La Bella Lingua : My Love Affair With Italian, The World’s Most Enchanting Language by Dianne Hales

A celebration of the language and culture of Italy, La Bella Lingua is a tale of how a language shaped a nation, narrated against the backdrop of one woman’s personal quest to speak fluent Italian.

For those who have visited Italy, the allure of living the Italian life is irresistibly enticing. However, to truly embrace the Italian spirit, one must master the language. This is exactly what Dianne Hales set out to do. In La Bella Lingua, she intertwines her decades-long journey with “the world’s most cherished and endearing language” with explorations of Italy’s history, literature, art, music, movies, lifestyle, and cuisine, creating a true opera amorosa – a labor of love for Italy.

Over the course of twenty-five years, Hales learned Italian through various means: Berlitz, books, CDs, podcasts, private tutorials, conversation groups, and, most importantly, immersing herself in Italy. In this process, the Italian language transformed from a mere passion and joy into a gateway to Italy’s history and its very essence. She beckons readers to accompany her as she retraces the evolution of Italian through the lively graffiti on Pompeii’s walls, Dante’s radiant cantos, and Boccaccio’s playful Decameron.

Hales illustrates how social etiquette remains deeply ingrained in Italian culture. Even the cheerful “ciao,” which serves as both a greeting and farewell, mirrors centuries of bella figura. Furthermore, she extols the magnificence of Italian cuisine and its rich and often amusing gastronomic language. Italians cleverly describe a person who is uptight as a baccala (dried cod), an intruding busybody as a prezzemolo (parsley), and a dull or trite movie as a polpettone (large meatball).

Just like Dianne Hales, readers of La Bella Lingua will find themselves innamorata (in love), captivated by Italian, fascinated by its narrative, tantalized by its adventures, addicted to its melodic sounds, and perpetually eager to spend more time in its company.