La Vita Nuova: an Italian book for intermediate learners (B2)
Dante Alighieri · adapted by Alessio Insegnante · CEFR level B2
Dante Alighieri's classic (~1294), 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 Vita Nuova
Florence. Dante is nine years old when he first sees Beatrice, and from that day — he writes — «Love rules my soul». A denied greeting, a terrible dream, sonnets sent to his poet friends: the Vita Nuova weaves prose and verse to tell, chapter by chapter, how a love is born and transformed.
When Beatrice dies, grief becomes the hardest test and the poetry changes nature. The book closes with a promise worth all of Italian literature: to say of her «what has never been said of any woman» — the promise that would become the Divine Comedy.
Why read La Vita Nuova to learn Italian
Prose and poetry explain each other: Dante tells you the occasion, then shows the sonnet born from it — the most natural way to approach Italian poetry without fear. And you meet the father of the language in his most intimate, readable book.
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 love, poetry and dreams: 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 |
|---|---|---|
| il saluto | greeting | de groet |
| il sonetto | sonnet | het sonnet |
| il cuore | heart | het hart |
| il sogno | dream | de droom |
| la lode | praise | de lof |
| la morte | death | de dood |
| la visione | vision | het visioen |
| l'amore | love | de liefde |
About the author: Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri (1265–1321), from Florence, is the father of the Italian language. The Vita Nuova, written in his youth, is the laboratory of love and poetry from which, years later, the Divine Comedy would be born.
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 Vita Nuova?
This edition of La Vita Nuova 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 Dante Alighieri's original text?
No, it is an adaptation: the plot and spirit of Dante Alighieri'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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