How difficult would it be to move around without knowing Italian?

I've been to Italy twice before and never had a major issue with the language barrier (except for one time at our front desk of the hotel). For the most part, everyone you meet can speak at least minimal English. Whenever I go to a different country, I like to get familiar with the basic conversational questions "do you speak English" "where is --", "what direction is--", "hello", "thank you", just to make things easier for myself. Italian people are very friendly and I find that most are willing to help if you get lost or need dinner suggestions! I wouldn't worry about the language barrier!

In the cities you should have no problem. Just about everyone a tourist is likely to deal with speaks enough English to get the job done. In smaller towns, knowing a few basic Italian phrases can be helpful.

I studied Italian in earnest before a recent trip, and got pretty good at it. It was a lot of fun talking to people in small towns who knew no English at all. But I was disappointed in Rome, because when I tried out my newly-acquired language skill, local clerks would often interrupt and say in perfect English, "Look, dude, I really don't have time for this. Now how can I help you?"

Italy is full of tourists who don't speak Italian. But when asking questions in English, be as simple and brief as possible, while still being polite. See tips at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/sightseeing/language-barrier, on the related links on the right-hand column of that page, and at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/getting-on-the-right-train. Signage in train stations will use symbols as well as some English. Many larger stations have undergone renovation in the past few years, with new signage included.

You should learn the Italian names for destinations you plan to visit - Firenze, Venezia, Napoli. Have a look at roninrome.com or seat61.com for train info - roninrome.com has illustrations (a few years old but still good) of signage, trains, platforms, etc. Learn to read a train timetable as it appears on the electronic boards: "Partenza" is "Departure", "Binario" is "Track #", "Ritardo" means late. The first item on the board is the train number, then the destination - which may not be your stop, so good to take a photo of the yellow poster train schedule or write down the stop before yours. Train codes are another issue - some only run on certain days. "Sottopassaggio" means "underground passage" and "Ascensore" means "Elevator". You will see signs for these, an arrow and some steps with a figure walking down them for the former, a box with some people inside for the elevator.

You will also be able to get information from English-speaking tourists.

If you know where you are going, we can offer some tips for various train stations.

For the most part, those working in the tourist industry will have at least some ability to function in English. Of course it helps to learn a few of the basic phrases such as "Please, Thankyou, where is", etc. The link that Laura provided will provide you with some tips to help get by. Of course you may encounter a few cases where the person you're dealing with doesn't speak any English, and in those situations you'll just have to improvise and try whatever works. You might find it helpful to pack along an Italian phrasebook (which may also help you in figuring out what the items on the menu are).

Thanks a Lot.. I did book mark the pages with the phrases... Practiced a few too.. Hope it will be fun...

I will be taking (Direct) train from FCo airport to Venice Santa Lucia ...I read in couple places that one can easily get down in the wrong station.. And also it's looks like there is a Rome Main train station from where there is a train to Venice, and also a direct one from the FCo airport train terminal itself.. Hope I can navigate thru..

Hope they have English<> Italian phrase books available in Rome Airport..

Thanks a lot ALL!!

-Sreeni

As a general rule Italians in Italy are far more tolerant and understanding than say an American would be with a tourist in a US city that spoke little or no English.
I think of it more as the polite and respectful thing to do to learn a few basic words and try to use them.
I don't think they actually help with communication as those who hear and understand you could likely hear and understand English just as well and may speed things along especially in a crowded morning café.

Those that don't know English it can be hard even with a guidebook or quick lesson as they speak quickly.

When they see and hear me speaking Italian (god awful I am sure) they quickly switch to English or even begin in English at the sight of me.
My wife knows little to no Italian but must look and sound the part better because same situation they would respond to her in Italian only to find out she does not actually speak Italian other than basic phrases.

From my limited experience everyone in the service industry except drivers always knew near perfect English. Drivers varied but for us most every taxis and similar private transportation drivers we spoke with only knew basic English words and phrases.
In the small towns dealing with locals that do not work in a tourist industry can be a different story but your travels are unlikely to take you there.
One time my wife and I missed the last bus of the evening to our destination we boarded a different bus headed the same direction but did not continue as far as we wanted; that was used by the local working population commuting home in a non-touristy town and no one on that bus from what I recall spoke English. They were extremely friendly, patient and willing to help though in our predicament and we were able to talk things out by my wife speaking to them in Spanish (she is fluent). Oddly enough there are similar words so the overall message can be understood in most cases.

