Crash Course in Italian?
Hey folks.
I'm going to be spending a week and a half in Italy visiting my sister and her fiance's family, many of whom don't speak English, and I was hoping for some advice on a 'crash course' in Italian. I speak passable French and Spanish, which helps a LOT in understanding Italian (I can read Harry Potter-level books without too much trouble), but listening comprehension varies hugely from region to region; when I visited my uncle in Verona I had very little trouble following the conversation, but last time I visited my sister in Florence, her friends/family were WAY harder for me to understand. I can generally make myself understood to the ones who don't speak english with a shoddy mix of Spanish and my VERY limited Italian but... this is less than idea.
I'm basically wondering if anyone has advice for a way to get a crash course in Italian, especially speaking, that can make use of my background in Spanish and French to speed up the process. It's not desperate, as there are plenty people among the group who are bilingual and can translate if necessary, but as the resident linguageek in the family I feel I should make an effort.
Thoughts?
(Crossposted to Linguafags)