Italy
Home to 11 dialects represented on Dialect Atlas, spanning 5 language families.
Italian dialects in Italy
About Italian →Standard Italian
also: Italiano standard, Tuscan-based
The national standard of Italy, historically based on Florentine Tuscan. The reference variety in education and national media.
Romanesco
also: Roman Italian
The Italian of Rome. A Central Italian variety widely heard through national cinema and television, occupying a middle position between Tuscan and Southern varieties.
Neapolitan
also: Napulitano
The variety of Naples and surrounding Campania. Often classified as a distinct Italo-Romance language; a major literary and operatic medium.
Sicilian
also: Sicilianu
The variety of Sicily, often counted as a separate Italo-Romance language. Carries strong Greek, Arabic, Norman, and Spanish influences from the island's history.
Venetian
also: Vèneto
The Romance variety of the Veneto region. Linguistically distinct enough from Italian that many linguists classify it as a separate language.
Lombard
also: Lombardo
The Gallo-Italic variety of Lombardy and Italian-speaking Switzerland. Internally split between Western (Milan) and Eastern (Bergamo) groupings.
Sardinian
also: Sardu
The Romance variety of Sardinia. The most conservative Romance language, often cited as the closest living variety to Latin in several phonological respects.