From alpine lakes to sun-drenched coastlines, this is where you’ll find stories from my travels across Italy—the hidden corners, the unexpected delights, the journeys that stay with you. Want new wanderlust in your inbox once a month? Sign up for The Grapevine.
You'd think that since Sicily is where Keith and I began our decline, it would be associated with illness and shortness of breath. But it's not. It still seems magic—painted in bold brushstrokes and wreathed in sunshine. Such is the power of Sicily.
Read MoreScopello is also home of a tonnara, a historic tuna fishery that sounds evocative but was actually an example of the downside of under researching. Yes, going in cold can lead to adventures and a sense of discovery. It can also lead to significant grumpiness.
Read MoreSicily is scented with jasmine and wild herbs—fennel and oregano and something sweet and toasty, maybe fenugreek? This mix of cultivated and untamed is seen everywhere. Trim lines of grapevines leading to dramatic, craggy mountains. Neat rows of olive trees divided by a riot of shimmering undergrowth. Stately Greek ruins rising from a profusion of colorful, delicate wildflowers. That's just Sicily, or at least the tiny corner of Sicily we were able to explore.
Read MoreWe went to the Amalfi coast brimming with a real sense of excitement and curiosity. So much has been written about Naples, its charms, its horrors. Rick Steves says if you like Italy as far as Rome, go further south—and we love Rome, so we thought we might like it. But we weren't sure.
Read MoreThe short story? We loved Lucca. The long story is, like the walls of Lucca, is a little more complicated.
Read MoreDON'T fall for it when your daughter tells you that her fashion forward boots are actually her most comfortable shoes. You'll see what I mean about half-way through the day when she takes an opportunity of taking off those charming instruments of torture and reveals feet swollen and splotched with alarming white patches. The smell won't be any good either.
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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Festival participant, speaking about “Il Bel Centro: A Year in the Beautiful Center”
Featured speaker on panel discussing Romance for “Santa Lucia”
