Two research studies — one by the New Economics Foundation in London,
the other by the Faculty of Sociology at the University
of Rotterdam — reveal that Costa Rica tops the ranking of the
happiest countries. But why this particular
poor, small Central American country (it is twice the size
of Sicily) and not another?

A mild climate, unspoilt nature and an immense heritage of
biodiversity are certainly points in favour when
declaring a place and its people happy.
A stable democracy for 120 years. A country in which, since 1948,
the army has been abolished and military funds have been
channelled towards culture and healthcare. A country in
which education and healthcare are free and guaranteed.

Bepi Costantino, an engineer and journalist, lived in
Costa Rica for many years and has been returning there regularly for thirty years. In this
book, which we can describe as a summa of his love for
this land, he gathers emotions and sensations experienced in this
country, the land of "quedar bien", and helps us understand why
this country is so happy. The author takes us on
a journey punctuated by historical and cultural landmarks, in an accessible
style, interspersing the pages with evocative photographs,
interviews with representative figures (such as the one with
President Laura Chinchilla), and moments of personal
reflection.

A sense of wellbeing comes through as you leaf through and read this book.
Of course, it makes you want to drop everything and leave. But, even without
breaking so drastically with one's normal routine, this
book leaves you breathing differently. More slowly. Through which
you appreciate and look at our world in a more mindful way.
And give things their proper value.

It is worth noting that for every copy of the book, two trees are
planted and maintained for eight years: the royalties go
to Fonafifo, the national forestry financing fund, the operational arm of the Ministry of the Environment of
Costa Rica, which oversees all afforestation and
environmental protection programmes.