Italian Language CDs

I like Pimsleur too, but add Michel Thomas's CDs to learn the structure and grammar of Italian.

I highly reccommend the lets learn Italian series.
They are available on amazon as downloads or to have the CDs shipped. They have travel CDs, Italian for begginners, all the way to advanced.

I got the Italian for Dummies set. They helped with some basic phrases and such.

Louise, I've been using the Pimsleur lessons, and would highly recommend them. These consist of three discs or "Bookchips", each with 30 half hour lessons. They're a bit "pricey" to buy, but you may be able to find them either at your local Library or online. Cheers!

I second the recommendation of Pimsleur. As someone that has studied Italian for years, I think there is no better self-guided language learning system out there for beginners. Period. At the time of my first trip to Italy, I had only used Pimsleur, yet the Italians were shocked (pleasantly) at how well I spoke their language. Many people refused to believe I had no formal training or that I had only been learning for less than a year.
Not only will your pronunciation be much better by using Pimsleur (something I continually hear other tourist completely butcher, to the point of not being understood), but you'll retain things much, much quicker. Trust me: you'll be shocked how quickly you pick things up and how well you retain them. I also find their lessons to be much more fun and entertaining than every other system out there. Sure, it's a little pricey (so check your local library first) but it really is a bargain at twice the price. And no, I'm not a Pimsleur representative. ;-)

Another Pimsleur fan! And most libraries have them. I also like the podcast, "My Daily Phrase Italian," 100 fun and useful lessons that are 5 to 7 minuts long. Great starting point. Community College classes gave me a good underpinning and the Pimsleur CDs combined with the grammar classes have worked well for me.

A friend who teaches languages recommended Pimsleur, and I love it. I have a teaching background and like the structure and philosophy inherent in the instructional technique. Michel Thomas is ok, but Pimsleur is the best I've found. I checked out cds from my library and downloaded them on my iPod. It's been a great way to learn.

I started with Passport Books, "Just Listen and Learn" and then discovered Pimsleur, which I now use. I found the Level III online at the Big Red garage new for half price. http://bigredgarage.com/ Buon viaggio,

I got the Pimsleur Level 1 1st set (8 lessons) for 9.99 - but the following sets will probably be much more expensive. BUT, I do have to say that it's amazing how much I've retained in one week. Seriously, one week! I did not know any Italian, excepting the American Italian common words known by everyone - like Ciao! or Prego (spaghetti sauce of course), and Grazie (not sure where learned that - probably from TV). Anyway, I wish I had started much earlier and gotten more. I listened to the cd's in my car on my commute to and from work. It takes about 30-40 minutes so it was perfect for these lessons. I too believe the method/formatting/teaching style is an excellent way to learn a language. As another poster pointed out, the pronunciation focus is also helpful. You can hear when you're not saying it correctly. I HIGHLY recommend the Pimsleur. I am also NOT associated in any way to sales/marketing/etc for Pimsleur. Just a happy customer.