Italian Phrases and Vocabulary
Welcome to the Italian Phrases and Vocabulary course. In this short course, you'll learn useful Italian phrases for introducing yourself, greeting people, and other everyday situations. You'll also learn the Italian words for people, colors, numbers, adjectives, clothes, the house, household items, and tools.
Online flashcards are included to help you learn the words and phrases included in the course.
Let's get started learning Italian.
Italian Pronunciation
Like English, the Italian alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet. The following table shows the pronunciation of some of the letters in Italian that may be a bit tricky for English speakers.
| A | a | Pronounced like the a in father. |
| E | e | Pronounced like the e in pen or the a in late. |
| I | i | Pronounced like i in police. Silent in the combinations gio, gia, cio, and cia. |
| O | o | Pronounced like the o in no. |
| U | u | Pronounced like the oo in moon. |
| Ai | ai | Pronounced like i in mine. |
| Eu | eu | Pronounced like the ay in play. |
| Ia | ia | Pronounced like the ya in yarn. |
| Oi | oi | Pronounced like the oy in boy. |
| Io | io | Pronounced like the eo in Leo. |
| Uo | uo | Pronounced like the wo in won't. |
| À, È | à, è | Indicates that the letter is stressed |
| C | c | pronounced like ch before e and i, otherwise like k. |
| Ch | ch | Pronounced like the c in cat. |
| G | g | Pronounced like the j before e and i, otherwise like the g in go. |
| Gh | gh | Pronounced like the gh spaghetti. |
| Gl | gl | Pronounced like the li in stallion. |
| Gn | gn | Pronounced like the ny in canyon. |
| H | h | Silent. |
| Sc | sc | Pronounced like the sh in ship before e and i, otherwise like the sc in scout. |
| Z | z | Pronounced like ts in pits. |
Italian Introduction and Greeting Phrases
In this section you'll learn some Italian phrases that are used for introducing yourself and greeting others. Listen to the sentences and practice speaking them. Use the flashcards at the end of this section to help you learn these phrases.
Salve.
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Hello. |
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Ciao.
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Hi. / Bye. |
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Arrivederci. |
Goodbye. |
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Buon giorno.
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Good morning. |
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Buona sera.
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Good evening. |
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Buona notte.
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Good night. |
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Come si chiama?
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What is your name? (formal) |
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Come ti chiama?
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What is your name? (informal) |
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Mi chiamo ___.
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My name is ___. |
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Piacere di conoscerla.
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Nice to meet you. |
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Come stai?
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How are you? (informal) |
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Come sta?
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How are you? (formal) |
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Come va?
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How's it going? |
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Bene, grazie.
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Good, thanks. |
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Parla inglese?
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Do you speak English? |
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No, mi dispiace, ma non lo parlo.
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I'm sorry, I don't speak it. |
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Non parlo italiano.
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I don't speak Italian. |
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Ci vediamo!
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See you later! |
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A presto!
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See you soon! |
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Dove abiti?
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Where do you live? (to one person) |
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Dove abitate?
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Where do you live? (more than one person) |
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Abito a ___.
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I live in ___. |
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Ti presento il mio amico.
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This is my friend (male) |
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Ti presento la mia amica.
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This is my friend. (female) |
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Questo è il mio marito.
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This is my husband. |
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Questo è la mia moglie.
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This is my wife. |
Here are some flashcards to help you learn these useful Italian phrases for greeting people and introducing yourself to others.
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Common Italian Phrases
In this section you'll learn some useful Italian phrases that are used in everyday life. Listen to the sentences and practice speaking them. Use the flashcards at the end of this section to help you learn these phrases.
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Sì.
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Yes. |
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No.
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No. |
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Per favore.
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Please. |
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Grazie.
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Thank you. |
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Grazie tante.
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Thank you very much. |
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Prego.
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You're welcome. |
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Mi scusi.
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Excuse me. (formal) |
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Scusa.
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Excuse me. (informal) |
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Aiuto!
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Help! |
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Mi dispiace.
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I'm sorry. |
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Che cos'è?
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What's that? |
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Che cosa significa?
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What does it mean? |
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Mi sono dimenticato. |
I forgot. |
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Non capisco.
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I don't understand. |
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Può parlare lentamente?
