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
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  • 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/
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Michelle Damiani

writing with Italy at heart

Books and Movies

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/

Book lovers, here's your spot. Pull up a cozy chair, a glass of vin santo, and peruse these books. I hope you'll stumble upon a new favorite, I hope you'll share your own favorites!

I'm starting small, but have lists almost ready to go of favorite expat memoirs, favorite travel memoirs, favorite Italian cookbooks, and more. So check back often, or even better, sign up for my newsletter (on the right), and I'll let you know when there is new content here.

February 18, 2018

A Travel Book Club

February 18, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
A Travel Book Club

What we've been reading for Travel Book Club, and how to join!

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February 18, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ 1 Comment
books
November 07, 2015

Top 5 Books to Understand Italy

November 07, 2015/ Michelle Damiani
Top 5 Books to Understand Italy

Top 5 Books that offer a window into Italian culture, history, and spirit.

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November 07, 2015/ Michelle Damiani/ 6 Comments
books
books
October 18, 2015

Top 5 Books of Ever

October 18, 2015/ Michelle Damiani
Top 5 Books of Ever

These are the books that lingered—forever books.

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October 18, 2015/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
books
books
October 18, 2015

Top 5 Books about Food and/or Cooking

October 18, 2015/ Michelle Damiani
Top 5 Books about Food and/or Cooking

My favorite books about cooking, food, and cooking with food.

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October 18, 2015/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
food, books
food, books, cooking
  • 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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After a week of botanical drawing and painting in the Pyrenees earlier in the month, Keith and I felt inspired by the alpine flora of the Dolomiti. My daughter Siena as well, but she’s an artist, therefore inspired by a gum wrapper if the light
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.

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”