Michelle Damiani
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Michelle Damiani
  • Buy my books/
  • Blog/
  • Travel/
    • Spello
    • Visiting Umbria
    • Travel in Italy
    • Around the World
  • What I Love/
    • Books and Movies
    • Food and Drink
    • Gabe's Blog
    • Italian Cats and Hidden Madonnas
  • Coaching/
  • About/
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Michelle Damiani

writing with Italy at heart

Blog

The journey continues.

Michelle Damiani
  • Buy my books/
  • Blog/
  • Travel/
    • Spello
    • Visiting Umbria
    • Travel in Italy
    • Around the World
  • What I Love/
    • Books and Movies
    • Food and Drink
    • Gabe's Blog
    • Italian Cats and Hidden Madonnas
  • Coaching/
  • About/

Welcome to a corner of the internet where Italy, storytelling, and savoring life meet. Whether you’re dreaming of your next trip, exploring Italian roots, or just looking for a more delicious way to live, you’ll find inspiration here. Want the newest essays, travel tips, and recipes before anyone else? They always land first in The Grapevine.


November 14, 2018

Gifts for Italy-Lovers, from Simple to Spectacular

November 14, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
Gifts for Italy-Lovers, from Simple to Spectacular

This year I offer eight highly-curated gift ideas for the Italophile on your list, with variations to create a thoughtful present for any budget. If you have a loved one who has a passion for food, wine, history, art, or more—you’ll find a worthy gift idea here.

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November 14, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ 4 Comments
blog, Gift Guide
Gifts, Italy, travel, Gift Guide
December 02, 2017

Seven Gifts to WOW Italophiles, 2017

December 02, 2017/ Michelle Damiani
Seven Gifts to WOW Italophiles, 2017

Stumped for what to give your loved ones who adore Italy? Here are seven singular gifts that are sure to surprise and delight.

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December 02, 2017/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
blog, books
Gifts
November 26, 2016

Nine Sensational Gifts for Italy-Lovers

November 26, 2016/ Michelle Damiani
Nine Sensational Gifts for Italy-Lovers

Gift ideas for the Italophile on your list.  These aren't "things" that get shoved in the back of a drawer by the time La Befana visits. Rather, these are intended as experiences to enliven days and bring people together—to create a sense of daily celebration.

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November 26, 2016/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
blog, books
Gifts
  • Buy my books/
  • Blog/
  • Travel/
    • Spello
    • Visiting Umbria
    • Travel in Italy
    • Around the World
  • What I Love/
    • Books and Movies
    • Food and Drink
    • Gabe's Blog
    • Italian Cats and Hidden Madonnas
  • Coaching/
  • About/

Michelle Damiani

Website for Michelle Damiani, author of Il Bel Centro: A Year in the Beautiful Center, the funny and heartfelt memoir of an American family living in Spello, as well as Santa Lucia, a page-turner set on the Umbria border. 

Rumors. Romance. And more than a little espresso.

Get Santa Lucia, a novel set in Italy, FREE by signing up for my monthly newsletter, The Grapevine. Recipes, travel tips, and free wanderlust stories delivered right to your inbox.

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Flashback to gathering wild asparagus outside Spello 🌸 one of those flavors I miss!
Anyone else more than a little in love with Bologna? The city’s unofficial motto is “the red, the fat, and the learned”… what is your favorite aspect of Bologna?
Happy birthday to Rome! I love you for your old bits and your new bits. You make aging an inspiring thing.
What nobody tells you about Japan is even when you’re too early for cherry blossom, there are plum blossoms. Plus, Japanese gardens are glorious with no blossoms at all.
As a person who grooves on food and connection, the Omicho Market Tour and Cooking Class offered by In Kanazawa House was one of the most satisfying and delicious experiences I had in Japan. Our guides Naoko and Kazuko (tagged in stories) introduced
Remember yesterday when I mentioned the Japanese alpine town that taught me how fall in love with sake? That town is Takayama. Known for sake, Edo era architecture, and a kind of beef so excellent that my husband, after an entire meal of steak and su
I wasn’t sure how I’d take to Japanese sake culture considering I, you know, wasn’t a fan of sake.

For those who need a refresher, sake is one of the many ingenious ways the Japanese make use of their most abundant crop—rice.
The most important word in a foreign language…

“Thank you” is polite. “Hello” is excellent.

But to my mind, if you want to connect, learn the word for delicious. 

In Japanese, it’s oishi. 

When I said “o

A trip to Italy is better with language basics! Here’s my recommended course to learn Italian and make your trip fantastico!


Festival participant, speaking about “Il Bel Centro: A Year in the Beautiful Center”

Festival participant, speaking about “Il Bel Centro: A Year in the Beautiful Center”

Featured speaker on panel discussing Romance for “Santa Lucia”

Featured speaker on panel discussing Romance for “Santa Lucia”