April 19, 2017

Spello's Infiorata

April 19, 2017/ Michelle Damiani

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.

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.

Get Santa Lucia, a novel set in Italy, FREE by signing up for my monthly newsletter, The Grapevine. Recipes, travel tips, and free wanderlust stories delivered right to your inbox.

get book!

Follow me on Instagram!

Those olive trees turned this 53-year-old woman into a pigtailed girl after too many days of rain.

I swear, winding through the Pugliese countryside felt like wandering straight into a Scottish fairy tale—dark, mystical trunks heaving over the

Most people who come to Grottaglie in Puglia for the ceramics studios. But when you travel with @max_brunelli of @ciaoandiamo , you are sure to see MORE. Before we walked to the shops, we stepped down the stairs of a local ceramic artist who one day

This year, skip the stress and borrow a page from Italy 🇮🇹 Celebrate on Christmas Eve, savor dinner, soak in the quiet glow, and let the season be more about meaning than perfection. Simple, joyful, beautifully Italian ✨ head to the link in my bio

Matera got under my skin again—five years later and the Sassi still feel like walking through a dream you’re not entirely sure you’re ready for.

This place does that. One minute you’re climbing a sunlit staircase, the next yo

Grapevine subscribers! New chapter in your mailbox 10 AM local time. I hope you enjoy my eight ways to bring Italy into your home this season ❤️ not signed up? Link in my bio! Fast and easy and as a special welcome to the Grapevine community, I&rsquo

We were winding our way toward Matera when @max_brunelli turned off route, citing something he had to show us. That’s how we ended up in Castelmezzano, a village so impossibly perched and perfectly proportioned it looks like a presepe—an

DON’T STRESS THE MOZZARELLA! This was my takeaway message from the buffalo mozzarella farm, our first Book Club with a View Stop. Apparently, how one cuts the mozzarella is important to avoid stressing it. I can’t give you any tips becaus

From hazelnut-filled hills of garnet and gold to whitewashed villages perched above a brilliant blue sea, this last trip reminded me that Italy contains multitudes. The luckiest part? Traveling through the Mezzogiorno with @max_brunelli of @ciaoandia

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”,

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”