Italianissimo: The Quintessential Guide to What Italians Do Best Hardcover – Illustrated, September 2, 2008

Even though I know a lot of little facts about Italy this book was fun and charming. The authors made me laugh at Italians and myself and taught me a lot more about the country I have come to love. It covers semi-serious topics and makes you chuckle. It comes in handy to know these facts. I will pass this on to my friends who have visited Italy and those who have not, but hope to. Nice format. Great photos. Some text was very tiny.

Bought this as a gift for someone traveling to Italy. The book covers several topics, is funny, but at the same time can make a traveler more aware of things they might have overlooked. Book is small sized and well put together. Nice for a small gift.

This 111 page book is just under 6x6 inches square and has stout covers and heavy glossy paper with loads of lovely pictures to interest the reader. The book is heavy enough not to take along on a trip to Italy and its best uses are to read before you go and to return to once you come back. Its charming contents will rekindle memories and bring happy smiles. The contents of the book revolve around iconic words and phrases, organized alphabetically. Thus, we start with L'Aceto Balsamico' (Balsamic Vinegar), followed by 'L'Aperitivo' (pre-prandial drinks). We move on to 'Authority Figures', an informative short essay on types of police forces; their functions and their uniforms. Next is 'La Bella Figura': the importance of 'looking good' and of behaving properly in a given situation. A selection of other topics includes coffee (a very useful menu decoder as Italians enjoy many special variations), soccer, carnival, colorful ceramic dinnerware, the Italian Woman, ex-voto objects, gelato, a few expressive hand gestures (illustrated and described), open-air markets, Italian fashion, neo-realist cinema, eyeglasses and sunglasses, olive oil, Parmigiano cheese, the evening stroll, pasta types, patron saints, pizza and so on, until we reach 'Vespa', the beloved motor scooter than first brought automobility to the working class and to young men. Each entry is well-written, evocative and succinct: readers get the complete idea but are left open to learning far more about each topic. We are left 'open' to a wonderful culture and to asking ourselves 'what can I read next?'

Such a wonderful little book about all things Italian. Having been to Italy many times, I could relate to all the chapters. Totally accurate. After reading, I now wear red underpants every New Year's Eve although we haven't thrown any crockery yet. I bought another as a gift. Well received!

I expected this book to be a bit more informative about Italian culture than it turned out to be. It is a fun, miniature book that devotes one page to each of various topics, i.e.,gelato, romance, paper. But if you want a book that actually delves into Italian culture, this is not the book for you.

This is a charming collection of "things Italian" that together gives the flavor of Italy. It is appropriate for a first-time visit to the country or for someone quite familiar with everyday pleasures there.

Seemed like very dated observations of "50 enticing Italian contributions to culture". Very obvious and uninspired items like olive oil, cheeses, coffee, aperitifs, Vespas along with very old pictures alla 1950's to accompany the observations. Glad I bought the book used, don't think it's worth the $19.95 new.

This book is just plain fun, and I learned a lot of little things I didn't know, too. Oh, and the photography is great. There were a couple of photos I wanted identified as to exact place, but that's a quibble. A treasure of a book.

Grazie ad Amazon ho trovato di seconda mano un libro di Louise Fili, impaginato da Jessica Hische, due miei miti del graphic design. L'argomento è intrigante, la grafica spaziale. Credo però sia una riedizione in piccolo formato, dato che il corpo dei caratteri in alcune pagine è veramente minuscolo. Spedizione ottima.

As described.

Just what some of my Italian friends need to explain themselves to their non-Italian wives. It will make their lives better.

Great read.

Ho trovato questo piccolo libricino molto simpatico e divertente.La grafica è davvero particolare e ben curata, le foto e le immagini ben stampate.Un bel libro!