{"product_id":"la-bella-lingua-my-love-affair-with-italian-the-worlds-most-enchanting-language-paperback","title":"La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eDianne Hales\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\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 \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\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). \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\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.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 336\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.73 x 7.96 x 5.44 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 20, 2010\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51757341835552,"sku":"9780767927703","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/e8b36b18c0d541973259182d6060fa7d.webp?v=1780099946","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/la-bella-lingua-my-love-affair-with-italian-the-worlds-most-enchanting-language-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}