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

Chronicling our return home from a year in Umbria and the preparations for our around-the-world journey.

October 27, 2024

The 2024 Gift Guide for Italy-Lovers

October 27, 2024/ Michelle Damiani
The 2024 Gift Guide for Italy-Lovers

Your guide for how to give the gift of Italy this season.

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October 27, 2024/ Michelle Damiani/ 4 Comments
Gift Guide, italy
Italy, Gift Guide, gifts, books, Food
March 03, 2021

Becoming Heidi

March 03, 2021/ Michelle Damiani
Becoming Heidi

Can what you read as a child change you?

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March 03, 2021/ Michelle Damiani/ 5 Comments
blog, Around the World
switzerland, travel, books
July 01, 2019

How a Yelp Event Changed My Life

July 01, 2019/ Michelle Damiani
How a Yelp Event Changed My Life

And that’s only kind of hyperbole.

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July 01, 2019/ Michelle Damiani/ 6 Comments
blog, Around the World, travel
Global Year, books
November 16, 2018

Gift Guide for Families that Love Travel

November 16, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
Gift Guide for Families that Love Travel

More and more families are embracing travel as a vital part of their lives. If you are are a traveler looking for gifts for your family or if you have a traveling family on your gift list, this is the definitive gift guide.

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November 16, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
Gift Guide, travel, books
Family, travel, books, gifts
  • Buy my books/
  • Blog/
  • Travel/
    • Spello
    • Visiting Umbria
    • Travel in Italy
    • Around the World
  • What I Love/
    • Gabe's Blog
    • Food and Drink
    • Books and Movies
    • 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.

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What I didn’t expect about hiking in the Dolomiti in the summer is that ski resorts become paradises of outdoor fun. We rode individual bobsleds through alpine meadows, mountain carts (a three wheeled, low riding bike with no pedals and respons
We went to the Dolomiti in search of beautiful hikes. We sure found them. But we found more… the agriturismo experience I posted about yesterday and thrills and still moments I’ll share in upcoming posts.
Less than 24 hours in Venice meant we didn’t really consider what a magical interlude it could be. Luckily, Venice reminded us.
First stop in Italy…Venice! My husband, eldest, and I flew from Bordeaux and waited for my youngest’s flight from Dublin (my daughter arrived the next day from Houston, for our family trip to the Dolomiti), then we dashed to our Venice a
Last photo from France before we hop over to Italy (but I do have a reel coming about epic seafood experiences centered on Île de Ré). I wonder if you’ll miss my French photos as much as I’ll miss posting them?
The nice thing about needing a stopover somewhere in France to break up a drive between two friends’ homes is it allows you to discover gems like Cahors, a medieval market town with great food, a great market, and great life. See my stories for
When you speak twenty words of a language, it’s a major triumph when you crack a joke. At this tucked away restaurant in Cahors, I decided on the menu shown, awed that the meal would cost as much as a sandwich back home. When Keith ordered, he
You can imagine the dreams I had the night we spent in this castle.
Do I love a market? Mais oui.

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”