"And so, I wandered along, heart open wide, marvelling, all the way to the Duomo like a typical foreigner seeking beauty" - In the Shadow of a Cypress by Michelle Johnston

Today I go on a grand adventure exploring the heart and soul of Florence. I share travel stories and thoughts on writers and artists and why Florence has always been a beacon for not only tourists seeking Italy but scholars, students, writers, artists, authors and explorers of Italy.

There are many tangents one can go, and so I ponder a few; the Medici Empire, the Grand Tour, Renaissance art, the birth of the Italophile, modern travel and how I ultimately feel about visiting Florence in the 21st century (after a lesson or two). This an introduction to the city, with musings on travel, art and culture, and the noble history of Florence - the beautiful and magnetic capital of Tuscany.

And yes, always Florence will steal our hearts, a place that every pilgrim seeking Italy will desire to know and visit. A place in Tuscany full of artistic treasures, historical landmarks with a rich cultural centre... perhaps I should stop now, or not.... endless beauty, marvellous art that one will want to return to again and again...

Enjoy this share,

Shownotes

A Writer in Italy Instagram

Substack - At My Table

Michelle’s Books

Musical Scores by Richard Johnston

A Writer in Italy is about travel and life. A place to share the beautiful travel journeys and the discoveries along the way.

Italy has many attractions - art, design, architecture, history and the wonderful food culture. Michelle shares her love of books on Italy and the places and regions that have inspired her along the way.

Michelle started 'A Writer in Italy Podcast’ to share personal stories and the love of books on Italy that would lead to beautiful conversations with people and like minded souls who share a deep love affair with Italian Culture and the country as a place of beauty and spiritual renewal.

Michelle Johnston lives in Australia with her family.

© 2026 A Writer In Italy - travel, books, art and life
Music Composed by Richard Johnston © 2026

A Writer in Italy Podcast respectfully acknowledges that this work is created on the country of the Ngambri peoples and culture, and pays respects to their Elders, past and present.

A White Chalk Production

Support the show

"Stretta la soglia e larga la via, dite la vostra ché ho detto la mia. . .” (Narrow the threshold and broad the way. Now you tell your tale, for I have told you mine)"

- Gina M. Miele, Italian Folklore, Chapter 1 - What is Italian Folk Tradition?

Welcome to Episode #151:

Today we gather to share a conversation about keeping the traditions of ancient Italy alive. Dr Gina M. Miele, Professor of Italian studies at Montclair State University in the US is here to talk about her beautiful book Italian Folklore: Rituals, Celebrations, and Ancient Traditions.

Gina is a treasure trove of information and lived experience. Her book Italian Folklore is the perfect companion, providing us a synthesis of the history, the knowledge, the traditions, the secrets and yet celebrating the sacred and the daily, while honouring the folkloric traditions, the oral wisdom, the past, the ancestry and the spirit of the old ways in Italy.

Gina is a wonderful story teller, she holds space for the old and the new and shares a way to walk the path between the mystical and the mundane in Italian culture; that many ways, many layers can co-exist, be honoured and celebrated.

As a lover of books, the beauty of this work and the illustration is also an invitation. The design is by Italian artist and designer Sylvia Virgillo is another special layer to this book, you will want to hold this work in your hands and open to a page to see for yourself.

Italian Folklore is on preorder and released on the 29th September and I thought I would publish this share on the Feast Day of Saint Gennaro of Naples, and there is a reason for that you will get to know at the end of our conversation, a little of that Italian magic is afoot.

Enjoy this conversation and thank you Gina for sharing your work with us.

About the Author:

Dr. Gina Miele is a Professor of Italian at Montclair State University, where she also served as the founding director of the Coccia Institute for the Italian Experience in America. She holds a PhD in Romance languages and Literatures from Harvard University.

For many years, she has traveled throughout Italy and Italian - American communities, documenting living folklore traditions and the stories that continue to be shared across generations.

The Book - Italian Folklore: Rituals, Celebrations and Ancient Traditions by Gina M. Miele PhD

*Visit Gina on Instagram @profgmm

Shownotes

A Writer in Italy Instagram

Substack - At My Table

Michelle’s Books

Musical Scores by Richard Johnston

A Writer in Italy is about travel and life. A place to share the beautiful travel journeys and the discoveries along the way.

Italy has many attractions - art, design, architecture, history and the wonderful food culture. Michelle shares her love of books on Italy and the places and regions that have inspired her along the way.

Michelle started 'A Writer in Italy Podcast’ to share personal stories and the love of books on Italy that would lead to beautiful conversations with people and like minded souls who share a deep love affair with Italian Culture and the country as a place of beauty and spiritual renewal.

Michelle Johnston lives in Australia with her family.

© 2026 A Writer In Italy - travel, books, art and life
Music Composed by Richard Johnston © 2026

A Writer in Italy Podcast respectfully acknowledges that this work is created on the country of the Ngambri peoples and culture, and pays respects to their Elders, past and present.

A White Chalk Production

Support the show

"In Italy I have fallen and dreamed and traveled on my own terms. My Italy is endless and a drop of pleasure each day"...

Welcome to Episode #150:

This week I am moved to share a story about my Italy and how it lives with me. I am slightly challenged by social media yet I guess fall somewhere in the middle, not one way or the other…. I was thinking about pop culture, ‘la dolce vita’ Italy and how my travel experiences have been quite different to that. So I wrote an article about this on substack At my Table and then realised later perhaps it is just my version of Italy, neither here nor there but a place forever at the heart of everything I do.

Enjoy this episode,

Michelle x

Image captured in the city of Parma, Emilia Romagna

Shownotes

A Writer in Italy Instagram

Substack - At My Table

Michelle’s Books

A Writer in Italy is about travel and life. A place to share the beautiful travel journeys and the discoveries along the way.

Italy has many attractions - art, design, architecture, history and the wonderful food culture. Michelle shares her love of books on Italy and the places and regions that have inspired her along the way.

Michelle started 'A Writer in Italy Podcast’ to share personal stories and the love of books on Italy that would lead to beautiful conversations with people and like minded souls who share a deep love affair with Italian Culture and the country as a place of beauty and spiritual renewal.

Michelle Johnston lives in Australia with her family.

A Writer in Italy Podcast respectfully acknowledges that this work is created on the country of the Ngambri peoples and culture, and pays respects to their Elders, past and present.

Musical Scores by Richard Johnston

© 2026 A Writer In Italy - travel, books, art and life
Music Composed by Richard Johnston © 2026

Support the show