Overview

Welcome to In giro per l'Italia: A Brief Introduction to Italian. This new beginning Italian text is a brief version of the best-selling Prego!, perfectly designed for those programs that are interested in this successful four-skills and communicative introduction to Italian language and culture but whose curriculum necessitates a briefer text. In addition, the communicative activities and even more streamlined vocabulary and grammar presentation have been re-organized into a four-part chapter structure including a beautiful, new mid-chapter cultural spread.

Instructors will find in this new text those fundamental features of Prego! that they have come to know and trust over the years:

• grammar, vocabulary, and culture that work together as interactive units
• an abundance of practice materials, ranging from form-focused to communicative
• stimulating and contemporary themes to introduce language and Italian culture
• numerous supplementary materials that are carefully integrated with the core text

At the same time, this text includes its own distinct and exciting features. Here are several key highlights:

• Reduced in length from Prego!, the market leader through four editions, In giro per l'Italia is a four-skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking) text that offers a wealth of teaching material for instructors of elementary Italian. Like Prego!, In giro per l'Italia emphasizes skills development rather than grammatical knowledge alone.
• In giro per l'Italia is easy to use! The text is structured according to a unique chapter organization that divides the eighteen regular chapters into distinct Lezioni.
• A wide range of thematic diversity coupled with a focus on modern vocabulary, grammatical structures, and language functions helps students develop language proficiency.
• Beautifully illustrated postcards, letters, and e-mails exchanged by a variety of Italians and their friends and relatives appear twice in each chapter. The correspondence takes students throughout the twenty regions of Italy, in addition to various areas in North America, Europe, and the world where Italians are living.
• Central to the cultural elements found in the book is the new cultural spread, Saluti e baci, which brings to life the immense richness and variety of Italian language and culture in an easy-to-use presentation. Found between Lezioni 2 and 3, this section continues with the new correspondence feature and includes a response postcard, letter, or e-mail, each accompanied by a photograph, to the chapter opening correspondence. The Ritratto feature then presents a biographical portrait of a famous Italian from the region in focus in the In giro per le regioni feature of the chapter, also found in this section. The L'Italia virtuale feature directs students to this section of the In giro per l'Italia website for follow-up and comprehension activities based on the regional reading and connect students to the virtual Italian world.
• Clear grammar explanations illustrated with a visual and followed by a variety of exercises make the text student-friendly, and grammar and syntax boxes expand the explanations in each chapter.
• Communicative exercises and activities, with each set of exercises progress systematically from recognition to mechanical to open-ended discussion.
• Interesting dialogues and readings provide cultural information and highlight the people of contemporary Italy.
• Chapter opening dialogues (Dialogo-Lampo), appearing in Lezione 1, introduce the chapter theme and new vocabulary.
• The readings in each chapter focus on the chapter's themes and are written in authentic contemporary Italian. These readings collectively present a vivid, non-stereotypical portrait of contemporary Italy, touching on topics such as working women, a typical Italian workday, environmentalism, and the shift from emigration to immigration.
• Brief cultural notes, accompanied by a photograph, further familiarize students with life in Italy and cover topics like how Italians greet each other, coffee bars, and the new wave of Italian sports.
• The beautiful realia from current Italian magazines ranging from L'Espresso and Panorama to Bella and Anna that was found in Prego! reappears in In giro per l'Italia to further illustrate grammar points, expand chapter themes, and reinforce new vocabulary.
• Each chapter of the text has a stimulating video-based activity to develop students' listening-comprehension ability.
• The Testing Program, both print and electronic, includes an audiocassette or audio CD with recordings of the listening comprehension sections of each test.
• The state-of-the-art ancillary program for the student includes: student audiocassette or audio CD packaged with each student text to facilitate listening-comprehension activities; a combined Workbook and Laboratory Manual; an Audio Program, on cassette or CD, for use in the language laboratory along with the Lab Manual; an exciting interactive CD-ROM; a text-specific website; and a text-specific video.