La Passione is a stunning story that is engrossing and entertaining.

The author takes us along her adventure as 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.

This is definitely a must-read!

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*

After Paris, Italy is next on my bucket list, and the author underscores just why in this gem of an Italian love letter, with one of the most spectacular covers I’ve seen all year!

Awarded an honorary knighthood by the Italian President, Hales proves the perfect tour guide as she writes about its food, fashion, art, literature, history, and culture in prose as lush as Italia itself. Brava! 5/5

Pub Date 16 Apr 2019.

Thanks to the author, Crown Publishing, and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#LaPassione #NetGalley

It is clear thatthe author it's truly passionate about Italy! I enjoyed the history and mythology the most and felt the book meandered a bit after the first quarter or so but that could have just been my lack of passion for the subject. It is a very broad look at the country and its culture. Not a memoir but written in that voice. I liked it.

I loved Hales' other books and this one was no exception. As an Italophile myself I was drawn deep into her stories and found myself nodding at the experiences she describes, having seen much of this passione myself in the people of Italia. Hale takes you all over the country, sharing vignettes of the ways that Italians have been one of the biggest influences on our world in the realm of culture, art and beauty. If you are traveling to the country, this is a book you must read, and if you have been to Italy and ditto if you have been to the country and want to love it even more.

I think this superlative novel is everything you expect from its ambitious title. The passion is certainly relegated to exploring Italy and our tour guide allows us to truly explore this country and to understand why this country has held the appeal that it has for so many wanderers. What better way of looking at this fascinating country than seeking what makes its blood run!

I have very mixed ideas about this book. I loved the quick portraits Hales gave of many Italians, past and present, organized by topic, who are fueled by great passion for something.

I didn't like many things, both major and minor, about the book. I didn't like the affectation of referring to saints constantly by their Italian names. She writing English, not Italian, and it's Saint Paul, not San Paolo. I didn't like her lopsided and casual attitude towards history. Either it should be there and accurate or it should be left out. With two of the first three chapters being entirely historical, i started thinking it was a history. Why were they there? The rest of the book was only historical in dribs and drabs but she often muddled facts, ignored important parts of Italy's history, or mixed things up. So much so that readers unfamiliar with history will become confused.

Most importantly this book was all surface and no substance. I got portraits of many interesting folks, but she never really looked below the surface to examine why "passione" is so important or what things brought it about. Even in her final chapter, entitled "how Italy seduced the world," all I discover is that it did, never why.

Hales never addresses something that seems to me the biggest concern for this country and way of life -- the lack of children. Italians are reproducing at such a low rate that today even two children is considered a large family -- big enough that the government is looking to give incentives to these families. That means the country's birth rate is not even at replacement levels. This fact is borne out indirectly by how few young and youngish people are portrayed in the book. It's fine to have passion for your work, but if there is no one to continue it how will it endure? This seems critical for the book, but it's ignored completely.

I liked it but it should have been much better

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 a bit different 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.