bel paese

See also: belpaese and Bel Paese

Italian

Alternative forms

Etymology

Literally “fair, beautiful country”.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌbɛl paˈe.se/, [ˌbɛl päˈeːze], [ˌbɛl päˈeːse]

Proper noun

il bel paese ― Italy

il bel paese m

  1. (chiefly literary, sometimes capitalized) Italy
    • 1321, Dante Alighieri, chapter XXIII, in The Divine Comedy, volume 1 (Inferno):
      del bel paese là dove ’l sì suona
      of the fair land there where the sì doth sound
    • 1374, Francesco Petrarca, chapter CXLVI, in Il Canzoniere:
      il bel paese / ch’Appennin parte, e ’l mar circonda e l’Alpe
      that fair country / the Apennines divide, and Alps and sea surround

Derived terms

References

Further reading

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