Michelle Damiani
  • Il Bel Centro Santa Lucia The Road Taken
  • Spello Visiting Umbria Travel in Italy Around the World
  • Blog
  • About
  • Food and Drink Books and Movies Ecc...
Michelle Damiani
  • Books/
    • Il Bel Centro
    • Santa Lucia
    • The Road Taken
  • Travel/
    • Spello
    • Visiting Umbria
    • Travel in Italy
    • Around the World
  • Blog/
  • About/
  • What I Love/
    • Food and Drink
    • Books and Movies
    • Ecc...
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Michelle Damiani

writing with Umbria at heart

Visiting Umbria

Michelle Damiani
  • Books/
    • Il Bel Centro
    • Santa Lucia
    • The Road Taken
  • Travel/
    • Spello
    • Visiting Umbria
    • Travel in Italy
    • Around the World
  • Blog/
  • About/
  • What I Love/
    • Food and Drink
    • Books and Movies
    • Ecc...

Here you will find posts that didn't make their way into the blog (or were highly abbreviated in favor of narrative flow-- do note that posts from our year in Italy are far longer than similar entries in the book), travel highlights from newsletters, and new material about places to travel—in Italy, and around the world.

April 16, 2018

A Guide to Umbrian Festivals

April 16, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
A Guide to Umbrian Festivals

Festivals are Italy distilled. Here is your guide to celebrations in Umbria throughout the seasons.

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April 16, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ 4 Comments
travel
Umbria, Italy, festivals
April 15, 2018

Recommendations for Visiting Umbria

April 15, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
Recommendations for Visiting Umbria

Resources for Umbria at large.

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April 15, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
travel, umbria
umbria
April 14, 2018

Gubbio, Umbria

April 14, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
Gubbio, Umbria

Gubbio is…different. See what makes this evocative town stand out from other cities in Umbria.

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April 14, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
travel
Italy, Umbria, Gubbio, restaurant, festival, Perugia
April 14, 2018

Cascate delle Marmore

April 14, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
Cascate delle Marmore

Our 2013 visit to the famous waterfalls of Umbria

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April 14, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
travel, umbria
day-trip, children, Umbria
April 13, 2018

Pranzo in Trevi, Umbria

April 13, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
Pranzo in Trevi, Umbria

Trevi, Umbria: A little village with big atmosphere.

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April 13, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
travel, dining
trevi, Umbria, restaurant
April 13, 2018

Assisi, Umbria

April 13, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
Assisi, Umbria

The birthplace of St. Francis.

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April 13, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
travel, dining, umbria
italy, umbria
April 12, 2018

Foligno, Umbria

April 12, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
Foligno, Umbria

An untouristed small city.

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April 12, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
travel, umbria
travel, umbria
April 10, 2018

Piegaro, Umbria

April 10, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
Piegaro, Umbria

A jewel-box of a town, known for glass manufacturing and chestnut celebrating.

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April 10, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
April 09, 2018

Serpillo, an Italian Gran Bouffet

April 09, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
Serpillo, an Italian Gran Bouffet

Not all buffets involve endless sneeze-guards and noodles congealing in cornstarch baths. Discover this gem tucked away in the hills above Bevagna, Umbria.

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April 09, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
dining, travel
bevagna, Umbria, restaurant
April 01, 2018

Orvieto, on the other side of Umbria

April 01, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
Orvieto, on the other side of Umbria

Where to eat in Orvieto, Umbria

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April 01, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
travel, dining
Orvieto, Umbria, Restaurant
March 28, 2018

Bevagna, Umbria

March 28, 2018/ Michelle Damiani
Bevagna, Umbria

A medieval town, not on a hill, renowned for its festival of medieval life.

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March 28, 2018/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
travel, umbria, dining
travel, restaurant, umbria
April 13, 2017

Love in Bettona, Umbria

April 13, 2017/ Michelle Damiani
Love in Bettona, Umbria

A restaurant recommendation in Bettona, Umbria given with my whole heart.

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April 13, 2017/ Michelle Damiani/ Comment
travel, dining
Bettona, Umbria, restaurant
  • Books/
    • Il Bel Centro
    • Santa Lucia
    • The Road Taken
  • Travel/
    • Spello
    • Visiting Umbria
    • Travel in Italy
    • Around the World
  • Blog/
  • About/
  • What I Love/
    • Food and Drink
    • Books and Movies
    • Ecc...

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. 

Santa Lucia
By Michelle Damiani

Storybook Italian villages only look sleepy. Read the novel inspired by our year in Spello.

Il Bel Centro: A Year in the Beautiful Center
By Michelle Damiani

A year in Umbria transforms an American family. Read how it all began.

Subscribe for the Epilogue

For two years, Il Bel Centro readers have asked me "What happened next? Was the transition horrible? Did you ever get back to Spello?" I listened, and wrote an epilogue I'd love to give you. As soon as you sign up for the “Contorni: A little something extra on the side” newsletter, I'll zip you a free copy of IBC: Epilogue. You'll also receive periodic updates, recipes, travel gems, and exclusive offers.

Haven't read IBC yet? No worries! Use the field below this one to sign up for all the same great information, just without the Epilogue. You can always sign up later to get the Epilogue!

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Updates from Michelle Damiani

Haven't read Il Bel Centro, but want to sign up to receive news of book releases and promotions, tantalizing recipes, and secret travel tips? Sign up with your email address below. You'll get all the same great information as those that sign up using the link above, but without the IBC: Epilogue. You can always sign up for that after you complete Il Bel Centro.

