A Writer In Italy - travel, books, art and life

"I am reading six books at once, the only way of reading: since, as you will agree, one book is merely a note to another book" - Virginia Woolf

Today I share some beautiful moments while reading a few books on my table that have given much pause for thought. So I open a few on the fly and chat about the book, the author and what I Loved about the pages....

Teach Us To Sit Still by Tim Parks

A Place in the World by Frances Mayes

Enchanted April by...

"A soul's journey through this uniquely itchy epoch requires a far more nourishing approach" - Sarah Wilson, This One Wild and Precious Life 

Sometimes you cannot see the forest for the trees, but that is the writers life. It is a process. And maybe it will all work out in the end. And if it doesn’t work out, well I guess, it is not the end.

Today I share some of my trials and tribulation of the creative life and committing to the crazy idea to write a book (another book). Somehow talking about it...

 “The large paintings envelop the viewer and invite him or her in, it is an invitation to a self contained world where one can lose oneself and perhaps in the process find oneself. And for all their grandest of scale it is an intimate experience, a world unique to that particular encounter” - Christopher Rothko, Mark Rothko and the Inner World

Welcome to Episode #140:

In Italy, Mark Rothko (1903-1970) found what he was looking for. 

On a long voyage in Europe in 1950 with his wife, Rothko found himself in Florence, in the cr...

"Fortunately for us art and travel lovers, science has caught up with what we have felt inside, what we have experienced" - Michelle Johnston

In more recent years the science of ‘neuro-aesthetics’ has given us much to ponder in terms of understanding the importance of art and beauty in our lives. I share my personal experience and sound research on the positive side effects that seeking art, travel and beauty in our lives has on our mental health, neuro-plasticity and longevity. 

This is a broad topic yet I cite recent book publications and examples on the i...

"Everything had been made honestly, quickly, without frills, but as it should be. It was wholesome, life giving...We had eaten well; we felt well. As we sat in the piazza inhaling our black half inches of double espressi, I felt very happy" - Sybille Bedford, Pleasures and Landscapes

Welcome to Episode #138:

Today I share some gastronomic highlights from the table in Italy. Italian food has so much to offer, and is a wonderful portal into the culture and the regional dishes. You do not want to miss the opportunity to discover new flavours and...

"Happiness is a byproduct ultimately of being in right relationship with your own soul” - James Hollis

Welcome to Episode #137: 

There are places in Italy that are so beautiful they make you want to weep. When life occasionally does not go to plan, sometimes you just need to throw the cards in the air and do something for yourself. When circumstance and fate isn’t favoured, here and there it is best to make a distinct move that alters everything. This is for those needing a permission slip.

Italy changes you, opens you and m...

"Italy, you win!" - J.J Martin, Mamma Milano

Welcome to Episode #136:

Today I share some inspiration from the book Mamma Milano by J.J Martin. 

J.J Martin is a visionary, creative and designer that lives in Milan. She moved to Italy many years ago and later started her fabulous fashion empire and lifestyle brand La Double J.  Today is just some musing over this beautiful book, making a life in Italy and her vibrant world of colour and flair. 

If in Milano you can visit her beautiful world on San...

"Italians strongly believe that being surrounded by beauty is beneficial to a happier life" - Riccardo Illy

Welcome to Episode #135,

Milan is a city of Art, Design, Architecture, Innovation and Commerce. It is full of great art and history. And a wonderful place to discover more about Italian culture. 

Here is Part 2 on some of the fabulous places you can visit in Milan Italy - Da Vinci’s Last Supper and suburb Museums & Villas. I also include some history and detail about the many places to visit while in the city of Milan.

"In Milan, one feels at once the charm of a great city and the sweetness of Italian life" - Stendhal (Marie-Henri Beyle)

Welcome to Episode #134:

Today I share some fabulous things to do if you are on a budget or just a savy traveler and why Milano should not be ignored. It is one of the most charming and underrated cities in Italy and very beautiful too. So I want to share my favourite things to do for free and what to eat. There is so much to do and see, from the fabulous historic...

"All I wanted was time" - Tracey Emin, Strozzi Gallery Documentary

Welcome to Episode #133

Today I share a travel story for International Women’s Day about a glorious art and life moment in Florence from 2025.  

There are beautiful things that happen along the way that stay with you. I reflect on my experience and joy while walking in the Centro Storico of Florence and discovering that there was an exhibition of Tracey Emin's work on that week at the Palazzo Strozzi. It had been a long time since I had seen her work and...

"The let them theory is about freedom" - Mel Robbins, Let Them Theory

Welcome to Episode #132,

I wanted to share this personal story of something that shifted in me in a great way to create an expansive and special experience while traveling in Italy I thought might be helpful for other people on their travel (and life) journeys, particularly if solo traveling.

Enjoy this share,

Michelle x

Book: Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

MichelleJohnston.life for the Shownotes

A Writer in Italy Instagram

“The meaning of the river flowing is not that all things are changing so that we cannot encounter them twice but that some things stay the same only by changing” - Heraclitus, The Cosmic Fragments

Welcome to Episode #131,

Today is just some musing over art, philosophy and life while I get started on my projects for the year. 

