In a world turned upside down, we know that we can’t return to what was, yet we have no idea what will be. Although much has changed, one thing hasn’t: our love for Italy.
In the past few months, we’ve wept for the lives lost. We’ve worried about friends and loved ones. We’ve sadly cancelled our plans to visit. Yet when asked if I miss Italy, I say no. I’ve been going to Italy every day— and have found both comfort and inspiration.
Italy, now as in the past, remains a great teacher. Over the course of almost 3,000 years, everything that could happen to a people or a country has happened there. The seemingly invincible Roman Empire crumbled. Barbarians pillaged. Plagues ravaged. Wars claimed countless lives. Governments and economies collapsed. Yet after each calamity, Italy flickered back to life.
Italians survived, not despite these upheavals, but because of the resilience forged by them. They learned fully and deeply what it means to be human—creatures of body, mind, and soul, rooted in the past but seizing the present and reimagining the future. These days I take solace in the words of Dante and Boccaccio, the operas of Verdi and Puccini, the works of Italian artists.
The global crisis has taught us another lesson: Come what may, people do what they love. Dancers dance; singers sing; actors perform; writers write. And so I’ve created a new book: “A” Is for Amore. This letter-by-letter journey through the Italian alphabet, culled from decades of research, writing, and wandering, takes readers on a virtual tour of Italian treasures and pleasures, ranging from cucina to opera to vino.
If you love Italy, you’ll learn more about the country and its people. If you’re an Italian student or teacher, you’ll find a light-hearted perspective that complements vocabulary and grammar lessons. If you are an armchair adventurer, you don’t need to know any Italian to enjoy the ride.
You can download the digital PDF for free—a small gift that I hope will entertain and uplift you.
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