cirio Library, the Center for Italian Culture (CIC) archival collection, consists of donated materials from individuals, families and organizations, presents archival documents and artifacts related to the history of Italian Americans in New England, with a particular focus on Central Massachusetts. The CIC collection includes both physical items as well as digitized materials. The digitized portion of the collection is viewable anytime through the Archive's Digital Archive. The most recent addition, the Michael Vincent Addorisio Family Collection, includes series of letters written by a son of the City of Fitchburg, Michael Vincent Addorisio, to his family during World War II. The letters, postcards, and medals presented here depict a military life that was tragically cut short while serving on the USS Reid during World War II. Contact the archivist Asher Jackson at 978.665.4869 or ajacks19@fitchburgstate.edu.

The John D. Calandra Italian American Institute

Founded in 1979 by a group of concerned Italian Americans whose aim was to redress imbalances in treatment of Italian Americans in higher education, the Calandra Institute has grown to encompass a much more varied—and expanding—set of goals. The Institute conducts research and produces regular series of public programming that are open to the public and free of charge. It also publishes a semi-annual academic journal, the Italian American Review. The staff is made up of seventeen regular employees working in our Midtown Manhattan offices and four part-time counselors who work mostly on the campuses of our affiliated CUNY colleges.

Columbus Citizens Foundation

The Columbus Citizens Foundation is a non-profit organization in New York City committed to fostering an appreciation of Italian-American heritage and achievement. The Foundation, through a broad range of philanthropic and cultural activities, provides opportunities for advancement to deserving Italian-American students through various scholarship and grant programs. The Foundation organizes New York City's annual Columbus Day Parade, which has celebrated Italian-American heritage on New York's Fifth Avenue since 1929.

The Italian Genealogical Group (IGG)

Established in 1993, the IGG exists to provide support for those interested in researching their Italian ancestry. The IGG is dedicated to promoting Italian family history and genealogy. Emphasis on the Greater New Your City Area.

Ellis Island Museum

The Ellis Island Museum (Ellis Island, NY) provides databases to search 65 million passenger records of those who immigrated to the U.S between 1892 and 1954.

Garibaldi Meucci Museum

The mission of this Staten Island, NY museum and Italian-American cultural center is to collect, hold, own, maintain, preserve, and exhibit historical objects and artifacts relating to the lives of General Giuseppe Garibaldi and Antonio Meucci; promote an understanding of Italian-American heritage and a positive image of Italian-Americans; conduct educational, cultural, and artistic programming designed to eliminate ethnic and racial prejudice for a diverse and growing audience.

Italian American Press (IAP)

The IAP helps promote books primarily written by authors of Italian heritage who write about Italian American and Italian culture, heritage, and/or history. The Press believes that reading stories of Italian American culture and history will educate, inform, and entertain people of all nationalities.

Italian American Studies Association (IASA)

The IASA is devoted to the interdisciplinary study of the culture, history, literature, sociology, demography, folklore, and politics of Italians in America. Since its founding, the IASA has published over thirty volumes of the proceedings of its annual conference meetings. The IASA uses scientific and scholarly methods as it seeks to explore and disseminate authentic information and interpretation of the wide-ranging experiences of Italians in America.

Italian American Museum

Located in the heart of New York’s “Little Italy,” the Italian American Museum is dedicated to the struggles of Italian Americans and their achievements and contributions to American culture and society. It sponsors lectures, symposia, musical programs, film, festivals, theater, and art exhibitions and preserves, exhibits, and interprets Italian contributions to the American way of life.

Italian American Museum of Los Angeles (IAMLA)

The mission of the IAMLA is to foster a deeper understanding of Southern California’s diverse heritage. The museum is responsible for research, historic preservation, exhibitions and educational programs that examine the history and continuing contributions of Italian Americans in multi-ethnic Los Angeles and the United States.

Italian American Bollettino

The Italian American Bollettino is a quarterly e-communication that reports on what’s happening with the History Center’s Italian American Program. Sign up to learn about upcoming events and see highlights from the Italian American Collection.

Italian Historical Society of America

This website is sponsored by the Italian Historical Society of America which, since its founding in 1949 has been devoted to perpetuating the names of those of Italian heritage who have contributed to the betterment of humankind.” We also provide information about current and past events for those interested in Italian culture. 

Museo Italo Americano, San Francisco

Since 1978, the city of San Francisco has been home to the nation’s only museum dedicated to Italian and Italian American art and culture. The museum displays and researches works by Italian American artists and includes sculpture, photography and painting in its permanent collection. Besides collections of artwork and special exhibits, the Museo Italo Americano offers educational programs, language classes, lectures and film festivals.

Senator John Heinz History Center

The Italian American Collection documents the history and culture of Western Pennsylvania’s Italian American community. The collection consists of three main elements:

1. Approximately 800 objects, including textiles, utensils, tools, sculptures, housewares, and other three-dimensional items
2. Thousands of archival materials in the form of books, photographs, immigration materials, family papers, and records from businesses and fraternal organizations
3. Oral histories from more than 300 first, second, and third generation Italian Americans

The Sistine Chapel

A virtual tour of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel.

Vittore Branca Center

The Vittore Branca Center aims to provide a place of study and meeting for young researchers and expert scholars interested in furthering their knowledge, from an interdisciplinary point of view, in a field of Italian civilization, such as:

• The culture of the Veneto
• The visual arts
• History
• Literature
• Music
• Drama

20 Best Podcasts To Learn Italian

ILUSS Learning Resources are produced by teachers of Italian with years of experience. Before being used online our resources are tested in the classrooms of our partner schools. Our lessons focus on grammar, writing, vocabulary, listening, online speaking, video. (Check your level).

