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“Beauty will save the world”—and so will the Italian language

THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE FOUNDATION / November 6, 2025 / Blog /

Italian Translation

By Argia Coppola

Beauty is not decoration—it’s a structure, a way to see and shape the world. Italian is the language of that beauty. It carries centuries of music, art, poetry, cinema, design, and everyday life. And even in the fast, digital age, it still speaks to something essential: the connection between imagination and reality.

My teaching method was born from the arts—especially playwriting, poetry, and the language of film. I use these tools to help students feel Italian, not just study it. When they read Fellini’s images or speak words that once belonged to operas or political revolutions, they begin to understand how language shapes identity. Italian becomes something they can live inside.

Today, Italian still creates value. The phrase Made in Italy means more than location. It means quality, originality, and care. Even in America, we see how Italian thinking influences cuisine, fashion, journalism, education, engineering, and more. When someone learns the language, they’re not just learning words—they’re stepping into a network of meaning that stretches across industries.

Reading a book or a newspaper in Italian won’t save the world. But it might expand the possibilities that we—and the world—still can.

Argia Coppola, PhD in Theater and Playwriting, offers private, group, and remote courses in Italian language and culture through poetry, cinema, and the arts – www.argiacoppola.org. 

“La bellezza salverà il mondo” — e anche la lingua italiana

THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE FOUNDATION / November 6, 2025 / Blog, Italian Translation /

Traduzione Inglese

Di Argia Coppola

La bellezza non è decorazione: è una struttura, un modo di vedere e di dare forma al mondo. L’italiano è la lingua di quella bellezza. Porta con sé secoli di musica, arte, poesia, cinema, design e vita quotidiana. E anche nell’era veloce e digitale, continua a parlare a qualcosa di essenziale: il legame tra immaginazione e realtà.

Il mio metodo di insegnamento nasce dalle arti — in particolare dalla drammaturgia, dalla poesia e dal linguaggio del cinema. Uso questi strumenti per aiutare gli studenti a sentire l’italiano, non solo a studiarlo. Quando leggono le immagini di Fellini o pronunciano parole che un tempo appartenevano alle opere liriche o alle rivoluzioni politiche, iniziano a capire come la lingua plasmi l’identità. L’italiano diventa qualcosa in cui possono abitare.

Oggi l’italiano continua a creare valore. L’espressione Made in Italy significa più di un luogo. Significa qualità, originalità e cura. Anche in America vediamo come il pensiero italiano influenzi la cucina, la moda, il giornalismo, l’istruzione, l’ingegneria e molto altro. Quando qualcuno impara la lingua, non sta solo imparando delle parole — sta entrando in una rete di significati che attraversa i settori più diversi.

Leggere un libro o un giornale in italiano non salverà il mondo. Ma potrebbe ampliare le possibilità che noi — e il mondo — abbiamo ancora.

Argia Coppola, PhD in Teatro e Drammaturgia, offre corsi privati, di gruppo e online di lingua e cultura italiana attraverso la poesia, il cinema e le arti – www.argiacoppola.org.

Italy Made Me Do It

THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE FOUNDATION / October 24, 2025 / Blog /

By Andrew Cotto

Being recognized this past spring by the Italian Language Foundation as a Giambelli Culinary Award recipient was an honor. What made this moment particularly unique is that the basis for this recognition was (as the proudly displayed plaque in my office reads): For your commitment to excellence as an award-winning author, journalist, co-founder & editor-in-chief of Appetito Magazine and passion for Italian culture and language. This unexpected path began as a writer and an Italophile on my first visit to Italy 20 years ago.

I had discovered a love of literature and a passion for storytelling in college. My post-graduation plan was to pursue a life as a teacher and writer. Instead, I accepted a job in corporate sales that I was perfectly happy with until that fateful first trip to Italy. It was a late afternoon in Florence, sipping prosecco and looking over the River Arno, when I decided to change my life. As I often say: Italy made me do it.

Three years later, I was living in the hills south of Florence writing my first novel. After returning to New York a year later, with an agent and acceptance to graduate school, I completed a second novel and received my Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing. After the second novel was published, my agent pointed out to me that both of my books featured strong Italian food writing. Thus began my work as an Italian food writer, regularly contributing to publications such as The New York Times, Men’s Journal, Relish, Rachel Ray In Season, La Cucina Italiana and many more. 

I also began leaning into the Italian food aspects of my novels, using food not just as a sensory device but as a means of plot development and character development. This is most notable in my “Italian Adventure” series (Cucina Tipica and Cucina Romana, respectively) which both take place in Italy and emphasize Italian cuisine as not just a source of pleasure but also of wellness. 

