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

Travel in Italy

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/

Here’ll you find trip reports from up and down the Boot, from Turin to Sicily, from Cinque Terre to Puglia. If you want new wanderlust stories delivered to your email inbox once a month, make sure you sign up for my newsletter, the Grapevine. As a special welcome gift, I’ll send you an e-copy of my bestselling novel, Santa Lucia. Imagine that! In a few keystrokes, you’ll be transported to the landscapes, the cities, and the beauty of Italy. No passport required.

March 11, 2025

Why Write in Italy?

March 11, 2025/ Michelle Damiani
Why Write in Italy?

There is an art to starting from scratch. Let me show you.

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March 11, 2025/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
italy, blog, travel, writing
writing, Puglia, Travel, walking tour
December 05, 2024

Travel & Writing in Liguria with Ciao Andiamo

December 05, 2024/ Michelle Damiani
Travel & Writing in Liguria with Ciao Andiamo

I had no idea how much teaching writing in Italy would deepen my love of both writing and Italy.

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December 05, 2024/ Michelle Damiani/ 1 Comment
liguria, italy, blog, Piedmont, travel
travel, blog, Piemonte, PIedmont
December 11, 2023

Seven Reasons to Add Turin to Your Bucket List

December 11, 2023/ Michelle Damiani
Seven Reasons to Add Turin to Your Bucket List

Got a trip to Turin planned? Lucky you.

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December 11, 2023/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
italy, language, Piedmont, travel
Turin, Torino, Spello, Food, win
March 17, 2023

Life in Truffle-Scented Turin

March 17, 2023/ Olivia Windsor (Livguine)
Life in Truffle-Scented Turin

As part of the Local Guide Series, Olivia Windsor (known as Livguine to her fans) opens the door to Turin, a jewel-box city in Italy’s northern foothills.

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March 17, 2023/ Olivia Windsor (Livguine)/ 14 Comments
italy, Piedmont, travel, blog
Turin, Torino, Local Guide, PIedmont, Piemonte
June 24, 2021

This is Cinque Terre

June 24, 2021/ Michelle Damiani
This is Cinque Terre

It took me 30 years to return to Cinque Terre. Here’s what I discovered.

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June 24, 2021/ Michelle Damiani/ 4 Comments
travel, liguria, italy, blog
Cinque Terre, Liguria, Travel
June 23, 2021

Twelve Do's and Don'ts in Cinque Terre

June 23, 2021/ Michelle Damiani
Twelve Do's and Don'ts in Cinque Terre

Use this guide to fall in love with Cinque Terre.

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June 23, 2021/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
italy, liguria, travel
Cinque Terre, Travel
June 23, 2021

Where to Stay in Cinque Terre

June 23, 2021/ Michelle Damiani
Where to Stay in Cinque Terre

I’m so excited to share this recommendation with you.

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June 23, 2021/ Michelle Damiani/ 2 Comments
liguria, italy, travel
Italy, Liguria
May 11, 2021

Why you shouldn't daytrip to Florence

May 11, 2021/ Michelle Damiani
Why you shouldn't daytrip to Florence

Planning a day trip to Florence for your next trip to Italy? Think again.

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May 11, 2021/ Michelle Damiani/ 16 Comments
travel, italy
Florence, Firenze, tuscany, Travel
January 24, 2021

Venice, in Black and White

January 24, 2021/ Michelle Damiani
Venice, in Black and White

It’s easy to be swept away by the colors of Venice… but there’s more to captivate the eye.

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January 24, 2021/ Michelle Damiani/ 2 Comments
italy, travel
Veneto, Venice
January 24, 2021

A new perspective on Venice

January 24, 2021/ Michelle Damiani
A new perspective on Venice

How a beloved children’s book changed how I think about Venice. With loads of recommendations to help you enjoy even an off-season visit to La Serenissima.

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January 24, 2021/ Michelle Damiani/ 6 Comments
italy, blog, travel
Venice, Veneto, Travel, Italy, Food, restaurant
December 01, 2020

Matera is more than a sad story

December 01, 2020/ Michelle Damiani
Matera is more than a sad story

The story of Matera lingered in my heart for years before I visited.

