In the modern globalized environment, the need to learn foreign languages is more intense than ever. This has led to the rich production of learning programs, but also to the training of language teachers for the effective teaching of foreign languages. To achieve this goal and before starting the implementation of a program, it is necessary to identify and explore the learning needs of students.
This research aims to identify, investigate and evaluate the needs of a number of active students of the Italian language in Greece. The choice of Italian as the subject of this doctorate research is related to the fact that it’s a foreign language, which for many decades has remained in high demand in Greece. In addition, the massive introduction of distance learning, during and after the pandemic era, has changed the educational process and introduced new ways of teaching and learning as well as new needs among the students.

The objectives of this research are linked to the language and communication skills that the students need and must acquire in order to be functional and effective in a professional environment as well as in their everyday life, but also to specific language skills needed in certain environments. It also aims to investigate and evaluate the students' demographic, cultural and personal characteristics which may influence the educational process as well as to evaluate their previous educational experiences, which may again influence the educational process. Lastly, the research will focus on the formulation of needs on the basis of in-person or distance learning.

Regarding the methodology, the means and techniques used to collect data and information are mainly electronic questionnaires, interviews with students and fellow teachers and finally, if needed, language tests. The questionnaire consists of four sections and it is addressed to prospective students of Italian or to those who have already started learning the language.
The first section includes the information and demographic data of the respondents. The data related to gender, professional status, personal interests, age and educational level determine the formation of the students' needs.
The second section includes information related to the students’ needs in terms of the four language skills: Listening, Speaking, Writing and Reading. As for the needs, these extend from learning the language in order to obtain a qualification or to engaging in it because of the students' love and personal interest.
The third section asks about the knowledge and the level of knowledge of other languages apart from Italian.
The fourth section asks about students' opinions on the Italian language, the learning method (online, in-person or blended), their learning style and the level of language that they wish/aim to obtain.

This research is still ongoing therefore the results and conclusions are preliminary. So far, it has been found that learning Italian is due to personal reasons, i.e. for travelling and not so much for work or studies. The students’ needs focus on the oral understanding of Italian speakers, on communicating orally (in-person or online) and on understanding written language. The learning of the language is essentially motivated by the love and interest toward the Italian culture and civilization. This last element demonstrates the preference of the students toward the language which could be converted to a need to enrich their own culture and intellect.

Keywords: Needs Analysis, Teaching Italian as Foreign Language, Developing Language Skills.