Italy's performance in the areas of fundamental literacy, numeracy, and adaptive problem-solving skills is below the OECD average. This underscores the structural fragility of the adult skills landscape, which has substantial implications for social cohesion, productivity, and employment. This is what the OECD research "Survey of Adult Skills 2023" reveals about adult abilities in Italy. The deficiencies are most visible in the realm of literacy, which is the ability to comprehend and apply texts for practical, professional, and civic purposes. A considerable proportion of the Italian population can only perform extremely basic reading activities, severely limiting their prospects for meaningful involvement in society. Similarly, numeracy, or the capacity to read and operate with numbers, is a crucial talent that Italy is struggling to maintain. According to the research, 20% of Italian individuals score poorly on this measure, indicating a weak ability to use numerical information in everyday or job contexts. Another frightening statistic concerns adaptable problem-solving skills, which are essential in a future dominated by digitization and artificial intelligence. Again, Italian individuals have lower levels of competence than the OECD average, which limits their ability to deal with new or difficult situations efficiently.