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.

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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Danger is simmering in Aramezzo, and Stella is about to find herself in the middle of the pot. After all, in Umbria, pasta isn’t the only thing that’s twisted.

I’m thrilled to share that “Making a Killing in Aramezzo”,

Landing in Naples after drifting dreamily through Piedmont was like stepping off a cloud and directly into a drum circle. It’s all Italy, yes—but Italy is twenty regions stitched together only in 1861, so expecting them to feel the same i

Last year in Spello, I watched a hunter-looking guy sprint past my restaurant table, a basket of massive porcini in hand. Before I could even mourn not snapping a photo, Mirko—the owner—appeared, proudly presenting his haul.
Cut to last m

Fossano… another delightful town in Italy’s Piedmont region!

Living in Umbria for two years, I got up close and personal with Umbrian wines. I adore them. But thanks to Brenda and Graziano of @vinosofiaspello , I also got a crash course in Italy’s astonishingly varied wine terrain. Years ago, over dinner

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a person in possession of a spoon must be in want of gelato. 🍨
This chocolate-and-passionfruit duet from Genova sang like angels on a sugar high—if you squint, you might just see the halo.
And speaki

I could tell you that we day-tripped to Genova to sink into the city’s layers, its contrasts, it’s pulse of elegance and grit. But you’d know I’m lying. I went for the pesto.

This week’s post about vibe struck a chord—so many of you shared the places you’ve felt it. Sometimes in places others would swan right past. This is true of the the town that stole my heart (more on that later). I can’t imagi

✨The question filling my inbox lately…✨

As I’ve been posting details about our hunt for a new Italian town, I can feel your confusion through the screen.

Why not Spello?

After all, I basically wrote a 300-page love letter to that hill

This trip to Italy’s Piedmont helped us clarify what we want in a new home. The problem? What we want is hard to articulate—vibe.

So, what is vibe? Well, people make a vibe. We visited tons of towns that looked perfect on paper, only to

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”