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The meaning and origin of the expression: La dolce vita

La dolce vita

What's the meaning of the phrase 'La dolce vita'?

The good life, full of pleasure and indulgence.

What's the origin of the phrase 'La dolce vita'?

La dolce vitaThis phrase entered the language following the success of the 1960 film La Dolce Vita. This was written and directed by Federico Fellini and starred Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg and Anouk Aimée.

La dolce vita translates from the Italian as 'the sweet life' and this was used as one of the advertising taglines for the film. Of course, this phrase would have been commonplace in Italian-speaking countries prior to 1960 but only became part of English at that date.

Gary Martin - the author of the phrases.org.uk website.

By Gary Martin

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