I'm afraid you'll soon give up learning Italian if you keep referring to that disgusting song by Toto Cutugno.....

FYI: Amazon
I rented this from my local library (=free) and it was pretty good.

Very basic stuff.....hello, numbers, months, "how much does this cost", and getting around.

I'd recommend it for anyone traveling to Italy

Also, my comments on the Rosetta Stone:

Yes it is very pricey. It is a simple Java interface so the GUI/interaction is simple and straight forward.

I've made it through several levels and now I know several Italian words (dog, cat, man, kitchen) but we haven't yet really formed any coherant sentences.

They software never ever tells you what a word means, it is all picture driven and only Italian words.

They don't audibly say cat, then say ghatto...they show you a picture of a cat, and the word ghatto. I mention this because there are a few times when I'm not sure I am converting the right word.

For instance, one picture had a man with white pants on running on a beach near the ocean. They gave me an Italian word but I had to guess what the picture was referring too.

Probably I'm just being very picky, but that happens a lot so I could be learning the wrong word.

That was probably more than anyone wanted to know, but it's late and I"m bored!

I think relating directly an image to a word is much more effective that making your brain remember the translation.
When you have to name a cat in Italian you will have to go through only two passages---->
See the cat -- say gatto
instead of 3----->
see the cat - translate cat - say gatto

I don't know if I made myself clear, but it's 5Am and I'm tired, just like happybunny, in case I'll explain myself tomorrow

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To make fast progress learning a language it is definitely the best to learn Italian in a language school in Italy. The Italian language school Terramare in Orbetello, a small tuscan town directly at the Sea, is offering really personalized language courses with a rich cultural program, so you will not only learn the language but also get to know the Italian culture, nature and people with whom to practise the language.
For more information have a look at the website http://www.linguaterramare.com/

LOL! There is so much truth to this! Complimenti mmccain!

I've got two American friends living in Vicenza right now. They have been there for almost 2 years and
have learned very little Italian. E perche? Because they don't get out and mingle with the Italian people.
They hang around solamente with their English speaking American friends and then actually complain
that they just can't seem to learn Italian. I wonder why! Santo cielo! Mamma mia!!

People per il amore del Dio! If you go to Italy don't hang out with English speakers! Get Italian friends.
Go to a gym, go to church, social clubs, the library, the laundry mat, shop in Italian, go to ristoranti where
Italians go, parks and anywhere else where Italians go. I met some of the best people I've ever known at a palestra(gym)
in Vicenza and Perugia. If you're into martial arts take a martial art in Italian. If you play soccer or anyother
sport get with Italians who play the same sport you like. You can take fencing(sword fighting), dance lessons with
people who only speak Italian. I did all the above.

In the meantime and in between time you should be contantly listening to Italian on the radio, TV, Ipod, DVD player,
Walkman, Zune, hand held recorder and anyother listening device you might have. I drive 30 miles to work and 30 miles back.
I listen every one of those miles to Italian whether it be an Italian audio book or Italian music or my
Italian classes that I took in Perugia. Oh si, I recorded my Italian classes at the Universita di Perugia and put them on CDs.

Learn the lyrics to Italian songs by memory. Practice writing those lyrics out over and over again until you can write them by memory.

Oh, read Italian out loud. It's just like speaking and you never run out of something to say.
Athough there might not be just one best way to learn Italian, reading Italian out loud just might be that one best way.(There are many ways to learn Italian many of which have been mentioned on this thread.)
That being said the most important thing is to hear the Italian language as often as posible. 24/7 is ideal. Then after
awhile those Italian words will just start to flow out of your mouth like magic. There is no greater feeling with this starts to happen.

Buona sera, sono Simone. Ho un compito per la mia lezione d'italiano a mercoledi. È un ressegna per il film La stanza del figlio, e mi chiedo se chiunque puó leggere che ho scrivuto finora e dire che è spagliato, per favore? =D

Il film è una drama e parla di un uomo si chiama Giovanni Sermonti e la sua famiglia. La moglie si chiama Paola, la figlia Irene e il figlio Andrea. Giovanni lavora che un analysta e vediamo i pazienti di lui.
Un giorno riceve una chiamata di un paziente che credere ha cancer e vuole lui venire. Nel tempo che è da il paziente il suo figlio va a un viaggio di immersioni. Purtroppo diventa in un caverna e muore.
Giovanni pensa è stato perche di lui, che se ha rimanesce a casa e corre con Andrea invece. Infine non può lavorare ancora e finiscere i suoi pazienti, alcuni siete bene ma alcuni siete furioso.
Giovanni e Paola cominciano argomentare di i problemi che Giovanni ha.