Learning Dialects?

I was going to mention Catalan as regards to Spain and that's also a totally different language it seems. I know people fluent in Spanish that visit that particular region and are lost in regards to the language barrier.
 
I am sure there are different dialects in Italian as well. It seems like every region of various countries have their particular dialects and regional accents. These are just some of the things that you can note about them.
 
Ever since i visited Italy last summer i have been trying to learn their language. I wish to get a pal who can teach me some basics as i teach him Swahili. That is the language mostly used in east and central Africa and is celebrated by many.
 
There are a lot of resources uploaded to the internet about any dialect right now. It is not easy to find them, but there are available, and a lot of them are completely free. I have tried to learn Piedmontese, and, after spending a week looking for resources, I have some pdf's and even an interactive dictionary with recordings of native speakers.