What part of Italy speaks standard Italian?

It's not like that. All of Italy speaks standard Italian, and no town in particular does. Standard Italian is one language. It has its vocabulary and its grammar. It's taught in schools throughout the country. read more

It's not like that. All of Italy speaks standard Italian, and no town in particular does. Standard Italian is one language. It has its vocabulary and its grammar. It's taught in schools throughout the country. It's used on television, and in all instances of written, polite, mildly educated, or even slightly formal communication. read more

However, standard Italian has been in widespread use only since the unification of Italy in the 1860s and Italians were slow to adopt the language of the new nation-state, identifying much more strongly with their regional dialects. read more

Moreover, the dialect of Perugia is rather similar to standard Italian (though the standard Italian doesn't coincide with any particular dialect, and even Italians who don't speak dialect and speak the best Italian they can always have a little regional accent). read more