Italian Dialects

Italian has many dialects. Though standard Italian is widely used, many regions have dialects that differ significantly from the standard variety. They can differ so much from the standard language that many Italians do not understand them.

The main dialects of Italian include Milanese, Venetian, Tuscan, Neapolitan, Romanesco and Sicilian. Milanese is spoken in northwestern Italy and Venetian in northeastern Italy. Tuscan is spoken in northern Italy and is the basis of the standard language. Neapolitan is spoken in the south and Romanesco is spoken in central Italy, particularly in Rome. Sicilian is very different from standard Italian and is spoken on the southern island of Sicily.

Standard Italian is based on the dialect of Tuscany. However, the Italian language has many regional dialects. Widely-spoken varieties include Venetian, Neapolitan, Romanesco and Sicilian.