When in Rome, should we speak Italian?

The Flavian Ampitheatre (Colosseum) in Rome.

Before I took my first European trip, I invested in a phrase book, and I taught myself how to order a coffee and a beer in four languages. As it turned out, it wasn’t necessary, although my tortured pronunciation did provide some light relief for the locals.

As a native English speaker, I have a big advantage everywhere I travel: I talk the language much of the world already knows or is keen to learn. But is it simply lazy, or even disrespectful, to try to get by with English when you travel?

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Where’s the romance?

Followers of this site will know that I have a love-hate relationship with lists. As a journalist, I know such offering as “the 10 best …” or “20 most exciting…” or “12 cheapest..,” are popular with readers.

Barcelona

But, as an educated and rational person, I know that nobody is in the position to offer the best of anything, unless they’ve tried everything — and nobody has.

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