Customer Reviews

La Bella Figura: A Field Guide to the Italian Mind

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I read the Italian language version (La Testa Degli Italiani)before my family's trip to Italy last summer (my family is Italo-American). Severgnini was European Journalist of the Year last year, writes a wonderful daily letters column in Corriere della Sera entitled "Italians" which is available on- line at www.corriere.it, and has written other delightful books about his travels in America, England and Germany. There is no better person to explain, with sharp insight and great good humor, the marvelous complexities and contradictions of this amazing country. With its shining successes, its glaring faults, and its self critical population, few countries are so delightful and so maddening at the same time. Read and enjoy. Then go to Italy and see for yourself! You'll never regret the journey.

I read this book after I heard Beppe Severgnini speak about it in Chicago; while reading, I realized that he'd already mentioned the best things in the book during his talk. The book was interesting, and funny, and I wish that I had read it prior to a trip to Italy, but I was slightly disappointed that there wasn't more to it. He's a very funny man, however, and if you're at all familiar with (or interested in) the ways of the Italians, you'll get a kick out of it.

While dining in a favorite restaurant recently, I congratulated the Italian proprietor on his country's recent well-deserved World Cup triumph. "Yeah," he replied, shaking his head, "it was just too easy...I'm really not sure what they can do in 2010 because it's just too easy for us now." I scanned his face for any hint of his pulling my leg (are we talking about the same tournament here?). There was none.

That's the type of Italian bravado and confidence that Beppe Severgnini conveys to his readers in "La Bella Figura." [Typical passage: "We are the consummate professionals of culinary consumption...The French know what they're talking about, but they're sliding into affectation...Note that I'm talking about all Italians...There is a spontaneous gustatory proficiency that cuts across social classes, age groups, income brackets, education and geographical boundaries."]

Now, there are some good things in here, as the other reviewers here can readily attest to. My lukewarm review stems from the fact that the book's awkward format never grabbed me. Severgnini's schtick here is that he's taking us (figuratively) on a ten-day tour so we get lines like "that's the ocean there in front of you...that sand you see was the city council's idea.' Cute idea, but it got old and grating very quickly.

However, if you can get past the clunky presentation, the Italophile in you will be rewarded with an incisive and comprehensive dissection of the national character.

I normally don't take the time to write reviews, but I felt I needed to do so this one time. My wife and I have made several visits to Italy. We rent a car and travel on our own. What great experiences we have had. I do not hold myself out as an expert on the subject of Italy, but I am enthusiastic. After reading Bepe Severgninni's musing on the Italian character, I thought it would make a perfect gift for a like minded friend. Upon seeing a number of negative reviews on this website, I thought I would post my five stars and write this comment. This book is not a travel log, it is not a reference book. But, if you have a fascination with Italy and its complexities and contradictions La Bella Figura makes for a most pleasant read.

As an Italian I enjoyed the book greatly. It is witty, inteñigent and very true.

Bepper Severgnini captures the hearts and minds of the Italians in this book. It is a great read that anyone planning a trip to Italy should read. If you enjoy this book you'll also love ELEVEN DAYS IN AUGUST, a delightful little memoir by Amatore Mille that deals with his relationship with his Italian grandparents as they sell Italin sausage sandwiches at the Wisconsin State Fair. Both books will make you glad you're Italian or wish you were!

The Author, Bepper Severgnini, offers a funny look at the lifestyle and manners of his modern Italian countrymen, how they thing and how they interact with each other. The book offers an interesting and pleasant read for anyone who knows or have close contact with people with an Italian background.

Many of my friends' parents in College where Italian Immigrants and currently I'm working overseas in an Italian Owned Company, so many of my co-workers and friends are from Italy. Additionally back at home my Sister's Husband is Italian so In my case I really found the book to be both revealing and hilarious, helping my understand many of my friends habits and the way they act under certain circumstances. Of course the book is not a sociology study but an enjoyable look at the "Modern Italian Mind"

I read some of the reviews of this book and thought I might not like it. Wrong! As a tour director who works in Italy, I found this book to be hilarious, occasionally redundant (as we all are sometimes) but very informative and helpful for an insight into why things are the way they are in Italy. Interspersed are facts and figures I found very helpful. In short, I loved it, and used lots of it in my commentary. I suppose everything is subjective as to what we look for in books, but this one provided what I was looking for in a light vein that didn't take itself too seriously.

Clever use of a travel scenario for the Italian view of life and love. The author uses "Cutting a good figure" (La Bella Figura) as the key to understanding the special Italian approach. This worldwind tour through the Peninsula and its largest island manages to be witty without falling into the usual cliches about the Italian character. The travelogue is a metaphor for exploring the landscape of the Italian mind as well as the key geographic areas and their major cities. The author's special love for the foibles and idiosyncracies of his fellow countrymen shines through like the Tuscan sun and keeps the reader amused. Great escape!

There is so much about the Italian culture that is humorous... I think because, unlike people in most other Western cultures, Italians know that humor, even about themselves, is not inconsistent with intelligence or sexiness. In my estimation, La Bella Figura fell short in the humor arena. I did not laugh much, or find it very interesting. Having been to Italy several times, and studied with Italians, experiencing their wonderful senses of humor, I really expected to find it much more fun, or have much more depth. I would have preferred both.