Italians Dance and I'm a Wallflower

Welcome to Italy, where spring breezes are a threat and political turnover is a promise. In a country where words are the most common music and gestures the most frequent dance, find out why wishing someone good luck attracts its polar opposite and why foods served on the same plate best be color-coordinated. Drawn from her column in The Florentine, Linda Falcone s vignettes take readers on an exhilarating ramble through Italy s life and language, both conjuring its beauties and unriddling its beasts. Size up and side-step the country s curious taboos and tune into its unbounded appeal with this book that s smart enough for the veteran traveler and light enough for the newly arrived. These colorful stories prove that laughter is the surefire antidote to culture shock and that language is the most effective window through which to see the world.