"I am a Mediterranean painter" - Cy Twombly Welcome to Episode #125: In 1952 Robert Rauschenberg photographed his friend and fellow artist Cy Twombly standing with a thin notebook next to Constantine’s colossal hand while on holiday in Rome. They were together on a traveling arts scholarship. They traveled extensively for months in Italy and North Africa. Five years later Cy Twombly moved from America to live in Rome, Italy. Cy Twombly (1928-2011) made a life in Rome as an artist. He ke...

“To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world. You are surrounded by adventure. You have no idea of what is in store for you, but you will, if you are wise and know the art of travel, let yourself go on the stream of the unknown and accept whatever comes in the spirit in which the gods may offer it....." Baghdad Sketches, Freya Stark Welcome to Episode #124: Today I take you on a journey through a few travel experiences that have a left a won...

"There's just something about sitting at a cafe, and the food, and the culture that just, it's not like anything else in the world" - Erica D'Arcangelo Welcome to Episode #123, Today I share an enriching and beautiful conversation with Erica D’Arcangelo, host of Pizza Story Podcast. So this is a tale about pizza, family, heritage and Italy. Erica’s first book was written in honour of her Grandfathers journey as an Italian immigrant from Abruzzo Italy to America - A Story about Piz...

"One summer morning, my husband, son, and I arrived by car from Sirmione and spent the day wandering through the city’s walkable center. Verona revealed itself slowly, with Roman ruins beside medieval churches, Renaissance palaces glowing in the sun, and piazzas alive with the laughter of locals. The soft pink of its buildings shimmered in the warmth, giving the city a dreamy, romantic air" - Katerina Ferrara, Venice and the Veneto Ultimate Festival & Travel Guide Today is a fun conversat...

"Perhaps my vision has been somewhat romantic but who out there has not been lured by an Arcadia unlike our own? It seems it has been a thing for centuries..." - Michelle Johnston, Substack Welcome to Episode #121: Today I share a podcast I made last month while contemplating the after glow of being in Italy and sharing new adventures writing on Substack - At My Table. I read an excerpt from Two Castles in Italy, that weaves together Italian moments and books I have enjoyed and th...

"The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind" - Anthony Bourdain, No Reservations "Be a Traveler, Not a Tourist!" - Today I explore this wonderful statement by the late Anthony Bourdain. I have been going around in circles for years musing over this whole thought about the traveling journeys and contemplating moving beyond being a c...

"The money was always for a dream of sorts, an Italian dream, and now it's one we get to keep living" - Jac Beagley Welcome to Episode #119: Many of us dreaming about a home in Italy, a place to enjoy la dolce vita. The big question is, can you do it on a conservative budget and find something special? The answer is - Yes you can! Australian couple Jac and Josh Beagley spent $32,000 Euros (approx. $50,000 Australian dollars) on an apartment in a medieval hilltop village in Umbria. Their...

"Italy taught me to readjust my focus" - Judith Valente, The Italian Soul Today I talk with Author Judith Valente about her recent book The Italian Soul - How to Savour the Full Joys of Life. In Judith’s introduction to The Italian Soul she writes, “I depart Italy with the same feeling: I found what I was looking for”. Judith shares not only practical advice on how to savour the daily details, but what she has learned from her ancestors and her time in Italy with friends and family. Whi...

"If you could write about anything you want to write about what would it be?".... Welcome to Episode #117: I am excited to introduce you to Janet’s Constantino’s beautiful debut fiction novel 'Becoming Mariella’. This is a deep and rich conversation about her gem of a book and writing journey. We discuss in depth Janet’s Sicilian-American heritage, navigating traditional values and family expectations. There are many wonderful tangents in this conversation - we talk travel and Italy and...

"What we can be in control of we should be, especially when it comes to creativity" - Tracey Emin, Strozzi Gallery Florence - Documentary This podcast share has been percolating for some time. Over the year I have found myself musing about creativity and the importance of opening up space in our busy lives to not only make beautiful things but to be available to our creativity as a way to keep steady as technological advancements continue to shift our lives in various directions. ...

