I was pleasantly surprised by this book, really a collection of vignettes about Italians, all things Italian and a history of Italy. People, events, accomplishments, it's all there and leaves you wanting more. I thought that some of these profiles were a bit of a stretch when the author was trying to demonstrate La Passione, but not many and not too far. I bought and read it as part of my family history research, and there were points where I wanted to grab a flight and go...now. A fun read, maybe could have included a bit more about Southern Italy - always a difficult topic, but nonetheless. Or maybe Cremona and its violins - that is true passion. Maybe in a "La Passione II"? ( )

La Passione: How Italy Seduced the World by Dianne Hales presents a nonscholarly look at Italy and its history and influence. Hales is the author of La Bella Lingua, a New York Times best-seller; Mona Lisa: A Life Discovered, an Amazon best book of the year, translated into six languages; and more than forty trade and textbooks.

What makes Italy unique in a world of195 countries? Ask anyone of Italian heritage, and they will tell you. It is almost like the old Marine Corps maxim. Never ask a person if they were a Marine. If they were, they would tell you, if not no need to embarrass them. The same goes for Italians. Ask Americans with interests in different areas about Italy. Cyclists will speak of Colnago, Campagnolo, and Pinarello. The motorcyclist will speak of Ducati and Moto Guzzi. The car enthusiast Mazaradi and Ferrari. The list goes on with opera, clothing, works of art, political philosophy, and food. No matter the subject of discussion there is something the Italians did to make it better or more remarkable.

Hales' book presents something of a different take on Italy. Her work is not a rigid history or even a cultural history although she does show her source material. It carries an informal and friendly tone throughout the book. She uses history to support the concept of La Passione, a passion for being passionate. La Passione is easily recognized. This year I met Valentina Scandolora a well known Italian cyclist who was competing in the US for the first time. There is little doubt about her passion for cycling and winning. But, what was the most fun was hearing about things that, we Americans, think of as Italian. Coffee and food are two easy subjects. It is difficult for an Italian to find a good cup of coffee in Oklahoma or decent (real) Italian food. It's vaguely recognizable but not the real thing. It's not arrogance but a simple statement -- "This is not Italian."

This passion runs deep in Hales' love story of Italy. It covers a broad spectrum from Petrarch to high heels. I learned a few new things about Dante, lace, Titian, and Botticelli. La Passione is the perfect book for those wanting to learn more about Italy and Italian culture without the rigors of a detailed history text. The writing is informal and lets the reader have a feeling they are talking to an insider with secrets to share. Nicely done. ( )

Can you imagine painting without Leonardo, opera without Verdi, fashion without Armani, food without the signature tastes of pasta, gelato, and pizza? The first universities, first banks, first public libraries? All Italian.

New York Times bestselling author Dianne Hales attributes these landmark achievements to la passione italiana, a primal force that stems from an insatiable hunger to discover and create; to love and live with every fiber of one's being. This fierce drive, millennia in the making, blazes to life in the Sistine Chapel, surges through a Puccini aria, deepens a vintage Brunello, and rumbles in a gleaming Ferrari engine.

Our ideal tour guide, Hales sweeps readers along on her adventurous quest for the secrets of la passione. She swims in the playgrounds of mythic gods, shadows artisanal makers of chocolate and cheese, joins in Sicily's Holy Week traditions, celebrates a neighborhood Carnevale in Venice, and explores pagan temples, vineyards, silk mills, movie sets, crafts studios, and fashion salons. She introduces us, through sumptuous prose, to unforgettable Italians, historical and contemporary, all brimming with the greatest of Italian passions--for life itself.

A lyrical portrait of a spirit as well as a nation, La Passione appeals to the Italian in all our souls, inspiring us to be as daring as Italy's gladiators, as eloquent as its poets, as alluring as its beauties, and as irresistible as its lovers.

This was a wonderful guide to Italy and its rich culture and history.

*Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* ( )

If you love Italy—and if you don't love it now, you definitely will, after reading this engaging, vibrant tribute to Italy! Knighted by the President of Italy for her writing about Italy, author Dianne Hales describes the native, inherent passion of Italians—la passione italiana— as the source and nurturer of our civilization's love for art, music, architecture, cars, ceramics, sculpture, design, literature, film, food, and wine.
Where does one even begin in order to write about the profound, over-arching influence of Italy on our cultural histories and our daily lives? Hales opens this delightful and enchanting book with a lively history of Italy itself, her vivid prose bringing ancient and medieval peoples and a rich culture to life. Then, readers are drawn into her heartfelt enthusiasm for Italy, joining her in an odyssey of delightful discoveries, helping them to delve into fascinating stories about the many cultural icons whose genius—and Italian passion for life— we have seemingly taken for granted, but see with new eyes from her thoughtful perspective. She writes, "More than a country, Italy embodies a culture that has transformed art and architecture, language and music, food and fashion." Quoting an Italian cultural historian, Hales enlightens us with, "Passion—and passion alone—lifts us above the ordinary. Without passion, there would be no literature, no art, no music, no romance, perhaps none of the wonders Italians have wrought. Beyond sentiment or emotion, la passione italiana qualifies as a primal force of nature that cannot be ignored or denied."
Hales links the native passion of Italian cultural luminaries clearly to each artistic and cultural endeavor—so that we understand how the passion that drives the artist is communicated to and manifested in the passion of the beholder upon seeing, viewing, or listening to the work of art. Her thoroughly-detailed and conscientious research describes each cultural treasure so vividly that readers don't even realize they are being treated to college-level knowledge, which, in someone else's words might be drily-recited facts. We see even the familiar through new eyes, through Hales's clear-eyed lens, enthralling us with stories of, among many, many others, Dante, Michelangelo, da Vinci, Raphael, Verdi, Puccini, Armani, Fellini, and Ferrari. So many times, upon reading another delightful anecdote and story of yet another Italian cultural treasure, I found myself exclaiming, "I didn't know that!" Bursting with talent and passion, the legacy of Italian passion for life in our culture is ubiquitous and all-encompassing. Italy and its passion itself have taken hold of our imaginations.
Hales's interview of acclaimed journalist Luigi Barzini yields this gem about the depth of the la passione italiana that affects us all: "What mysterious emptiness in their souls is filled by merely standing on Italian soil?" Indeed, after (reluctantly!) finishing this enthralling book, my own soul is replenished, refreshed, and renewed. Bravissima, Dianne Hales! ( )