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December 01, 2020/ Michelle Damiani/ 8 Comments
italy, travel, blog
Puglia, history
October 27, 2020

Alberobello: They're not Smurf Houses

October 27, 2020/ Michelle Damiani
Alberobello: They're not Smurf Houses

Our visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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October 27, 2020/ Michelle Damiani/ 9 Comments
travel, italy
Puglia, Travel, restaurant, food, history
October 19, 2020

Mangia Pesce in Gallipoli, Puglia

October 19, 2020/ Michelle Damiani
Mangia Pesce in Gallipoli, Puglia

How Gallipoli takes the Italian concept of “mangia pesce” and turns it into a lifestyle and an art form.

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October 19, 2020/ Michelle Damiani/ 15 Comments
italy, blog, travel, language
Puglia, Travel, Food, restaurant
October 16, 2020

Five days in Torre Chianca, Puglia

October 16, 2020/ Michelle Damiani
Five days in Torre Chianca, Puglia

I bet you’ve never heard of Torre Chianca. Will you want to go there after reading this post? Let’s see….

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October 16, 2020/ Michelle Damiani/ 11 Comments
travel, italy, blog
Puglia, Food, restaurant, Travel
October 09, 2020

To Puglia!

October 09, 2020/ Michelle Damiani
To Puglia!

How a trip to Puglia is like playing hooky.

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October 09, 2020/ Michelle Damiani/ 4 Comments
italy, blog, travel
Molise, Travel, restaurant
July 11, 2019

Eight Italian Hidden Gems

July 11, 2019/ Michelle Damiani
Eight Italian Hidden Gems

Discover these destinations before the tourists do.

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July 11, 2019/ Michelle Damiani/ 3 Comments
italy, travel
Italy
July 10, 2019

Finding my Joy in Liguria

July 10, 2019/ Marilyn Ricci
Finding my Joy in Liguria

Part of the Local Guide Series — Discover Liguria with Marilyn Ricci.

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July 10, 2019/ Marilyn Ricci/ 11 Comments
travel, italy
Local Guide, Liguria
January 23, 2019

The Southern Marche Region, an Unknown Gem

January 23, 2019/ Dwight Stanford
The Southern Marche Region, an Unknown Gem

An American wine-guy shares why he fell in love with Le Marche, and how to explore his favorite region of Italy.

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January 23, 2019/ Dwight Stanford/ 13 Comments
travel, italy
Le Marche, Italy, Travel, Local Guide
November 07, 2018

Walking Bologna

November 07, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
Walking Bologna

Walking itineraries to showcase the best of Bologna.

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November 07, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ 2 Comments
travel, italy
Travel, Bologna, Italy, restaurant, walking tour, history, Emiglia-
November 02, 2018

Bologna is more than Porticos and Parmesan

November 02, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
Bologna is more than Porticos and Parmesan

Learn why Bologna is known as “the learned, the fat, and the red.” And also why it needs to be on your bucket list.

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November 02, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ 2 Comments
italy, travel
food, Travel, history
  • Next
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  • 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.

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.

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Big news, friends — I’m swapping out my original idea for a travel writing tour in Puglia and leaning into something I’m even more excited about: Book Club with a View! Picture this: a week of book discussions under the sun of
I wanted to break out my new European passport for the first time on Italian soil, but maybe it was good and right that first use happened in Paris, my mothers birthplace.
What is it about cats and Italy? Even an American cat in Italy, wondering how to run amok over those terra cotta rooftops.
We weren’t sure if we’d walk out with one, two, or three Italian passports. So imagine our delight when the kids’ renewals and my application were easily processed! Okay, the family wasn’t nearly as delighted as they were the
Thursday was your culmination of 13 school years: One in Italian public school, 7 at Peabody, one of pandemic unschooling in Spello, 4 at CHS, plus courses at UVA, PVCC, and schools I don’t know because you enrolled in on-line classes & inf
Happy anniversary to a man who can build a pizza oven with his own two hands, designs a cover for that pizza oven with an image from the flower carpet our family worked on for Spello’s Infiorata (a peak experience for the five of us), arranges

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”