On Italian and learning the langueage !

[Rosina Lila]

Hi Russ,
I speak both Spanish and Italian fully (as well as three other languages) and
I should tell you that the widely accepted notion that  Spanish and Italian
are similar is misleading. Their believed similarity lies on the fact that
both are phonetic languages, but they are quite different from one another.
While the languages share a wide Latin base (as do French and Portuguese),
Spanish was heavily influenced by the various other languages spoken in the
peninsula, like Euskadi, Galician, Catalan, etc., and, of course, the eight
centuries of Moorish occupation. I find more grammatical and semantic
similarities between Italian and Portuguese than between Italian and Spanish.
While on the Camino myself I spent a great deal of time translating for other
pilgrims, many of them Italian.
I can tell you, however, that my sister in law who speaks no language other
than English, and who bicycled the Camino alone, managed quite well with a
small Spanish dictionary and the good will of the Spaniards themselves and of
other pilgrims who spoke  English either partially or fluently.
I would not worry in this regard. As those of us who have traversed it know,
the Camino takes care of its pilgrims.
Rosina