Umbria — Il Bel Centro — Michelle Damiani
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/
    • 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

Il Bel Centro

A Year in the Beautiful Center

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/
April 16, 2018

Il Bel Centro

April 16, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
Il Bel Centro

A synopsis of the beloved tale of family transformation in an Umbrian hilltown. Available in e-book, print, and audiobook.

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April 16, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
books, expat, Umbria
Umbria, expat, Spello, IBC
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April 16, 2018

Editorial and Reader Reviews

April 16, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
Editorial and Reader Reviews

See what people say about Il Bel Centro.

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April 16, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
books, Umbria
IBC
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April 16, 2018

Book Club Questions

April 16, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
Book Club Questions

Questions to guide your book club reading of Il Bel Centro.

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April 16, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
books, Umbria, expat
book club, IBC, expat, travel
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April 16, 2018

FAQ's

April 16, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
FAQ's

Answers to all of your questions about Il Bel Centro: A Year in the Beautiful Center.

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April 16, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
books, expat, Umbria
travel, expat, kids, Spello, Umbria
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April 15, 2018

IBC Video

April 15, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
IBC Video

Watch the video made by Umbria Center about Spello's celebration of Il Bel Centro.

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April 15, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
Umbria, books
video, Spello
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April 15, 2018

IBC Podcast

April 15, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
IBC Podcast

Listen to Michelle and Keith discuss their year in Italy with The Expat Chat, and find other great expat stories.

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April 15, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
books, Umbria
podcast, expat, Umbria, Spello
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April 13, 2018

IBC around the Web

April 13, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
IBC around the Web

Find places Michelle has discussed IBC and expat life on other sites.

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April 13, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
books, Umbria
expat, IBC
Share
  • 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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In 2017, I did one of the best things I’ve ever done in my whole life. I held a fundraiser for International Neighbors (a local agency that provides support to our refugee community) designed around the power of breaking bread together. I recru
I gotta say, after 3 days in Jerome Arizona, I have half a mind to set a new cozy mystery in a 19th century mining town. Old west vibes, a messy but fabulous medley of characters from foreign lands (Croatia, Ireland, Scotland, China, Belgium, and Ita
Kind of a profound experience to bring our three generations to a historic sight like the Tuzigoot pueblo.
“Making a Killing in Aramezzo” is off to my editor! What does an author do when a manuscript leaves her desk? First up, laundry. Then more laundry. I am seriously behind in laundry (and emails). And then I’ll have a meal that’
As the weather warms, I have a profoundly important question for you. Aperol, Campari, or limoncello spritz?
Do you believe that the same person made both of these renderings? A drawing of “swallows” (which my children call “squali”, Italian for sharks, for some reason the Italian word has stuck in our brains and we pull it out more
One of the beautiful things about visiting a place more than once is you can capturing it in new ways. Venice’s colors are so inspiring, it never would have occurred to me to photograph her in black and white, but on our last visit, I got more
Between Spello and Assisi lies Monte Subasio, a bald mountain composed of pink stone that gives both cities their characteristic hue. It’s a fascinating mountain, in that it seems like fifteen landscapes stitched together, Frankenstein style. T
As the weather warms, my thoughts turn towards the arrival of swallows in Italy. How I loved watching their morning show as I sipped my coffee. Fun that now, as spring arrives, the bulky socks come off and the swallow tattoos around my ankle also get
Umbrian artist Norberto was known for his tiny, hooded monks wandering vast landscapes. Each image is humble, timeless, and full of contemplative whimsy. Inspired by Norberto’s work, when my son was seven he created his own tribute, an attempt

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”