Where can I learn to speak some Italian before my trip?

Look at your local community college to take a class.But the semester.May have started already.
Or get the Pimsleurs Italian audio CD hopefully at your local library has a language learning section.

There is some beginners language on YouTube also.

Katie, Italians speak very fast, and I love to listen.

I think in such a short time, you won't be at fluent, conversation level.

But, some phrases and sentences would help and be appreciated by the locals.

Google Translate is "okay" for words or short phrases, but full sentences may not always make sense.

There is Rosetta Stone.

Babbel is fun. And, there is a free app too if your phone is compatible

https://my.babbel.com/en/product-preview-usa/ITA/default/node/0?bsc=circular-flags-reviews-ita&btp=default

You may be able to find some basic conversation level lessons on YT.

YouTube is your friend. Lots of helpful phrases. Also check out travlang.com, foreign languages for travelers. I even learned some Zulu for a trip to South Africa and startled the locals.

There are some podcasts out there that you can do. Quite a list here https://takelessons.com/blog/learn-italian-podcast-z09. You have little time but if you apply yourself half-an-hour each day you’ll have some capacity.

You should check out Italian in Your Pocket. It is an Italian language membership with a community of learners from all over the world. People in the membership are learning how to speak Italian after 3 months of the material and it is really fun!

You can join the free facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/learntotalkwithpeopleinitalian/

There are also apps you can get -- I downloaded Busuu last summer for free, and the first lesson was incredibly simple ("ciao") except for one phrase that was a real tongue twister. I showed it to my husband, who speaks Italian as his first language and he just laughed and thought it was ridiculous too -- it was like going from kindergarten to university all in one step. That said, that one phrase was an outlier and the rest was really simple. I got busy and dropped it though, and when I recently tried to open it, my free period had expired.

Long way to say, if you have a smartphone, look for an app.

Katie, what I like to do is to get a audio course on CD in whatever language, and listen to them in my car for as long as possible. Pimsleur is good, but there are some others available in bookstores, Amazon, Costco, etc. It supplements any class you might find as well.

You will not be able to talk to Italians in their own language. They will actually speak to you in English. Just learn the basics and use those...like where is (dove) please (graztie) and bathroom (toilette) . Italians pronounce the "E" at the end of words unlike the English and Spanish. Maybe in a few years you will have the grasp of the language and will be able to hear them complain in their own language :)

Katie,

I've found that Pimsleur worked really well for me. You won't become completely fluent, but should be comfortable with basic phrases, ordering meals, etc.

They do all kinds of courses in this Italian language school in Sanremo. When I was there, I already knew Italian pretty good, but it really helped me to master my knowledge of this language and stop being shy while talking with natives. There were a lot of beginners there and all of us could speak to each other freely. Moreover, we were able to visit some interesting places like wine farms and meet with musicians and writers. Definitely worth it if you want to get into Italian and have a good time. Actually, I think it's more interesting to visit some small places and villages in Italy than cities.

The BBC has some on line language courses.

Don't use Rosetta Stone. I bought a 6 month subscription to it last year prior to a trip to Italy and worked on it daily for about 5 months. As I recall there were 20 chapters in the program. I made it through the first 17, then gave up as there were continual technology problems that RS was never able to resolve. Their technology seems "old". It is definitely not a 2019 product.

I learned some Italian, but not enough to carry on a coherent conversation with the locals. I wish I had a course that I could recommend to you, but I do not.

I took lessons in Italian offered by the Italian Consulate in Montreal, some years ago. (Cooking lessons also.) Are you near a Consulate?

I have really enjoyed "Coffee Break Italian" Podcasts, which you can listen to for free, or pay for a season to get transcripts, video recordings, etc. Each lesson is about 30 minutes and really fun. I also started out with the Paul Noble Tapes (purchased), which was a very methodical and complete series, that was very helpful, that I listened to in the car. There is also "5 Minute Italian" which are short and fun podcast lessons. The hosts, Katie and Matteo, are very generous in sharing all sorts of different free apps, podcasts, etc. for learning Italian. I've been studying these and taking a community college conversational Italian course, and I will say that at least for me, learning the language is a long process, but I really have come a long way and am enjoying the process. Oh, and check out U-tube series "Italy Made Easy" with Manu. It's been very good for my listening comprehension, and of course, a fun way to learn.

My daughters and I have been using the app Duolingo to learn some Italian. I took two years of Spanish in high school, and I thought my base in that would help me with the Italian, but I see that there are not as many similarities as I thought. Duolingo app is free, and there are many categories you can learn in. I know I am not going to be fluent, but to understand the basics of the language will be helpful.

You won't be fluent by the end of this, but as someone who's around Italian speakers on a weekly basis, I found this video a fun walk through phrases and pronunciations.
Availalble right here on the Rick Steves' website:
https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/travel-talks/italian-language

Deborah has two very good suggestions. I Coffee Break Italian is a very well thought out and well planned out free podcast. They will start you with phrases and concepts that you might use in daily life and advance you to more complicated Italian as you stay with the program. Each podcast is around 20 to 30 minutes long, so not overly extended. Also, if you decide you want to delve into Italian further, I would recommend Italy made easy by Manu, found on YouTube He is Aiden Italian living in Australia who was formerly a university professor, but gave it up to work on his YouTube site.. I’m not sure I would recommend this as Something to start with if you are just looking at basic phrases and not really interested in learning Italian to any great level, as he really teaches for people who want to learn to speak fluently. But he is very good and has some interesting short YouTube programs useful for travelers.

There are lots of good suggestions here!

I was in a similar situation a few years ago, and ended up hiring a private tutor -- you can find Italian speakers through the Italian Studies departments of major universities, if you live near one.

The SF Italian Cultural Institute and several adult schools in the SF Bay Area offer workshops on Italian for Travelers. So, try looking for these in your area. Adult schools are a great resource!

Warning: you will get hooked and end up studying Italian for the next ten years. This is what happened to me!

Enjoy your trip!

DD

Check out the Beginning Italian for Travelers video on this website. It’s a great introduction to pronunciation and basis words, phrases.

We’ve used Coffee Break French to bone up before we go to France. I don’t speak Italian, but I’m finding Coffee Break Italian to be helpful. The only problem will be remembering it all when I get there! Most likely it will come out as French or Spanish because I speak those much better.

If you need a little extra help, you can buy a pocket-sized RS Italian Phrase Book & Dictionary. I didn’t need to use it on my RS tour several years ago but might use it on our own upcoming trip. It has lots of helpful words/phrases by category (dining, transportation, shopping, etc). I might just enter certain info into my cell phone if I decide not to carry the book in my purse or download an app.