Felicità
by Al Bano & Romina Power
Start here if you have never studied Italian. The vocabulary is a list of small, concrete, pleasant things — cuscino, panino, bicchiere, spiaggia, pioggia, sorriso — and almost nothing is abstract except the title word. That word repays a moment: felicità carries a written accent on its final vowel, and Italian nouns of that shape never change in the plural. One less ending to learn, and there are hundreds of them. Most verbs arrive as infinitives, so you see them in dictionary form. mi piaci is the one to memorise whole, because Italian puts the liked thing in the subject position, exactly opposite to English. A1- is accurate and the tempo is slow.
How to study this song
“Felicità” carries 34 Italian words, 7 adjectives and 16 verb forms — 57 study entries in all, graded A1+. The glossary is the place to begin — felicità, mano and sguardo are the song’s keywords. This one leans on its verbs: 16 distinct forms against 7 adjectives, so conjugation is where the effort goes. At this level the goal is recognition: hear a word, place it, keep going.
The words of this song, in several languages
Every word below is taken from this song and translated by us. Nothing here is the lyric itself — these are the individual words you need in order to follow it.
Vocabulary
| IT | EN | ES | FR | PT | NL | DE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| felicità | happiness | felicidad | bonheur | felicidade |
What this song teaches you
Level · A1+
- Vocabulary words
- 34
- Adjectives
- 7
- Word combos
- 10
- Expressions
- 10
- Verb forms
- 16
- Quiz questions
- 35
Background
About the song
“Felicità” is a sunny, sentimental duet by Al Bano and Romina Power, the real-life husband and wife who became one of the most popular acts in Europe.
Presented at the Sanremo Festival in 1982, the song offers a simple, tender definition of happiness built from small everyday things — a held hand, a letter, a shared morning — carried by a bright, waltzing melody and the pair’s warm interlocking voices.
Its uncomplicated optimism made it instantly memorable across generations. It was written by Cristiano Minellono, Dario Farina and Gino De Stefani, recorded in Giorgio Moroder’s Munich studio with the arranger Gian Piero Reverberi, and its video was filmed in Leningrad along the Neva.
Did you know?
The song finished second at Sanremo 1982 but became a massive pan-European hit, enormously popular not only in Italy and the German-speaking countries but especially across Eastern Europe, where Al Bano and Romina Power enjoyed superstar status.
It has remained the duo’s signature song and a staple of their reunions and tours, instantly recognisable from its opening bars.
Charts & streaming
“Felicità” sold strongly throughout continental Europe and was certified across several markets, anchoring a hugely successful album era for the couple. Decades later it still draws steady streaming and airplay and is one of the most enduring Italian pop hits of the 1980s.
Released on 14 May 1982, it went to number one in Italy, three in Switzerland, four in Spain, six in West Germany and nine in Austria, and it is certified gold in both Germany and Italy.