Not Italian, but I taught myself German in the last few years and am sort of learning French. Edit - Sort of meaning I don’t really put a lot of effort into it, aside from Duolingo each day.)
I started with Duolingo, and that was a very good program for me - someone starting from zero. The newer format (changed a couple of years ago) is easier and more fun, but I don’t get the repetition that I used to. I noticed the difference trying to learn French vs German. I need lots of repetition. Also, the different modules within Duolingo are very different. Some are much more robust and better than others. Spanish as an English speaking person is supposed to be the best, then French, the German. But, I also tried the French as a German native and HATED it. Everything they taught seemed like weird fortune cookie sentences. they never even taught basic things like numbers… but I digress. Long story short, I’m not sure how good the Italian version is, but it is cheap. even the Super level is $80/year. They’re another level where you can chat with an AI character. I haven’t done that yet.
I LOVE Easy German videos/podcasts. There is also an Easy Italian version. I’d guess the podcasts would be too hard from someone starting from scratch, but they are free to listen to. If you pay, you can get the interactive transcripts for free. The YouTube videos have subtitles in both languages. The ones labeled slow are more for beginners.
Over time, I also looked for other low budget/free videos/podcasts to supplement. I also read (almost daily) and write in a journal 3x week.
After 18 months I was at the point where I could probably hold easy conversations, but I was very self conscious about trying. I did do some simple transactions in German. I was pretty comfortable reading all signages - except menus. One issue for me was that we learn “Standard or High German,” but there are tons of dialects. Apparently Germans don’t understand other Germans speaking in their dialect. And then German in Austria can be different - especially their menus! I had no idea when I started, and I have no idea if Italy is similar.
4 years in, and I am very comfortable listening to several podcasts. Some are for German learners, but several are about my interest - health/fitness, running, travel, emigration, etc. I’m probably at a C1 level for listening and reading, B1-2 for writing (according to ChatGPT), and maybe A2-B1 for speaking. Big maybe, because I don’t do it. I’m just self conscious, and there’s no real reason I need to force myself. It’s a hobby. I’m pretty proud of how far I’ve come all on my own! I only go overseas every year or two and not always to a German speaking country - though I am going in December, so I may (should) start talking to the computer more soon.
But, some ways to practice - talk to ChatGPT. I don’t know why I don’t do it more. I’m still self conscious talking to a freaking computer! Also Easy German has pricier levels where you can do regular zoom meetings. I did this a few times, but the times were hard for me to make and again - self conscious… There is also a service iTalki that gets promoted lots of places, where you can hire someone 1 on 1 to talk to you and help you. I’ve never done it, but it’s supposed to be helpful.