Italian is of course the primary language, but most people you interact with also speak basic English. Even though it can be frustrating when language barriers make engagement feel difficult, I have to remind myself how lucky I am to come from an English-speaking background, as it seems to be universally helpful. I try to speak Italian during basic interactions, but one stutter or confusing statement and many people start speaking English with me. While it can feel embarrassing, I am grateful that it has not been too much of an inconvenience.
In Italy, they use euros! 1 euro currently equals 1.19 US dollars. There are coins for individual euros and you can use paper money, but almost every place is as easy as tapping your Apple Pay. Even street vendors carry little machines for tap-to-pay!
This was a humbling realization for me, because in the U.S. it is not legal to deny people water in a restaurant. In Italy however, a restaurant can refuse you tap water, or at least pretend it is not offered and tell you that you have to pay. When you go to a restaurant and ask for water, they say "still or sparkling?" And sometimes, if you ask for tap water, they either refuse or bring it like you've ordered off a secret menu.
