So, I got to go to Italy for two weeks about a month ago. One of the things I was really excited about was the chance to practice Italian. I'd studied really hard for the trip, and, while not fluent by any means, was at "conversational Italian" level.

And...used absolutely none of it. Everywhere we went, we were greeted in English, and my attempts at Italian were replied to in (almost perfect) English. All written communication (including menus) were available and provided in English. Even at the opera, I asked our boxmates in Italian if they could see, since my husband and I had the front seats, and was replied to, in English, that we were fine.

We had a fantastic time, of course, but I felt that all my time and effort to learn Italian was absolutely wasted. So I ask: Is there any point in learning Italian if I never have an opportunity to use it, even in Italy?