And this desire to promote Italian cuisine, culture and travel in myriad ways is what inspired the creation in 2023 of Appetito Magazine. Our digital publication tells stories, shares recipes, provides insights and tips, and – most importantly – fosters community. That’s what I was after all along with my dream of being a storyteller. And Italian food was my muse. 

Fumetti italiani: storie di carta che catturano il cuore del mondo

THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE FOUNDATION / October 3, 2025 / Blog, Italian Translation /

Traduzione Inglese

Di Bianca Harmetz

L’Italia è una terra di narratori, dove ogni angolo sembra ispirare storie indimenticabili. Tra i suoi tesori meno conosciuti ci sono i fumetti, che spaziano dalla comicità a intrighi mozzafiato. Se stai imparando l’italiano o lo vuoi migliorare velocemente, questo è il momento di scoprire qualcosa di speciale.

Topolino e il mondo Disney: non solo risate per bambini

Topolino è il re dei fumetti per ragazzi, e in Italia è un fenomeno importantissimo. Le sue storie, ricche di dialoghi vivaci, includono un vocabolario molto vario – da espressioni colloquiali a termini più ricercati – che aiuta a sviluppare il linguaggio in modo facile e naturale. Gli autori italiani, come Romano Scarpa, hanno trasformato Topolino in un laboratorio creativo, molto diverso dall’originale americano. Negli anni ’60 e ’70, hanno inserito nelle loro storie anche satira sociale e sfumature complesse.

Ma il vero protagonista è Paperino, l’”everyman” imbranato e sfortunato che tutti adorano. A differenza di Topolino, che è talmente perfetto da risultare un po’ noioso (tanto che molti lettori saltano le sue storie!), Paperino è un antieroe, alle prese con disavventure esilaranti. La sua trasformazione in Paperinik, l’alter ego supereroico nato nel 1969 da Guido Martina ed Elisa Penna, è un simbolo di riscatto: da perdente a vigilante mascherato, un po’ Batman, un po’ Robin Hood.

Diabolik: il ladro che ruba il cuore (e non solo il portafoglio)

Diabolik, creato nel 1962 dalle sorelle Angela e Luciana Giussani, è il re del fumetto noir. Non solo un ladro affascinante, ma un antieroe che incarna l’ambiguità morale italiana. La sua Jaguar E-Type e i gadget alla James Bond riflettono il fascino degli anni ’60 per il design e l’innovazione, un’ode al Made in Italy. Le Giussani, pioniere in un mondo maschile, hanno creato un personaggio che ruba ai ricchi ma mantiene un proprio codice morale, ad esempio nella fedeltà assoluta a Eva Kant, diventando così un personaggio più umano e complesso. Ogni vignetta sembra anticipare altri  antieroi moderni come Walter White.

Corto Maltese: l’avventuriero cosmopolita

Corto Maltese, nato da Hugo Pratt nel 1967, è un altro antieroe, poetico e apolide. La libertà narrativa delle sue storie – che includono aspetti mitologici e dialoghi alla Fellini – crea un effetto profondamente introspettivo. Corto, con la sua ironia e il rifiuto delle autorità, è un italiano cosmopolita che riflette il crogiolo culturale del Mediterraneo. La sua complessità, lontana dagli stereotipi dell’eroe americano, ha ispirato registi come Wim Wenders e scrittori come Umberto Eco.

Altri giganti: Dylan Dog, Tex e il caos creativo

Dylan Dog (1986, Tiziano Sclavi) è un antieroe tormentato, un “indagatore dell’incubo”. Le sue storie, precursori di serie come Buffy, mescolano aspetti horror e riflessioni filosofiche.

 Tex Willer (1948, Gian Luigi Bonelli e Aurelio Galleppini) è un cowboy leale, amico dei Navajo e precursore del “buddy movie” con il suo partner Kit Carson. Entrambi, con i loro difetti e ideali, incarnano un’umanità realistica e vicina ai lettori.

I fumetti italiani e la magia dell’imperfezione

Cosa unisce questi antieroi? La loro imperfezione, che li differenzia dagli eroi patinati americani. Paperino fallisce, Diabolik infrange la legge (ma rispetta Eva), Corto vaga senza meta, Dylan dubita, Tex litiga: sono umani, ed è soprattutto questo a renderli irresistibili. I disegnatori italiani poi, maestri del dettaglio, amplificano questa magia con i loro tratti espressivi e dettagli vividi, che amplificano emozioni e atmosfere.

