I am terrible at foreign languages. Despite having traveled around Europe four months a year since I was a kid, I can barely put a sentence together anywhere east or south of England. But with some creative communication, I manage just well enough to write guidebooks, produce TV shows, and enjoy Europe on vacation. And nowhere do I have more fun communicating than in Italy.

Because Italians are so outgoing and their language is such fun, interactions are a pleasure. Italians have an endearing habit of speaking Italian to foreigners, even if they know they don't speak their language. If a local starts chattering at you in Italian, don't resist. Go with it. You may find you understand more than you'd expect. Italians want to connect and try harder than any other Europeans. Play along.