When we want to describe something that ends in an exciting, impressive, successful or spectacular manner, we can use the following expressions in English:
- to go out with a bang
- to end on a high note
- to go out in a blaze
- to finish strong
In Italian, every single one of these expressions can be encapsulated by chiudere in bellezza, which literally translates as “to close in beauty”. An alternative expression is finire in bellezza, which replaces chiudere (to close) with finire (to finish). It is used to describe the conclusion of an event, project, or experience with the best part, making it memorable.
chiudere in bellezza
to go out with a bang / on a high note
Here are a few example scenarios where you could use chiudere in bellezza naturally in conversation:
- Abbiamo visitato il Colosseo, passeggiato per il Trastevere e infine abbiamo chiuso in bellezza con una cena romantica a Roma. = We visited the Colosseum, strolled through Trastevere, and finally ended our day on a high note with a romantic dinner in Rome.
- Il gruppo ha suonato tutti i suoi successi, ha raccontato alcuni aneddoti del tour e ha chiuso in bellezza con un bis spettacolare di dieci minuti. = The band played all their hits, shared some stories from the road, and went out with a bang with a spectacular ten-minute encore.
- La conferenza ha ospitato grandi relatori e workshop utili, e abbiamo chiuso in bellezza con l’annuncio del nuovo bonus annuale. = The conference featured great speakers and helpful workshops, and we ended on a high note with the announcement of the new annual bonus.
As you can see, all of these situations emphasise that the final part was the most beautiful and enjoyable.
Abbiamo visitato il museo, mangiato la pizza e chiuso in bellezza con un concerto in piazza.
We visited the museum, ate pizza, and ended our day on a high note with a concert in the square.
While chiudere in bellezza is often used for positive situations, it can just as easily be used sarcastically to describe a series of unfortunate events that culminate in one final catastrophe. One good example that I heard on the radio this morning was from a woman who phoned in, saying how her dishwasher had broken two days before, followed by her computer, and per chiudere in bellezza, her washing machine which flooded the basement floor!
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
