bel paese

See also: belpaese and Bel Paese

Italian

il bel paeseItaly

Alternative forms

Etymology

Literally, beautiful country.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈbɛl paˈe.ze/
  • Hyphenation: bèl‧pa‧é‧se

Proper noun

bel paese m

  1. (chiefly literary, sometimes capitalized) Italy
    • mid 1300smid 1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto XXXIII”, in Inferno [Hell], lines 79–80; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate], 2nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:
      Ahi Pisa, vituperio de le genti
      del bel paese là dove ’l sì suona [].
      Ah! Pisa, thou opprobium of the people
      of the fair land there where the doth sound.
    • 13361374, Francesco Petrarca, “CXLVI — O d’ardente vertute ornata et calda”, in Il Canzoniere, lines 13–14; republished as Daniele Ponchiroli, editor, Turin: publ. Giulio Einaudi, 1964:
      [] 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

Further reading

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