bel paese
Italian
Alternative forms
Etymology
Literally “fair, beautiful country”.
Pronunciation
Proper noun
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Satellite_image_of_Italy_in_March_2003.jpg/220px-Satellite_image_of_Italy_in_March_2003.jpg)
- (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
Bel paese (phrase) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia