Furyo, if I may ask, what region of Italy are you in?
I'm generally familiar with Italy, having been there a dozen or so times as a tourist and having done most of the touring by rental car. My "Italian," however, is actually Spanish, which sometimes works OK, especially down south or near the coast where there are many retired sailors. Fortunately your countrymen and women are very tolerant of dumb US tourists, and many of them speak English very well.
(My favorite city, if I had to name one of the many I like, is Ferrara. Lively enough; peaceful enough).