Imagine a world without Italy: Painting without Michelangelo. Literature without Dante. No Valentino red. Your readers know Italy embodies a culture that transformed art and architecture, language and music, food and fashion. But how did a peninsula smaller than California leave such an imprint? ⁠Award-winning author Dianne Hales credits la passione italiana. A self-described appassionata herself, Dianne was first seduced by Italy’s tastes, sounds, scents, and sensations over thirty years ago. She has since penned several bestselling books on the country and been knighted by the Italian President for her writing. 

In LA PASSIONE (Crown Archetype, April 2019), readers will be whisked away on Dianne’s adventures as she 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. Through sumptuous prose, she introduces us to unforgettable Italian figures, historical and contemporary, all brimming with the greatest of Italian passions—for life itself.

A lyrical portrait of a unique national spirit, LA PASSIONE will inspire readers, whether they’re planning a trip to Italy or simply admiring their heritage. I can’t wait for you to dip into this beautiful book. 

DIANNE 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 text books.

Praise for LA PASSIONE:

“In this sweeping account of la passione italiana from ancient to modern times, Dianne Hales shows once again why she is one the world’s foremost guides to the riches of Italian culture. Every page resonates with the author’s love for Italy, and her joy in sharing its remarkable discoveries and exquisite pleasures with her readers.”

–JOSEPH LUZZI, author of My Two Italies and In a Dark Wood 

“What would we do without Italy and the treasures she has given to the world? Thank God we won’t have to find out. Dianne Hales exquisitely reveals how the passion of Italians – ancient and modern, famous and anonymous, unwavering even in the most difficult of circumstances – has given birth to an explosion of art and innovation unlike any other culture. Hales captures the spirit of Italy and makes us more grateful than ever for its ardent creators. La Passione takes us on a journey that you simply won’t want to end.”

–KATHY MCCABE, host of "Dream of Italy" on PBS 

"Hales takes us on an enriching and delightful journey, filled with fascinating characters, scintillating sensual details, and an authentic connection to the ever-inspiring Italian heart and soul that has given the world boundless pleasures."

–SUSAN VAN ALLEN, author of 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go