Italy and Italian: Art, Design, Business, and more

"Volare develops an analysis of the contemporary popular media-driven image of Italy. The high visibility of Italian fashion & industrial design, "Italian" settings for advertising, shelves of Italian foods in every supermarket, & select gentrified cuisine's all demonstrate the way in which Italy has become a global pop icon. This book, written & designed to capture the energy of its subject, explores the phenomenon of Italy as icon, which extends through the transformations of popular culture now sweeping the world. The global culture, unified by the market & by transnational media corporations, has produced a series of stereotypes & semantic references that might be termed the Italian dream, which occupies a space on the continuum of spectacular images the world sees as the American dream, French allure, & classic English style. In turn, the Italian icon, freed of territorial boundaries linking it to the l& it ostensibly depicts, influences not only the external view of Italians but Italians' own views of themselves. Italy has created a dream, which is dreamed by others, & it is necessary to realize the existence of this dream for it to become reality."

"An introduction to Italian for art lovers, this book offers language lessons in the form of fun cultural experiences, including a recipe by the great Lidia Bastianich, the classic photography of Gianni Berengo Gardin and Letizia Battaglia, films by Nanni Moretti and Fred Kuwornu, a moving song by Gianmaria Testa, and paintings from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Whether as a self-study guide for travelers, or as a supplement to a college grammar text book, this volume's engaging cultural journey presents a path to lasting comprehension"

"Your search for the right word in Italian is over. Stop hunting blindly through ordinary bilingual dictionaries! With 4,000 words, Must-Know Italian gives you the power to be understood in any situation. You'll never be at a loss for words again in the classroom il calcolatore (calculator), il, la supplente (substitute teacher) at the office lo stage (internship), la riunione (meeting) talking about the environment la conservazione (conservation), riciclare (recycle) discussing politics la cittadinanza (citizenship), il broglio elettorale (electoral fraud) shopping l(o)'affare (bargain), la cartina del bancomat (ATM card)"