My wife speaks fluent Italian and rudimentary Spanish (deriving mostly from Italian cognates and admiration for Jose Andres). On both of her trips to BA, she has had occasion to use her Italian in conversation. In the first instance, she was able to get instructions for the byzantine ordering process at a bakery. In the second, we overheard a woman talking (to herself) in Italian and struck up a conversation... apparently she has not had anyone with whom she can converse in Italian since her husband passed 20 years ago.

So knowledge of Italian can provide experiences like these, although it should be noted that these were older women, and I don't know that the younger generations have maintained those linguistic links to the old country.