La città del Sole: an Italian book for intermediate learners (B2)
Tommaso Campanella · adapted by Alessio Insegnante · CEFR level B2
Tommaso Campanella's classic (1602), rewritten for learners of Italian at level B2: calibrated sentences, footnotes, a final glossary and comprehension questions in every chapter.
In production · soon in 6×9 paperback and on Kindle
The plot of La città del Sole
In a harbour tavern, one night, a Genoese sailor tells a Knight of Malta about the strangest place he has ever seen: a city built in seven circles on a hill, where the word «mine» does not exist, where everyone works four hours a day and the walls are a painted encyclopedia that children learn from as they walk.
It sounds like paradise. Then the Knight starts asking questions — about freedom, family, obedience — and the perfect city begins to show its shadows. The utopia Campanella wrote in prison, by candlelight, fully retold as a living night-long dialogue.
Why read La città del Sole to learn Italian
The dialogue form — question and answer all night long — is a perfect model of argumentative Italian: how to ask, how to object, how to defend an idea. And every chapter opens a theme (work, family, science) to discuss in class or with your language partner.
Inside this reader
CEFR adaptation
The text is fully rewritten for level B2, with controlled vocabulary and syntax, while staying faithful to the original plot.
Footnotes and glossary
Footnotes on difficult words and a final glossary, so you can read independently without a dictionary.
Comprehension questions
Every chapter ends with questions to check understanding, just like in class.
Paperback and ebook
6×9 paperback on cream paper, or Kindle ebook. The same text also lives in the ti app.
Language focus: what you practise
In this level-B2 edition you mainly practise the imperfect and past subjunctive, hypothetical clauses of possibility, the passive and indirect speech. The vocabulary revolves around utopia, the city and its laws: the key words, with translations, are in the glossary below and recur throughout the text, so you learn them in context.
Essential glossary (Italian · English · Dutch)
| Italian | English | Dutch |
|---|---|---|
| la città | city | de stad |
| il marinaio | sailor | de zeeman |
| il cavaliere | knight | de ridder |
| il cerchio | circle | de cirkel |
| il muro | wall | de muur |
| la comunità | community | de gemeenschap |
| la legge | law | de wet |
| l'utopia | utopia | de utopie |
About the author: Tommaso Campanella
Tommaso Campanella (1568–1639), a Calabrian Dominican friar, spent twenty-seven years in prison for his ideas — and wrote La città del Sole there. A rebel philosopher, he anticipated themes of modern science and modern utopias.
Details and difficulty level
B2 is upper-intermediate Italian: complex syntax, subjunctive and conditional structures, shades of register. This reader suits learners who already read in Italian and want to tackle the great classics with structured support. Format: 6×9 paperback on cream paper or Kindle ebook; 20 chapters with footnotes, a final glossary and comprehension questions. All level B2 books →
Frequently asked questions
What level of Italian do I need to read La città del Sole?
This edition of La città del Sole is rewritten for CEFR level B2. B2 is upper-intermediate Italian: complex syntax, subjunctive and conditional structures, shades of register. This reader suits learners who already read in Italian and want to tackle the great classics with structured support.
Is this Tommaso Campanella's original text?
No, it is an adaptation: the plot and spirit of Tommaso Campanella's original remain, but vocabulary and syntax are rewritten for level B2, with footnotes, a final glossary and comprehension questions at the end of every chapter.
When is it coming out?
The book is in production and will be on Amazon soon, in paperback and as a Kindle ebook. The same text already lives in the ti app.
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