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Could you speak more slowly? |
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Buono giornata!
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Have a nice day! |
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Mi può aiutare?
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Can you help me? |
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Posso aiutarti?
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Can I help you? |
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Dov’è la toilette?
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Where is the washroom? |
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Mi sono divertito. (m) Mi sono divertita. (f) |
I had a great time. |
Here are some flashcards to help you learn these useful Italian phrases.
Flashcards
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Italian Restaurant and Café Phrases
In this section you'll learn some Italian phrases that are useful when you are in a restaurant or a café.
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Vorrei prenotare.
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I'd like to make a reservation. |
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Per che ora?
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For what time? |
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Per quante persone?
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For how many people? |
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Una tavola per due, per favore.
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A table for two, please. |
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Il menu, per favore.
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A menu, please. |
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Una bottiglia d’acqua, per favore.
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A glass of water please. |
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Un caffè, per favore.
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A coffee, please. |
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Vorrei una tazza di tè.
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I'd like a cup of tea. |
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Vorrei una birra.
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I'd like a beer. |
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Un litro di vino della casa, per favore. |
A litre of the house wine, please. |
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Vorrei le lasagne.
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I'd like the lasagne. |
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Il conto, per favore.
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The bill, please. |
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Vorrei pagare, per favore.
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I would like to pay, please. |
Italian Shopping Phrases
In this section you'll learn some Italian phrases that are useful when shopping.
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Quant’è?
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How much is it? |
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Quanto costa?
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How much does that cost? |
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Quanto costana?
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How much do they cost? |
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Cerca qualcosa? |
What would you like? |
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Posso aiutarti?
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Can I help you? |
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Sto solo guardando.
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I'm just looking. |
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Vorrei questo.
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I would like that. |
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Vuolo provarlo?
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Do you want to try it on? |
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Vorrei pagare con la carta di credito.
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I’d like to pay by credit card. |
Directions
In this section you'll learn some useful Italian words and phrases that are used when asking for and giving directions.
| Cerco ___. | I'm looking for ___. |
| Cerco la stazione. | I'm looking for the train station. |
| Cerco un supermercato. | I'm looking for a supermarket. |
| Mi scusi, dov’è ___? | Excuse me, where is ___? |
| Come arrivo al teatro? | How do I get to the theater? |
| All'angola con | On the corner of |
| Accanto a | Next to |
| È vicino? | Is it near? |
| È lontano? | Is it far? |
| Dista un chilometro. | It's a kilometer from here. |
| Va sempre dirirro. | Go straight ahead. |
| Giri a destro. | Turn left. |
| Giri a sinistra. | Turn right. |
Italian Words for Colors
In this section you'll learn the Italian words for common colors.
Here are some flashcards to help you learn the Italian words for colors.
FlashcardsItalian Numbers
In this section you'll learn the Italian words for numbers.
| 0 | zero |
| 1 | uno |
| 2 | due |
| 3 | tre |
| 4 | quattro |
| 5 | cinque |
| 6 | sei |
| 7 | sette |
| 8 | otto |
| 9 | nove |
| 10 | dieci |
| 11 | undici |
| 12 | dodici |
| 13 | tredici |
| 14 | quattordici |
| 15 | quindici |
| 16 | sedici |
| 17 | diciassette |
| 18 | diciotto |
| 19 | diciannove |
| 20 | venti |
| 21 | ventuno |
| 30 | trenta |
| 100 | cento |
| 101 | centouno |
| 1,000 | mille |
People and Family
In this section you'll learn Italian vocabulary for people and family.
| la persona | the person |
| la gente | the people |
| la madre | the mother |
| il padre | the father |
| la figlia | the daughter |
| il figlio | the son |
| il bambino | the child |
| i bambini | the children |
| il ragazzo | the boy |
| la ragazza | the girl |
| il fratello | the brother |
| la sorella | the sister |
| il marito | the husband |
| la moglie | the wife |
The Body
In this section you'll learn the Italian vocabulary for parts of the body.
