Dianne Hales, a prize-winning, widely published journalist and author, was awarded an honorary knighthood by the President of Italy in recognition of her best-selling book, “La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language.”

Her newest book, “Mona Lisa: A Life Discovered,” blends biography, history, and memoir to tell the story of Lisa Gherardini, the flesh-and-blood woman in the world's most praised and parodied painting. Hales takes readers with her to uncover Lisa's colorful family history, explore her neighborhoods, and meet her present-day descendants. In this voyage of discovery, we come to know Lisa as a daughter of Florence, a Renaissance woman, a merchant's wife, a loving mother, a devout Christian, and a "noble spirit."

Hales has served as a contributing editor for Parade, Ladies Home Journal, Working Mother and American Health and has written for many national publications, including Family Circle, Good Housekeeping, New York Times, Readers' Digest, Washington Post, Woman's Day, and World Book. In addition to more than a dozen trade books, she is the author of 24 editions of the leading college health textbook, “An Invitation to Health.”

Journalism, Award-Winning Journalism, Authors, Novelists, Historians & Biographers, Italy, Magazine Editing, New York Times, Washington Post, History