Beppe Severgnini - La Bella Figura: A Field Guide to the Italian Mind

PRAISE FOR BEPPE SEVERGNINI

An insider explains Italy, land of cheery dysfunction Severgnini turned a fond eye on the United States in his last book, Ciao, America!, but this time around, on his home turf, he bites harder and deeper. The paradoxes of Italian life engage him. They bring out the reflective wit that, he argues, is native to most Italians and may be their most potent weapon in the struggle with bureaucracy and social dysfunction. Intertwined with native wit is a strong sense of self-esteem enjoyed by even the humblest Italian, as well as a fatal weakness for beauty and surface appeal, la bella figura.

New York Times

Severgnini is intrigued by the perennial Italian paradoxof an ancient and sophisticated civilization that is also one of the most unruly and frivolous of Western nations deft and vivid.

The Wall Street Journal

Severgnini has a quirky mind of his own Clearly La Bella Figura is not a travel book in the conventional sense, but rather Severgnini's entertaining and humorous observations on what it means to be Italian in Italy.

Chicago Tribune

An ironic and insightful examination of the Italian mind Packed with wonderful anecdotes and native wit, Severgnini's entertaining book illuminates what turns out to be a little-understood place and its people Severgnini's observations about Italians are surprisingly objective; as well, they have the authority of an insider Ultimately La Bella Figura is a snapshot of Italy today, its complexities, its indulgences and its paradoxes This marvellously witty and perceptive book proves that understanding the minds of third-millennium Italians can be tricky.

The Globe and Mail

Don't read this bookunless you have the courage to let Dottore Severgnini carve up your well-worn stereotypes about Italy. La Bella Figura proves that twenty-first-century Italians are more complicated than we thought. Sort of like Europeans. And Beppe loves them all.

Howard Tomb, author of Wicked Italian

A Bella Laugh This wonderfully funny and perceptive book now finds its way to the country that inspired it. What a pity it took so long to get here, but what a joy that it is here at last. Ciao, America! is fun from first page to last, pure and simple.

The Washington Post

It's not easy to walk the thin line between Tocqueville's Democracy in America and Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need, but this memoir manages to do so admirably.

Booklist

Severgnini is a master Ciao, America! is a sardonic tale of cultural bewilderment, an incisive peek into the mundane obsession of our American existence that makes the commonplace seem not only insane but extremely funny.

Publishers Weekly

A delightful read, full of wonderful anecdotes that capture the eye-opening absurdity of life in these United States.

Chicago Tribune

It would be difficult not to like this delightful book.

Library Journal

At this point, being honest with oneself is the highest form of patriotism.

L UIGI B ARZINI , The Italians

Ciao, America!

Being Italian is a full-time job. We never forget who we are, and we have fun confusing anyone who is looking on.

Don't trust the quick smiles, bright eyes, and elegance of many Italians. Be wary of everyone's poise. Italy is sexy. It offers instant attention and solace. But don't take Italy at face value. Or, rather, take it at face value if you want to, but don't complain later.

One American traveler wrote, Italy is the land of human nature. If this is trueand it certainly sounds convincingexploring Italy is an adventure. You're going to need a map.

So you'll be staying for ten days? Here's the deal: We'll take a look at three locations on each day of your trip. They'll be classics, the sort of places that get talked about a lot, perhaps because they are so little known. We'll start with an airport, since we're here. Then I'll try to explain the rules of the road, the anarchy of the office, why people talk on trains, and the theatrical nature of hotel life. We'll sit in judgment at a restaurant and feel the sensory reassurance of a church. We'll visit Italy's televisual zoo and appreciate how important the beach is. We'll experience the solitude of the soccer stadium, and realize how crowded the bedroom feels. We'll note the vertical fixations of the apartment building, and the transverse democracy of the living roomor, rather, the eat-in kitchen. Ten days, thirty places. We've got to start somewhere if we want to find our way into the Italian mind.