Italian is one of the easiest Romance languages to learn. Because it’s descended from Latin, there are many words that look familiar – such as stazione and familiare. In contrast with French, you pronounce every letter that you see. In contrast with Spanish there aren’t the major differences in usage and pronunciation between Castillian Spanish and Latin American Spanish. Most of the words ends in vowels, making the sounds are round and musical (hence Italian’s popularity for opera).
Adults may find it especially easy and enjoyable to learn Italian because there are so many electronic tools available: apps for your smart phone or tablet, as well as excellent inexpensive software to practice vocabulary and conjugations. But nothing can replace the interactive instruction of a near native language speaker. I have a master’s in Italian Studies (the thesis was written in Italian) and wrote my doctoral dissertation on an Italian subject. I have worked with many adults learning Italian for business or pleasure and would love to help you too!