La Bella Figura is an expression used in Italy to express presenting a good image in everything thing from the house to the person. It's about being generous with friends and family. It's about emphasizing beauty and elegance.
There were so many examples of how I saw this played out here in Sicily whether it was the elderly gentleman who made the beautiful bruschetta for our informal gathering or the generosity of food and time from all the different people that I encountered. It was at the school when they decided to have an impromtu 4th of July party because they understood how important the holiday was to Americans or in the way the people who attended the opera were dressed. It was in the way that my host mom painstakingly ironed everything including the sheets!
I can honestly say that until you've experienced La Bella Figura, it will only remain an idea. After experiencing it, it becomes an ideal that you feel obligated to try to live up to.
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