About the Author

Michelle Damiani is a freelance writer, clinical psychologist, and food lover currently living in Charlottesville, VA. Her heart, however, is in Spello, Italy, where she and her family spent a year growing accustomed to being fish out of water, grappling with the hardships of parenting on foreign soil, and ultimately cleaving into the soul of Italian village life. Before that year abroad, Michelle wrote short fiction--one of her stories was recently awarded first place in the Hook Short Fiction contest, juried by author John Grisham. While in Italy, she used the time that her children were in Italian public schools to write a blog about their experiences. The blog, Il Bel Centro, was awarded the bronze award for best Italian blog by Expatsblog. Once back in Charlottesville, she transformed the blog into a book, Il Bel Centro: a Year in the Beautiful Center, now available in print and e-book. Missing her village, she began writing a 4 part novel series set in italy. Three of the books, Santa Lucia, The Silent Madonna, and The Stillness of Swallows have been published. In addition, Michelle accumulated the collective wisdom of traveling families into a comprehensive guide called, The Road Taken: How to Dream, Plan, and Live Your Family Adventure Abroad. When not planning her upcoming trip around the world, you can find her at www.michelledamiani.com.

Reviews

"After reading the third novel in the series, I feel like I'm part of the family of Santa Lucia. I laugh with them and cry with them. I couldn't put the book down."

"Damiani beautifully captures the rhythm and life of a small Italian town, and fills the story with details about food, culture, wine, and the landscape."

"Loved this latest installment in the series."

"By the excruciating climactic scenes I was on the edge of my seat. You won't want to miss reading this next installment. A real page turner."