Step into Spello, the Umbrian hilltown that reshaped my family and still shapes my writing. These reflections come from years of living among its olive groves, cobblestones, and fiercely kind neighbors—stories of belonging, blunders, beauty, and how a place can change you if you let it. For more tales from life in Umbria, join The Grapevine, where new chapters of this ongoing love story always land first.
An insider's journey of the Infiorata, Spello's most renowned festival and the jewel in the Umbria holiday calendar. With photos documenting the progress as cobblestone streets become tapestries of flowers.
Read MoreWebsite 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.
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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”
