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Questo saggio parla di storia italiana.

Questo saggio parla di storia italiana.
This essay is about Italian history.
From Lesson 242:Masculine noun plurals in -co and -go (-chi, -ghi, -ci, -gi)·Italian

Breakdown of Questo saggio parla di storia italiana.

italiano
Italian
parlare
to speak / to talk
la storia
the history
il saggio
the essay

Questions & Answers about Questo saggio parla di storia italiana.

Why doesn't the plural of saggio get an 'h' like words ending in '-go'?
The word saggio ends in -gio, not -go. While many masculine nouns ending in -go (like albergo) add an 'h' in the plural to keep the hard 'g' sound (alberghi), nouns ending in -gio drop the 'o' and just end in an 'i' (saggi). They don't need an 'h' because the 'g' sound is already soft!
Why does 'is about' translate to parla di instead of something with essere?
In Italian, when a book, movie, or essay 'is about' a topic, you use the verb parlare (to speak/talk) followed by di (of/about). Literally, the sentence says 'This essay speaks of Italian history.' You can also use tratta di, which means 'deals with'.
Why is there no article before storia italiana? Shouldn't it be della storia italiana?
You can often leave out the definite article after the preposition di when referring to an academic subject or a broad topic in a general sense. Saying parla di storia italiana treats it as a general category. If you were referring to a specific, defined period, you would use the article: parla della storia italiana del Novecento (it is about the Italian history of the 20th century).
Does saggio always mean 'essay'?
Not always! While it means 'essay' in an academic or literary context like in this sentence, saggio can also be an adjective meaning 'wise' or a noun meaning 'a wise person'.

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