"I adore the spirit of Rome" - Michelle Johnston, In the Shadow of a Cypress - An Italian Adventure Welcome to Episode #115: More and more I realise there is just something about Italy. This podcast is a culmination of an eventful solo journey in Italy and Paris, and the culmination of the days wandering around Italia has me feeling very open to the beauty of the day and those last precious moments in Rome… Enjoy x Find all Shownotes at michellejohnston.life My book: In the Shadow...

"The brittle crust off the present fractures; my feet sink into the quicksand of antiquity" - Anthony Doerr, Four Seasons in Rome Welcome to Episode #114, A spontaneous moment sipping an Aperol Spritz sitting at a caffe/wine bar on the corner of a busy side street close to Via Nazionale has me musing over some beautiful moments in Rome, purely sunny days full of grand adventures, being lost but absolutely happy in Italy… Find all Shownotes at michellejohnston.life My book: In the ...

"Sometimes you just have to move forward and lead the way" - Michelle Johnston Welcome to Episode #112, From the Campo Sofia between the gondole and the Strada Nova while sipping a macchiato I share some travel stories and adventures of my days in Italy, it’s full vibrant cafe life and feeling that Venetian light soaking into my skin while musing over events, places, journeys. Enjoy x Find all Shownotes at michellejohnston.life © 2025 A Writer In Italy - travel, books, art and li...

"Solitude is a place I like to go" - Tracey Emin Welcome to Episode #113: Today I share some beautiful moments in Bologna and Florence while sitting at a cafe close to Mercato Centrale in the centro storico of Firenze. Exploring art and culture was at the forefront of my experience in Italy on this recent travel adventure and there is no doubt there are many moving parts on this journey of mine. I discover much more than I expect seeing Tracey Emin at the Palazzo Strozzi and the restored artw...

"Now & again I am able to live expansively, to feel expansive, with nothing & no one to do it for. Then I am happy, or happier than otherwise" April 18, 1951 Patricia Highsmith, Her Diaries and Notebooks Welcome to Episode #111: This episode comes after a week of travelling solo in Italy reflecting on events and pivotal moments that led me to taking time in Italy to restore balance and beauty in life, to let Italy and Paris work its magic. It’s not exactly a perfect introduction...

"We travel not to escape life, but for life to not escape us" Welcome to Episode #110 Italy beckons... Today Nadia and I talk travel moments and her soulful Tuscany Cooking Retreat in Tuscany this year, see links below to book yourself something special in Italy this coming November-December…. Tuscan Escape with Nadia Fragnito Hortulanus Villa in Tuscany Support the show

"Does the ever- evolving desire for beauty at home derive from a super sense of conviviality?" - Frances Mayes, A Place in the World Welcome to Episode #109: Some of the most delicious parts of this journey over the many years of loving Italy is the way it slowly became a part of my every day life. At home I see the art, the ceramics, the candle holders, the table ware, the cookbooks, the coffee table and Italian design books and my favourite coffee mugs that I enjoy using daily (let’s ...

"It's about the treasure beneath our feet, it's about the land..." - Bailey Alexander Welcome to Episode #108: Bailey Alexander lived in the region of Piemonte Italy in the small village of Loazzolo for seven years with her husband Francis. Over time the place, the land, the people, the traditions, the lifestyle, and the wonderful campilismo began to shape her life in new and creative ways. After many years circumnavigating the globe, this time living in Piemonte searching for the “auth...

"The only joy in the world is to begin" - Cesare Pavese, This Business of Living Welcome to Episode #107: The writing life is full of possibilities and paradoxes, yet some times you need some tips and tricks on how to move forward, how to make time, how to get past the resistance and the limitations, and just write. Living a creative life takes a little audacity, a dose of commitment and a tonne of self care, it’s about nurturing your creativity and your projects until they are ready to bloom...

"It was always in my heart" - Pinch Me, Waking up in a 300-Year-Old Italian Farmhouse by Barbara Boyle Welcome to Episode #106, Barbara shares her book ‘Pinch Me - Waking up in a 300-Year-Old Italian Farmhouse’ and the tale of traveling from France to Piemonte to discover the region of the Langhe, the place she would fall in love with, buy an old farmhouse and begin a grand restoration process. Barbara and her husband Kim made a life in Italy, following the pull, the irrational desire to crea...