Centro Activita Scolastiche Italiane (C.A.S.IT)

C.A.S.IT.’s mission is to assist communities that wish to introduce, preserve, rejuvenate or broaden the study of the Italian language in their schools. To this end, C.A.S.It., in collaboration with the Italian Consulate, facilitates the awarding process of initial grants, of different amounts, to establish programs of Italian language and culture in public and private schools in the jurisdiction of the Italian Consulate in Boston.

Digital Dialects Italian Games

Digital Dialects is a website featuring interactive games for learning the Italian language.

Italy Discussion Network

The Italy Discussion Network (Humanities & Social Sciences Online at MSU - East Lansing, MI) is a member of H-Net Humanities & Social Sciences Online. H-Italy offers scholars a central source for information and collaboration in the field of Italian history with the common objective of advancing teaching and research in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. The organization is committed to pioneering the use of new communication technology to facilitate the free exchange of academic ideas and scholarly resources.

The Italian Language Foundation, Inc.

Supports the study of Italian language and culture at the highest level in schools and universities throughout the U.S. and across the world.

Italian Language Online

Learn Italian online by yourself. A complete and effective way of self-learning the Italian language

Language Learning Library

The Language Learning Library is a large and comprehensive language learning portal offering highly relevant and useful language learning related resources.

The Library was created to meet the needs of both teachers and students alike. The site will save time and frustration from the usual web search. We surfed the net so you don't have to, and compiled the most comprehensive and well organized information.

Learning and Teaching Italian

Teachers and students can use these comprehensive Italian language guides to improve reading, writing, and comprehension skills for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels.

Massachusetts Italian Teachers Association (MITA)

The purpose of the MITA is to promote the cause of Italian studies and to bring about a more effective cooperation among teachers of Italian in the schools, colleges and universities of Massachusetts. Its goal is to unite and serve the needs of a profession dedicated to the development of Italian as a Foreign Language. The MITA aims to provide its members, students and teachers alike, with educational and insightful universal perspective in an age of ever increasing globalism.

My Language Exchange

My Language Exchange is an online community that helps thousands of people find language exchange partners and improve their second language.
 

• Dr. Rala Diakite
• Dr. Daniel Sarefield
• Dr. Teresa Fava-Thomas

Abruzzissimo

ABRUZZISSIMO is a subscription-only English-language digital magazine about Abruzzo delivered to your inbox 10 times per year. Every issue is carefully curated by Anna Lebedeva, an Abruzzo-based food and travel writer, who invites local journalists, tour guides, history enthusiasts, photographers, book authors and other passionate locals to share insiders’ travel tips, their knowledge of the region’s history, culture, food stories, and recipes.

America Domani/America Oggi/Il Progresso

Three linked sites that features Italian news, food, history, and culture.

Boston Post Gazette

Established in 1896, this weekly newspaper has been the go between that brought American political life to the Italian immigrant. Today it continues to bring incredible stories of Italian-Americans from coast-to-coast who are the "builders of America" with their contributions to our country and heritage.

Recognizing the Post Gazette's historical contribution to this country The University of Minnesota and the University of Florence in Italy compiles every issue from the first to its current publication on microfilm for future generations.

Delicious Italy

Delicious Italy is an independent guide to the food, wine, culture, history and traditions of Italy by region and territory. The website also offers local Italian incoming tourism service

The Rome-based guide is for anyone who likes to eat and travel well. It promotes experiences of local gastronomy, culture and hospitality through personal contacts and recommendations for regional tourism and unique stays.

Italian Tourism Official Website

The official Italian tourism website provides information on vacations, art and culture, history, events, nature, lakes, mountains, golf, science, boating, thermal spas, sports and adventure.

Italia Mia

Italia Mia is a website that highlights Italian culture, news, services and products made in Italy.

Italian Newspapers, Magazines and Journals Online

A list of Italian newspapers, magazines and journals and news websites featuring sports, politics, jobs, education, lifestyles, travel, business, latest celebrity news, movies, TV shows, fashion, entertainment, sports, business, arts, personal health and more.

La Gazzetta Italiana

An online publication that features revealing stories about our heritage, culture and traditions along with mouth watering recipes and fascinating details about famous Italian Americans. You'll also be kept up-to-date on happenings around town and the achievements of members in Ohio's Italian American community.

The Local.IT

Subscription website that features news from Italy, food, language and cultural discussions.

The Mentoris Project

The Mentoris Project publishes biographical novels on Italian and Italian American luminaries such as Enrico Fermi, Henry Mancini, DaVinci, Garibaldi, Machiavelli, Mother Cabrini, and Frank Capra.

Mosalingua

Mosalingua has put together a list of resources for Italian learner. The websites and apps are listed by category to make it easier to find what you're looking for. Browse through them and click on a title or image to try one out to learn Italian today.

PRIMO Magazine

PRIMO Magazine is a bimonthly publication for and about Italian Americans. PRIMO features in-depth articles on Italian American history, heritage, neighborhoods, accomplishments and current events. In every edition, PRIMO features articles on travel, food, and wine, as well as reports on one or more of Italy's diverse regions. PRIMO features comprehensive guides that consist of well-researched information on topics of great interest and importance to Italian Americans. PRIMO features Italy's relationship with America and the impact that it has on the American culture.

You, Me, and Sicily

This company can help with any facet of your vacation in Sicily. From what to see, where to stay, best tours and travel options in the country and even what are the best foods of the season. We can plan and implement your vacation by creating an itinerary even giving restaurants, vineyards and must-see spot.

We the Italians

We the Italians is a media company that helps everybody to share, promote, be informed and keep in touch with anything regarding Italy in general, and specifically Italy in the US. Through our website, our social media communities, our newsletter, our magazine, our podcast and our book, we are the most complete network to ease and improve the relations between Italy and the US.