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Follow me on Instagram!

Nothing like having my boys back together after one has been in Houston and the other has been in camp. #italy🇮🇹 #italytravel #familytime #remembering #bologna #travelmemories #italia
Nothing like having my boys back together after one has been in Houston and the other has been in camp. #italy🇮🇹 #italytravel #familytime #remembering #bologna #travelmemories #italia
The nice thing about being obsessed with the GBBS is that when you and your daughter decide to focus on baking a Savarin instead of actual dinner, you can treat neighbors to leftovers.
The nice thing about being obsessed with the GBBS is that when you and your daughter decide to focus on baking a Savarin instead of actual dinner, you can treat neighbors to leftovers.
Bologna is something. #bologna #bolognaart #emiliaromagna #italy🇮🇹 #italystyle #italytravel #italy #italyiloveyou
Bologna is something. #bologna #bolognaart #emiliaromagna #italy🇮🇹 #italystyle #italytravel #italy #italyiloveyou
Dogs of #Spello... #umbria #instadog #patientpuppy #italiandog
Dogs of #Spello... #umbria #instadog #patientpuppy #italiandog
Anyone else missing the World Cup? I’m especially longing for watching matches in #bologna. #italytravel #aperolspritz
Anyone else missing the World Cup? I’m especially longing for watching matches in #bologna. #italytravel #aperolspritz
How I miss my bewitching garden in #spello #umbria. #italytravel #igersumbria #igersitaly #garden_styles
How I miss my bewitching garden in #spello #umbria. #italytravel #igersumbria #igersitaly #garden_styles
Glorious #campoimperatore #abruzzo #abruzzo_in_foto #italytravel #igersabruzzo #igersitaly
Glorious #campoimperatore #abruzzo #abruzzo_in_foto #italytravel #igersabruzzo #igersitaly
Car envy in #bologna #italy. #italytravel #igersitalia #igersitaly #bolognastyle #italy🇮🇹 #italy_photolovers #italystyle
Car envy in #bologna #italy. #italytravel #igersitalia #igersitaly #bolognastyle #italy🇮🇹 #italy_photolovers #italystyle
Beautifully surprising #Rasiglia #Umbria #italytravel #travelgram #italyvideo
The mothership is calling me home in #bologna. #italytravel #travelling #foodtraveller #parmesan #prosciutto
The mothership is calling me home in #bologna. #italytravel #travelling #foodtraveller #parmesan #prosciutto
Door in #spello #umbria #italytravel #italiandoors
Door in #spello #umbria #italytravel #italiandoors
Churches don’t have to be big and fancy to inspire awe and a sense of the eternal. #bologna #santostefano #awe #italytravel
Churches don’t have to be big and fancy to inspire awe and a sense of the eternal. #bologna #santostefano #awe #italytravel
My daughter is right. I seem to have an #Italian lamp fixation. #italytravel #italianlamps #italiancities
My daughter is right. I seem to have an #Italian lamp fixation. #italytravel #italianlamps #italiancities
Kids in an Italian alpine meadow. #campoimperatore #abruzzo #familytravel #italytravel
Kids in an Italian alpine meadow. #campoimperatore #abruzzo #familytravel #italytravel
Ciao, Italia. Alla prossima volta. #sulmona #abruzzo #abruzzo_in_foto #familytravel
Ciao, Italia. Alla prossima volta. #sulmona #abruzzo #abruzzo_in_foto #familytravel
Espresso + confetti = caffetti! A treat in #Sulmona and too tasty for its own good. #abruzzo #nofilter #nofilterneeded #foodietravel
Espresso + confetti = caffetti! A treat in #Sulmona and too tasty for its own good. #abruzzo #nofilter #nofilterneeded #foodietravel
Pensive in #Ravenna. There’s a lot to think about. #instaravenna #emigliaromagna
Pensive in #Ravenna. There’s a lot to think about. #instaravenna #emigliaromagna
That’s a rose the more-than-tipsy owner of the restaurant insisted Gabe offer me after our extraordinary meal, a lemon and bergamot popsicle from my new favorite gelateria, the sunset colors of Bologna all around, and me. Very happy. #bologna #nofilter #nofilterneeded #bolognatoday
That’s a rose the more-than-tipsy owner of the restaurant insisted Gabe offer me after our extraordinary meal, a lemon and bergamot popsicle from my new favorite gelateria, the sunset colors of Bologna all around, and me. Very happy. #bologna #nofilter #nofilterneeded #bolognatoday
Boys in Bologna.
Boys in Bologna.
Cats of Spello. #catsofspello #cats
Cats of Spello. #catsofspello #cats
 

Follow me on Twitter!

  • Michelle Damiani, Author
    I'm so honored to have this fantastic piece in my upcoming book about family expats! https://t.co/8d6HAgi3NZ
    about 2 days ago
  • Michelle Damiani, Author
    RT @italymartha: Experience Tuscany or Umbria through these memoirs https://t.co/xGnhlLEuMN #tuscany #Umbria #FridayReads @Ilbelcentro
    about 3 days ago
  • Michelle Damiani, Author
    Started to look for a zucchini flower recipe when I remembered, hey! isn't that in my book? 🤣 Easy and fabulous: re… https://t.co/JWElMqf3We
    about 4 days ago
Festival participant

Festival participant