Italian infinitives may be used as a noun; the English equivalent is usually just the “-ing” form of the verb. For example,
Dare è meglio che ricevere.
Giving is better than receiving.
Mangiare bene è importante.
Eating well is important.
There are other “infinitive nouns” that have acquired very common status as important nouns:
il dovere = the duty
il piacere = the pleasure
l’essere (umano) = the human being
il parlare = the dialect/speech variety