{"product_id":"la-bella-lingua-isbn-9780767927703","title":"La Bella Lingua","description":"\u003cb\u003eA celebration of the language and culture of Italy, \u003ci\u003eLa Bella Lingua\u003c\/i\u003e is the story of how a language shaped a nation, told against the backdrop of one  woman’s personal quest to speak fluent Italian.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e For anyone who has been to Italy,  the fantasy of living the Italian life is powerfully seductive. But to truly become  Italian, one must learn the language. This is how Dianne Hales began her journey.  In \u003ci\u003eLa Bella Lingua\u003c\/i\u003e, she brings the story of her decades-long experience with the  “the world’s most loved and lovable language” together with explorations of Italy’ s history, literature, art, music, movies, lifestyle and food in a true \u003ci\u003eopera amorosa \u003c\/i\u003e— a labor of her love of Italy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOver the course of twenty-five years, she has studied Italian through Berlitz,  books, CDs, podcasts, private tutorials and  conversation groups, and, most importantly, time spent in Italy.   In the  process the Italian language became not just a passion and a pleasure, but a passport  into Italy’s \u003ci\u003estoria\u003c\/i\u003e and its very soul. She invites readers to join  her as she traces the evolution of Italian in the zesty graffiti on the walls of  Pompeii, in Dante’s incandescent cantos and in Boccaccio’s bawdy \u003ci\u003eDecameron\u003c\/i\u003e.  She  portrays how social graces remain woven into the fabric of Italian:  even the chipper  “ciao,” which does double duty as “hi” and “bye,” reflects centuries of \u003ci\u003ebella figura.\u003c\/i\u003e  And she exalts the glories of Italy’s food and its rich and often uproarious gastronomic  language:  Italians deftly describe someone uptight as a \u003ci\u003ebaccala \u003c\/i\u003e(dried cod), a busybody  who noses into everything as a \u003ci\u003eprezzemolo\u003c\/i\u003e (parsley), a worthless or banal movie as  a \u003ci\u003epolpettone\u003c\/i\u003e (large meatball). \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Like Dianne, readers of \u003ci\u003eLa Bella Lingua \u003c\/i\u003ewill find  themselves \u003ci\u003einnamorata\u003c\/i\u003e, enchanted, by Italian, fascinated by its saga, tantalized  by its adventures, addicted to its sound, and ever eager to spend more time in its  company.“A praiseworthy feature of \u003ci\u003eLa Bella Lingua \u003c\/i\u003eis the way Hales peppers her narrative with hundreds of Italian words, idioms, and figures of speech—all chosen with gusto and brio and clearly translated into English—to introduce readers to the sonic and semantic seraglio that is the Italian language. A separate chapter on ‘Irreverent Italian’ highlights \u003ci\u003ela parolaccia\u003c\/i\u003e, the earthy lexicon of invective and jocular sensuality that contemporary Italians imbibe with their mother’s milk but foreign students of Italian rarely get to savor.” —Peter D’Epiro and Mary Desmond Pinkowish, authors of \u003ci\u003eSprezzatura: 50 Ways Italian Genius Shaped the World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Dianne Hales is just about pitch perfect as she weaves the engaging story of her \u003ci\u003einnamoramento \u003c\/i\u003ewith Italian, hitting the high notes of Italian culture...\u003cbr\u003ea lovely, touching tribute to the many fine civilizing gifts that Italy has shared with the world. Any smart traveler to Italy would want to read \u003ci\u003eLa Bella Lingua\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cbr\u003eIt’s not only readable and engaging but informative about things not easily found in guidebooks and common tourist materials.” —Julia Conaway Bondanella \u0026amp; Peter Bondanella, authors and editors of \u003ci\u003eThe Italian Renaissance Reader, Italian Cinema\u003c\/i\u003e, and the \u003ci\u003eCassell Dictionary of Italian Literature\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An impassioned student, Dianne Hales takes us along on her delightful pilgrimage to the speaking heart of Italy. The rhythmic beat she comes to feel and love teaches her how to live, in beautiful and idiomatic Italian, ‘a language as rich in flavors and varieties as Italian cooking.’ The reading pilgrim’s reward is this delicious feast of a book, a strong mix of cultural and spoken treasure.” —Susan Cahill, author of \u003ci\u003eDesiring Italy \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e The Smiles of Rome\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eDianne Hales\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of\u003ci\u003e La Passione\u003c\/i\u003e;\u003ci\u003e La Bella Lingua\u003c\/i\u003e, a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller; \u003ci\u003eMona Lisa: A Life Discovered\u003c\/i\u003e, translated into six languages; and more than forty trade and text books, including \u003ci\u003eJust Like a Woman,\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eCaring for the Mind\u003c\/i\u003e and thirty editions of a leading college health textbook, \u003ci\u003eAn Invitation to Health\u003c\/i\u003e. The President of Italy has awarded Dianne the highest recognition the government can bestow on a foreigner: honorary knighthood, with the title of \u003ci\u003eCavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana\u003c\/i\u003e (Knight of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity), for her contributions to promoting the Italian language.","brand":"Crown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46305188217061,"sku":"NP9780767927703","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780767927703.jpg?v=1767730881","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/la-bella-lingua-isbn-9780767927703","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}