Be prepared for many tangents and a casual monologue on life and Italy. As always, a beautiful stream to float down. Every book and side note is in the show notes or you can read the t...

"Around the middle of the fifteenth century, not so long after the first written references in Europe to cards of any kind, an artist named Bonifacio Bembo painted a set of unnamed and unnumbered cards for the Visconti family of Milan", Origins of Tarot, Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Tarot Journey to Self Awareness by Rachel Pollack 

Welcome to Episode #130,

Did you know that the roots of tarot have their beginnings in the north of Italy at the height of the Renaissance. The first playing cards emerged in the courts of the noble Milanese f...

"A book can never disappoint you" - Cinzia Ferri

Welcome to Episode #129:

Just a little rumination about books and life as the new year arrives! Enjoy x

The Substack Post that inspired this podcast:

A book can never disappoint you!

MichelleJohnston.life for the Show-notes

A Writer in Italy Instagram

Substack - At My Table

Michelle’s Books

Musical Scores by Richard Johnston

© 2025  A Writer In Italy - travel, books, art and life
Music Composed by Richard Johnston © 2025

...

“Bologna was unique in championing the professions of women. The home of Europe’s oldest university, which has supported female students since the thirteenth century, the city considered women artists integral to its development” - Katy Hessel, The Story of Art Without Men

Welcome to Episode #128:

Bologna is one of those places that has that quintessential Italian feel. A medieval city with wonderful heritage and a place where tradition and conviviality are maintained. Many people love to visit for the food and there is a lot to say about the glories of the table in Bologn...

"Live the journey as faithfully as you can"  💥James Hollis 

Welcome to Episode #127:

A notebook from Bologna led me to contemplate the profound effect that Italy has had on my psyche these past few years. The journeys and the moments that have awakened a lively contemplation. 

I share my story of healing through the ups and downs and how Italy made everything sing. 

Michelle x

Episode #127  🎙️ Life, Travel, Ischia, Jamie's Pizza, Naples & Procida

Shownotes at MichelleJohnston.life

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Substack - At My Table...

"I fall in love with places" - Cy Twombly

Welcome to Episode #126,

While still reflecting on the life of Cy Twombly, I muse over a few artists that have been influenced by Italy (and my artistic process). There is just something about the visual beauty and the history of Italy that seems to impact many artists, writers and creatives. 

I go further into thoughts on the art of Cy Twombly and Robert Rauschenberg throwing his art into the Arno River in Florence after a disparaging critic’s comment, and how artists move forward reg...

"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 kept the art world at bay, painting vast canvases full of...

“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 wonderful impression on...

"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 Pizza. She is also an author of a series of childr...

"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

Welcome to Episode #122:

Today is a fun conversation with Katerina Ferrara about her connection to Italy and how she im...

"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 the life moments that have happened along 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

Welcome to Episode #120:

"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 complete tourist and embracing more of the unknown...

"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 holiday home is l...

"Italy taught me to readjust my focus" - Judith Valente, The Italian Soul

Welcome to Episode #118:

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. While o...

"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 how place can be a powerful magnet without really know why, yet something deep insi...

"What we can be in control of we should be, especially when it comes to creativity" - Tracey Emin, Strozzi Gallery Florence - Documentary 

Welcome to Episode #116:

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 love that we get to ha...

"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 of a Cypr...

"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 Shadow of a Cypress - An Italian Adventure
...

"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 life
Music Composed by Richard Johnston © 2025

<...

"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 artwork of Plautilla Nelli - The...

"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, there is grief and emotional baggage but life and ble...

"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

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"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 not forget the true for...

"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 “authentic life” ignited a curiosity that led Bailey to go on a journey of sorts...

"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.  

Today I sha...

"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 create something special for them to enjoy in thei...

"You actually have permission to orient your life according to your nature rather than according to your culture and what you were taught was expected of you" - Elizabeth Gilbert, Living an Imperfectly Perfect Life - In Conversation with Sarah Grynberg 

Welcome to Episode #105:

After three days in Sydney pondering a workshop with Elizabeth Gilbert I come away with this share. It was a gift to myself to just get away for a few days, number one there was that. Number two, I could have just gone there to see the tsunami of women of a...

"There's an immense amount of love in Italian food, and I believe this is the key ingredient that makes it stand out from the rest: a love of good food, love for those  at your table, and a love for your territory and its produce. In Italy, food is never just food. Nowadays in particular, it's so important to know what we eat and where it comes from. I found this communal passion in Italy" - Alison Ranwell, Appetito: The life, Soul and Tastes of Italian Home Cooking 

Welcome to Episode #104,

Today I have Cookbook Au...

"My motive was simple and hedonistic: I was looking for beauty" - Alain de Botton, The Art of Travel

Welcome to Episode #103

I have mused over limoncello, Liguria, Milano and Roma, the streets of Genova and once wrote a love letter to Padova. I have revered Giotto and Botticelli and cried over Santa Chiara in Assisi. I have interviewed many beautiful women about their lives in Italy, their stories, their cookbooks and their passions for a bountiful table and the beauty of the artist’s life. I have researched Sardegna and even had a good la...