We would like to use the Italian names wherever possible in these pages. It should be clear that when you come to Rome the names you'll find on street signs, on maps and in books and magazines will be the Italian ones. Therefore it will be necessary to help interested people with the pronunciation of some of these names. Most letters have only one pronunciation. And you should always try to pronounce them this one way.
Some letters are more complex, especially in combination with others.
Italian uses double consonants as an important part of the pronunciation of the language. English speakers have a lot of problems with double consonants. Yet double consonants do exist in English. These are always pronounced the same in Italian and are a combination of the vowels indicated. In each case you are pronouncing the movement from one vowel to the other each time.