If you have a smart phone, you can use it on WiFi in Italy and Spain without buying a SIM card, if you prefer. Keep it in airplane mode, then enable WiFi to use it without any roaming charges.
You can call phones in the US for free (even landlines) with the Google Hangouts app (for Android phones, also need the Hangouts Dialer app), but you need to set up Hangouts before you leave the US. It only works to call phones if you have an existing phone service to verify. But it will work in Europe without even a SIM card once you have verified it in the US. Calls to US numbers are free from Europe (add the +1 country code in front, perhaps); calls to non-US numbers aren't free but can be made for a few cents per minute with Hangouts.
There are a lot of free texting apps that work on WiFi. I use Google Voice. Many people use WhatsApp.