The legal answer and the real answer are different, so let us take them separately.
Where it is genuinely required
Italian language certification is a legal requirement in a narrow set of cases: citizenship by residency and citizenship by marriage both require certified B1. Long-term EU residence permits also carry a language element. Ordinary residence permits, elective residency visas and digital-nomad routes generally do not test your Italian at all.
Rules and consular practice change, so verify your own case with your consulate or lawyer. The language side is covered in Italian for citizenship.
Where it is not required and still decides everything
Your first three months will contain a sequence of counter conversations, none of which is optional: the codice fiscale, residency registration at the anagrafe, a bank account, utilities, registering with the health service and choosing a doctor, the lease, the internet installation that was supposed to be Tuesday.
All of it is survivable through a translator or a relocation agency, and all of it costs money and independence handled that way.
You will be understood in English in Italy. You will only be included in Italian.
What life looks like without it
Comfortable and slightly sealed. You will have foreign friends, a favourite restaurant where they know you, and a competent English-speaking accountant. What you will not have is the neighbour who tells you which builder to avoid, the market vendor who saves you the good artichokes, or any idea what the town is actually arguing about at the council meeting.
Most people who move here and leave again did not leave because of bureaucracy. They left because they never got past the surface, and after two years the surface is lonely.
Where you are going changes the answer
- Milan, Rome, Florence, Bologna. Substantial English, real expat infrastructure. You will have to seek out practice deliberately.
- Tuscany, Umbria, the lakes. Established foreign communities and a service industry used to them. English gets you a long way; Italian gets you invited to things.
- The south and any small town. English is largely not an option, and you will hear dialect alongside Italian daily. Arrive with some Italian or expect a hard first year.
How much, and by when
Six months of twice-weekly lessons before the move makes the first weeks manageable. A year puts you in a position to build relationships rather than complete errands. If your move is sooner, prioritise the bureaucratic register first and the social Italian once you are here with a daily reason to use it. That is exactly how we sequence lessons for relocation.