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New!

Piazza Introductory Italian, 3rd Edition

Donatella Melucci, Elissa Tognozzi

  • Copyright 2027
  • {{checkPublicationMessage('Available October 30, 2026', '2026-10-30T00:00:00+0000')}}
Starting At $105.95 See pricing and ISBN options
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Students: Buy now
Piazza Introductory Italian 3rd Edition by Donatella Melucci/Elissa Tognozzi
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Overview

“Piazza: Luogo di incontri,” Third Edition is a complete introductory Italian program grounded in Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). It offers a versatile, instructor-friendly approach that can be adapted to a variety of teaching styles and curricular needs. Inspired by the Italian piazza—the center of social, cultural, and civic life—the program integrates language and culture to create an interactive learning space focused on authentic communication.

With culture embedded throughout, students experience Italian rather than simply observe it, engaging with everyday contexts such as cafés, town centers, and regional traditions. “Piazza” emphasizes early and meaningful communication, transforming the classroom into a vibrant place of encounter, conversation, and discovery.

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Meet the Authors

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Donatella Melucci

Donatella Melucci was born and raised in Italy. She earned her Laurea in Lingue e Letterature Straniere from the University of Bari, Italy, and received a doctorate in English Rhetoric/Composition & Linguistics from Arizona State University where she taught for many years. She is now a Teaching Professor at Georgetown University in Washington DC. Her field of specialization is methodologies for teaching Italian as a second/foreign language. Her studies have also focused on the use of technology in foreign language classes.

Elissa Tognozzi

Elissa Tognozzi, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles, is Senior Lecturer SOE of Italian and Director of the Language Program. Her principal field of research and teaching is second-language acquisition. Her interests also include teaching culture, Renaissance literature and teaching with technology. She is co-author of two Italian textbooks published by Cengage Learning, Piazza and Ponti and has published articles on teaching with technology. Her most recent research study assessed learning outcomes in three different teaching environments: the traditional classroom, the hybrid classroom and the fully online classroom. She earned the AATI Distinguished Service Award in 2015 and the honor of Cavaliere conferred by the Italian Government in 2005.

What's New

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  • An enhanced MindTap features an even stronger Learning Path, new eBook experience, and richer assessment options, such as new speaking opportunities and auto-graded pronunciation activities.
  • Each chapter concludes with a Videoteca section, featuring original, on-location videos from Italy, paired with scaffolded activities that progressively build comprehension.
  • Updated, theme-based vocabulary introduces key topics and connects visually-rich vocabolario presentations that align seamlessly with a cohesive chapter focus.

Features

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  • Each chapter opens with geo-cultural context in Nel cuore della regione, introducing Italian regions and key piazzas as students explore history, design, and daily life.
  • Grammar is presented in communicative contexts through audio and text models in Lingua dal vivo, guiding students to notice, analyze, and apply structures with confidence.
  • Guided conversation prompts in Angolo culturale use newly acquired vocabulary to promote culturally-focused conversations that encourage cross-cultural comparisons.
  • Leggiamo! builds reading skills through exposure to authentic texts, while Scriviamo! provides guided writing workshops using chapter language, culture, and structures.
  • Presentazioni orali engages students in collaborative, multimodal presentations, integrating language and culture while building research, creativity, and speaking skills.

Table of Contents

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Capitolo 1: In piazza con gli amici
Capitolo 2: All’università
Capitolo 3: La vita in famiglia
Capitolo 4: Il tempo libero e lo sport
Capitolo 5: A casa o al ristorante?
Capitolo 6: Feste e tradizioni
Capitolo 7: Che bello spettacolo!
Capitolo 8: In vacanza tra piazze e bellezze naturali
Capitolo 9: La salute e l’ambiente
Capitolo 10: Il patrimonio naturale e culturale
Capitolo 11: Lavoro e innovazione
Capitolo 12: L’Italia di oggi e di ieri

Compare Buying Options

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MindTap Options

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MindTap
Each MindTap product offers the full, mobile-ready textbook combined with superior and proven learning tools at one affordable price. Students who purchase digital access can add a print option at any time when a print option is available for their course.

This Cengage solution can be seamlessly integrated into most Learning Management Systems (Blackboard, Brightspace by D2L, Canvas, Moodle, and more) but does require a different ISBN for access codes. Please work with your Cengage Learning Consultant to ensure the proper course set up and ordering information. For additional information, please visit the LMS Integration site.

Standalone Digital Access — Ultimate Value

Recommended and most popular

  • ISBN-10: 8214144620
  • ISBN-13: 9798214144627
  • RETAIL $105.95

  • ISBN-10: 8214144647
  • ISBN-13: 9798214144641
  • RETAIL $105.95
Instructor Next Steps
Students: Buy now

Textbook Only Options

Traditional eBook and Print Options

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  • ISBN-10: 8214144574
  • ISBN-13: 9798214144573
  • RETAIL $252.95
Instructor Next Steps
Students: Buy now

Supplements

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Cengage provides a range of supplements that are updated in coordination with the main title selection. For more information about these supplements, contact your Learning Consultant.

FOR STUDENTS

MindTap for Melucci/Tognozzi's Piazza Introductory Italian, 1 term Instant Access

ISBN: 9798214144627
MindTap for Melucci/Tognozzi's “Piazza,” 3e enables you to design and manage your courses more efficiently while delivering engaging, personalized learning experiences for students. It combines content, assignments, and analytics in a single, customizable environment—helping reduce prep time, gain visibility into student performance, and support better learning outcomes.

MindTap for Melucci/Tognozzi's Piazza Introductory Italian, 4 term Instant Access

ISBN: 9798214144641
MindTap for Melucci/Tognozzi's “Piazza,” 3e enables you to design and manage your courses more efficiently while delivering engaging, personalized learning experiences for students. It combines content, assignments, and analytics in a single, customizable environment—helping reduce prep time, gain visibility into student performance, and support better learning outcomes.