April 16, 2018

Il Bel Centro

April 16, 2018/ Michelle Damiani

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

April 16, 2018

Editorial and Reader Reviews

April 16, 2018/ Michelle Damiani

See what people say about Il Bel Centro.

April 16, 2018

Book Club Questions

April 16, 2018/ Michelle Damiani

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

April 16, 2018

FAQ's

April 16, 2018/ Michelle Damiani

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

April 15, 2018

IBC Video

April 15, 2018/ Michelle Damiani

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

April 15, 2018

IBC Podcast

April 15, 2018/ Michelle Damiani

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

April 13, 2018

IBC around the Web

April 13, 2018/ Michelle Damiani

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

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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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”**

Featured speaker on panel discussing Romance for “Santa Lucia”