| il corpo | the body |
| la testa | the head |
| la pelle | the skin |
| la faccia | the face |
| i capelli | the hair |
| l'occhio | the eye |
| gli occhi | the eyes |
| l'orecchio | the ear |
| le orecchie | the ears |
| il naso | the nose |
| la bocca | the mouth |
| la lingua | the tongue |
| il dente | the tooth |
| i denti | the teeth |
| il collo | the neck |
| il braccio | the arm |
| la mano | the hand |
| il dito | the finger |
| il pollice | the thumb |
| la gamba | the leg |
| le gambe | the legs |
| il ginocchio | the knee |
| il piede | the foot |
| i piedi | the feet |
| il dito del piede | the toe |
| l'osso | the bone |
Italian Adjectives
In this section you'll learn some common Italian adjectives. You'll also learn some useful sentence forms that are used with adjectives.
Adjectives are words that describe people, places, and things. Adjectives in Italian have different endings depending on the noun they modify.
Nouns in Italian are classified as either masculine or feminine. Adjectives in Italian have different endings depending on whether the noun they modify is masculine or feminine, and whether the noun is singular or plural. Some adjectives end in e for both masculine and feminine nouns. Most adjectives end in o for singular masculine nouns and a for feminine nouns. The following table shows the different adjective endings.
| Gender | Number | Type 1 | Type 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | Singular | o | e |
| Plural | i | i | |
| Feminine | Singular | a | e |
| Plural | e | i |
Examples:
| Il libro costoso. | the expensive book. |
| I libri costosi. | The expensive books. |
| La casa costosa. | The abandoned house. |
| Le case costose. | The abandoned houses. |
| La casa interessante. | The interesting house. |
| Le case interessanti. | The interesting houses. |
Here are some common sentence forms that you can use with adjectives.
| I am [adjective]. | Sono [adjective]. |
| I am not [adjective]. | Non sono [adjective]. |
| Are you [adjective]? | Sei [adjective]? (to one person informal) Lei è [adjective] Siete [adjective]? (plural) |
| She is [adjective]. | Lei è [adjective]. |
| He is too [adjective]. | Lui è troppo [adjective]. |
| It is very [adjective]. | È molto [adjective]. |
| It is so [adjective]. | È così [adjective]. |
Here are some common Italian adjectives. Writing out these adjectives with the different sentences forms shown above, will not only help you learn the adjectives, but also increase your ability to communicate in Italian.
| arrabbiato | angry |
| cattivo | bad |
| grande | great, large, big |
| bello | beautiful, nice |
| luminoso | bright |
| freddo | cold |
| scuro | dark |
| buio | dark |
| secco | dry |
| veloce | fast |
| buono | good |
| feliche | happy |
| duro | hard |
| difficile | hard, difficult |
| alto | high, tall, loud |
| caldo | hot |
| interessante | interesting |
| leggero | light, mild |
| luminoso | light, bright, luminous |
| chiaro | clear, light (color) |
| lungo | long |
| forte | strong, loud |
| basso | low |
| stretto | narrow, tight |
| nuovo | new |
| piacevole | pleasant, nice, enjoyable |
| simpatico | nice, pleasant, sympathetic |
| rumoroso | noisy |
| vecchio | old |
| tranquillo | quiet, peaceful |
| ruvido | rough |
| corretto | correct, right, proper |
| triste | sad |
| semplice | simple |
| facile | easy |
| lento | slow |
| morbido | soft |
| piccolo | small |
| breve | short, brief |
| liscio | smooth |
| stanco | tired |
| bagnato | wet |
| largo | wide, broad, large |
| sbagliato | wrong |
| giovane | young |
Here are some flashcards to help you learn these Italian adjectives.
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Clothing Items
In this section you'll learn some Italian vocabulary for clothing items.
House and Household Items
In this section you'll learn some Italian vocabulary for the house and household items, including items found in the kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom.
Nature (La Natura)
In this section you'll learn some Italian words for common natural objects.
Tools
In this section you'll learn some Italian words for common tools.
More Learning Resources
This section contains a list of resources to help you learn to speak the Italian language.
Wikipedia has an overview of Italian grammar. Italian grammar is a bit complicated and will take a bit of time to learn. Concentrate on mastering the common phrases and work on understanding the grammar at a pace you're comfortable with.
Google Translate provides Italian to English and English to Italian translations.
Project Gutenberg has some free Italian ebooks.
Italy has a few online newspapers.