One family took us to their house and had one of their family members who worked as a taxi driver drive us 30 minutes further to the train station where we needed to be in time to catch the last train of the night back to Switzerland for a reasonable fee.
Same Spanish worked to communicate with a private driver on a long drive another time headed to the Naples Airport we had and wanted to converse with him.

In the smaller towns where English-speaking Italians are rare, I found it helpful to use my phrasebook and write down certain things in advance. For example, "I want two tickets to X" or "I am allergic to shellfish" or "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?"

With none or little knowledge of the local language, I would definitely pick up a phrase book and learn a few polite phrases and carry that book with me. Not everyone will know English, some will be very good, some will know none, some you can get by with if you have a book to refer or point to. I like the Rick Steves one personally but others are fine. $8-$10 well spent imo. At restaurants and hotels in touristy areas, you should be fine but I wouldn't be without a way to communicate if necessary.
I've been to France quite a few times, Italy a few times and I almost always have a phrase book with me just in case. Decoding a menu, if you need something at a pharmacy, directions on a train, bus, taxi....
you never know when you'll need help with something from someone that doesn't understand English.

People who interact with tourists as part of their work (hotel receptionists, waiters, shop assistants, etc. at international tourist destinations) generally speak some English. In large cities like Florence, Rome, Venice, those jobs are largely held by foreign workers (North African, South American, Eastern European) whose first language is not Italian anyway, so Spanish, French, German, Russian might work as well.
As a general rule, young people of high school or college age (teens, 20 and 30 something) are likely to speak English. Older Italians are unlikely to speak any English, unless they work in a job where they need to interact with foreigners.

In my experience, you cannot count on English being well understood by ticket-sellers at train stations and bus stations or by inter-city bus drivers, though there are certainly exceptions. I speak some (very) basic Italian, but even so, I write down what I want before approaching the ticket window, just in case. I do that because there's a significant penalty for miscommunication when you're buying inter-city tickets. I don't want to pay for a round-trip ticket I don't need, nor do I want a ticket to Genoa/Genova if I'm heading for Geneva/Ginevra.

Attempting to speak a language you do not really know can produce some interesting experiences. I tried to ask a bus-station employee in Viterbo what denominations of currency the ticket-machine would accept, but my vocabulary wasn't up to the task, and what I said must have been incomprehensible. The fellow kept trying to sell me a ticket to Rome. I guess, in his experience, that's what most clueless English-speakers at the Viterbo bus station want.

acraven, you are making me laugh; one of my forays into the French language was asking the driver if the bus was going to the train station (gare), but I must have asked if it was going to war (guerre), judging from his recoil.

Sreeni, we've all made mistakes and survived, thanks to other people.

Zoe... how funny... it reminds me of when my daughter kept asking the waiter for a story (cuento) instead of the check (cuenta) ! .... This was while she was learning Spanish in Guatemala

If you are into healthy organic food, just make sure you don't say you want food without "preservativi". Most restaurants in Italy, including McDonald's, will serve food without them.

You'll survive without it in major cities and touristy smaller ones like Sorrento but knowing a little will help you out a lot. I got a 14 day; 30 minute a day Learn Italian CD set from my local library for free prior to going and it was enormously helpful with directions, ordering food, taxi drivers, etc. If you know any Spanish it can help you out too... Speaking Spanish very slowly and with your hands got me by many times off the beaten trail in the deep south where English is not common.

Im here waiting to board. So far ok. I did pick up a phrase book.... 👍

We found English spoken in the larger cities, especially when talking to people in hotels, shops, etc.
But go into Tuscany and Umbria and we found very few English speaking people--in gas stations and grocery stores.
But somehow, you'll get along despite the language difference. It's no big deal breaker.

This last September, I spent 19 days in Italy and only had two instances where the person I was speaking to didn't speak any English nor made any attempt to try and communicate with me. I was very pleasantly surprised how friendly and helpful the Italians were to me. I don't think you will have any problems if you greet them with a few words of Italian first.

Just speak slowly and avoid using contractions or slang.

It's good to hear that you now have a Phrase book. That will give you something to read during the flight.

I was there for two months last year. Not a problem. Just know a few of the basics and you'll be fine.