Throughout its history, Italy has been dominated by different people who have left many foreign influences into the country's language: French and liberalism, as words of Germanic Anglo-Saxon strain are still found in Italian grammar.
When the kingdom of Italy has been proclamed in 1861 only 10% of population could speak Italian, and the greatest part of the Italy’s inhabitants spoke in dialect. With the unification of Italy the process of linguistic unification began also thanks to the school, newspapers and the most recent innovations in mass media, such as in cinema, radio and television.
The national language is now widespread in all social classes and in all areas of the country, reflecting geographical differences and accepting dialect and regional idioms.
To fully live your Itallian experience, read Visit Italy’s language guide, a complete set of terms which may help you in your travel.