Learning a new Language

Hello.I wish to learn to speak Italian. My father was born and raised in Italy, a small town near Salerno, I think. Anywho, I was hoping some forum members were also interested or fluent in languages other than their native tongue, and had experience with certain books or tapes.Which one or ones would you recommend? Does one company of books, tapes, etc. stand out above the rest? Or are all fairly homogeneous?I was thinking that learning simple conversation would be apt for my desires, but also would be interested in acquiring a deeper understanding of the language: grammar, etc.I was hoping to surprise him, so learning Italian from him would defeat that purpose. Any suggestions, comments, criticisms, or advice is welcomed.Thank you for your time.

My extra-lingual interest is German. I find that reading a favourite story in another language is a great way to expand vocab. Things like parallel texts are good too - and not too expensive.

I learned Dutch in 3 months using a book entitled curiously enough "Dutch in 3 Months" I'm sure they do Italian. They have tapes as well.I learned bit of the sense of German (as well as vocab and grammar) by watching German TVThe motivation however was high - I was living in Holland and needed the language to get a job.The biggest stumbling block was having the confidence to actually use what I knew. The breakthrough came when I got a temp job in the post office which forced me to speak. Things ramped up rapidly once that barrier had been brokenThe locals love when you speak cos you sound all weak and vunerable and most people don't kick a puppy when its rolled over on its back.

Thanks Mod. Parallel texts seems intriguing. I must give this a try.

Hi iano."Italian in three months" seems like it would do the trick. I greatly desire to visit Italy and immerse myself in the culture. I'm sure this could benefit my linguisitc skills, but financially, practically an impossibility.Thanks again.