Un aneddoto per chiudere: il fumetto come terapia

Negli anni ’90, psicologi italiani usavano Topolino e Dylan Dog per aiutare gli  adolescenti a esplorare ansia e identità. Paperino, con i suoi fallimenti, e Dylan, con i suoi dubbi, aiutano i ragazzi a capire se stessi. I fumetti italiani non sono solo storie: sono sogni, riflessioni e, a volte, medicine per l’anima.

Italian Comics: Paper Stories That Capture the World’s Heart

THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE FOUNDATION / October 3, 2025 / Blog /

Italian Translation

By Bianca Harmetz

Italy is a land of storytellers, where every street corner seems to inspire unforgettable tales. Among its lesser-known treasures are its comics—ranging from laugh-out-loud humor to gripping intrigue. If you’re learning Italian or want to improve quickly, now’s the perfect time to discover something truly special.

Topolino and the Disney Universe: Not Just for Kids

Topolino (Mickey Mouse) is the king of children’s comics—and in Italy, it’s a cultural phenomenon. His stories, packed with lively dialogue, offer a remarkably rich vocabulary—mixing colloquial phrases with more refined terms—making language learning feel easy and natural. Thanks to Italian writers like Romano Scarpa, Topolino evolved into a creative laboratory, quite distinct from its American counterpart. In the 1960s and ’70s, these comics began weaving in social satire and layered nuance. 

But the real star is Paperino (Donald Duck), the clumsy, unlucky “everyman” everyone loves. Unlike Mickey, who is so perfect he borders on boring (many readers even skip his stories!), Donald is a loveable antihero, always caught up in hilarious mishaps. His transformation into Paperinik—a masked superhero alter ego created in 1969 by Guido Martina and Elisa Penna—is a powerful symbol of redemption: from loser to vigilante, part Batman, part Robin Hood.

Diabolik: The Thief Who Steals Hearts (and Wallets)

Created in 1962 by sisters Angela and Luciana Giussani, Diabolik reigns as the dark prince of Italian noir comics. He’s not just a charming thief, but an antihero who embodies the moral ambiguity so familiar in Italian storytelling. His sleek Jaguar E-Type and James Bond-like gadgets reflect the ’60s obsession with design and innovation—a true ode to Made in Italy. Trailblazers in a male-dominated industry, the Giussani sisters crafted a character who steals from the rich but follows his own moral code—most notably his unwavering loyalty to Eva Kant. That loyalty gives him surprising depth and humanity. Each panel feels like a prelude to modern antiheroes like Walter White.

Corto Maltese: The Cosmopolitan Adventurer

Corto Maltese, created by Hugo Pratt in 1967, is another kind of antihero—poetic, rootless, and introspective. The narrative freedom of his stories—blending myth, dream logic, and Fellini-esque dialogue—creates a uniquely reflective atmosphere. With his ironic wit and rejection of authority, Corto is a cosmopolitan Italian soul, shaped by the cultural crossroads of the Mediterranean. Far from American stereotypes, his complexity inspired figures like filmmaker Wim Wenders and writer Umberto Eco.

Other Giants: Dylan Dog, Tex, and Italy’s Creative Chaos

Dylan Dog (1986, by Tiziano Sclavi) is a haunted antihero—a “nightmare investigator” whose stories prefigured series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, mixing horror with existential musings.

Tex Willer (1948, by Gian Luigi Bonelli and Aurelio Galleppini) is a loyal cowboy, a friend to the Navajo, and a precursor to the buddy movie archetype alongside his sidekick Kit Carson. Both characters, with their flaws and ideals, offer readers a grounded, relatable humanity.

Italian Comics and the Magic of Imperfection

What do these antiheroes have in common? Their flaws. And it’s precisely those imperfections that set them apart from the more polished American archetypes. Donald fails. Diabolik breaks the law (but stays true to Eva). Corto drifts aimlessly. Dylan doubts everything. Tex argues. They are human—and that’s what makes them so irresistible. Italian illustrators, masters of expressive linework, bring these stories to life with vivid, emotive detail that heightens both mood and meaning.

One Last Anecdote: Comics as Therapy

In the 1990s, Italian psychologists used Topolino and Dylan Dog to help teens explore anxiety and identity. Donald, with his endless setbacks, and Dylan, with his inner demons, helped young readers better understand themselves. Italian comics aren’t just stories—they are dreams, reflections, and sometimes, medicine for the soul.

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Word of the Day

  • ricordare: to remember

    Part of speech: verb Example sentence:Ricorderò per sempre questi bei giorni passati insieme. Sentence meaning: I will always remember these beautiful days spent together.

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