CRESCENDO! is a comprehensive intermediate Italian program that promotes the development of all four skills, encourages the acquisition of vocabulary, and provides a full review and expansion of Italian grammar-all within a rich cultural framework. Sophisticated, respected and functionally organized, CRESCENDO! emphasizes learning language in context through extensive use of authentic materials, including short stories by well-known modern Italian authors. In each thematically organized chapter, the vocabulary, situations, culturally relevant authentic readings, grammar structures and exercises are all correlated to reinforce the topics and structures featured and to give students the tools they need to express their thoughts and ideas on the themes treated.