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

"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 [https://www.michellejohnston.life/episodes/episode-115-a-roman-cafe-amp] My book:  In the Shadow of a Cypress - An Italian Adventure [https://www.amazon.com.au/Shadow-Cypress-Italian-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0DFL3LHPV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1D2XT94OXVLIE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.oG55yiWK_bSiLC48nPrkDsNWwx6pMfCGkhNZwv5BpB1Y-IouH0G0R1GzY3_QidKvbqELkQ8UiDzssYtlkdErHXGEiBrl0aV8mn2Pg4435suwOu3cC99OoEeNdtxsxQ1krbNjT4GFdDOt_Pu4odSJS0ZDz3Yd0S9W-z81rYZVg2XLWnMdD31FmerJrMvLiBcdPR8n6BAqACseEzzFkOzNvDROupdQhaqRTwhGusqYVr7mNj7AFn-e69oSQDboPcWTuLlNzKWHQUClkckSl3_quOYvp1kfIH4z5lwXH_8shfE.9xQi8L_Esh2fHK7LKyaZ309XIyB9EFgAftInlcY2vUo&dib_tag=se&keywords=in+the+shadow+of+a+cypress&qid=1727400551&sprefix=in+the+shadow+of+a+cyp%2Caps%2C279&sr=8-1] Book Link for  MichelleJohnston.life [https://www.michellejohnston.life/book-store] © 2025  A Writer In Italy - travel, books, art and life Music Composed by Richard Johnston © 2025 Support the show [http://michellejohnston.life]

"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 [https://www.michellejohnston.life/episodes/episode-114-in-rome-lost-but-happy] My book:  In the Shadow of a Cypress - An Italian Adventure [https://www.amazon.com.au/Shadow-Cypress-Italian-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0DFL3LHPV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1D2XT94OXVLIE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.oG55yiWK_bSiLC48nPrkDsNWwx6pMfCGkhNZwv5BpB1Y-IouH0G0R1GzY3_QidKvbqELkQ8UiDzssYtlkdErHXGEiBrl0aV8mn2Pg4435suwOu3cC99OoEeNdtxsxQ1krbNjT4GFdDOt_Pu4odSJS0ZDz3Yd0S9W-z81rYZVg2XLWnMdD31FmerJrMvLiBcdPR8n6BAqACseEzzFkOzNvDROupdQhaqRTwhGusqYVr7mNj7AFn-e69oSQDboPcWTuLlNzKWHQUClkckSl3_quOYvp1kfIH4z5lwXH_8shfE.9xQi8L_Esh2fHK7LKyaZ309XIyB9EFgAftInlcY2vUo&dib_tag=se&keywords=in+the+shadow+of+a+cypress&qid=1727400551&sprefix=in+the+shadow+of+a+cyp%2Caps%2C279&sr=8-1] Book Link for  MichelleJohnston.life [https://www.michellejohnston.life/book-store] © 2025  A Writer In Italy - travel, books, art and life Music Composed by Richard Johnston © 2025 Support the show [http://michellejohnston.life]

"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 Last Supper c.1560 at the Santa Maria Novella. I mention the Strozzi Gallery and seeing Tracey Emin Sex and Solitude and The Time for Women exhibition that are currently showing in Florence, yet would also like to add while in Milan I went to I am Leonor Fini at the Palazzo Reale and loved her work and the beauty of her rich artist life in Italy and France. It came as quite a surprise to see such a femme de force of art after perusing the NovoCento in Milan, a wonderful museum of 20th and 21st Century modern art, yet certainly I noticed that 99 percent of the work was the art of men, a legacy that obviously reflects something more pertinent to art history and Italian culture. These observations left me pondering the times and the culture of art in Italy and perhaps my own experience as a woman forging ahead in difficult times in the 21st Century. Enjoy x Find all Shownotes at  michellejohnston.life [https://www.michellejohnston.life/episodes/episode-112-a-florentine-cafe-amp-musings-on-women-and-art-in-italy] © 2025  A Writer In Italy - travel, books, art and life Music Composed by Richard Johnston © 2025 Support the show [http://michellejohnston.life]

"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 [https://www.michellejohnston.life/episodes/lugo0wfw5jl2idq27t4tmmj6wsyxba] © 2025  A Writer In Italy - travel, books, art and life Music Composed by Richard Johnston © 2025 Support the show [http://michellejohnston.life]

"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 blessed time in Italy is a guaranteed source to move me forward into writing and reading.  The simple pleasures of time alone and enjoying cafe life in Paris and Italy do work their magic. The gifts of travel, to old and new places help integrate and challenge me to move forward, to honour myself and make peace with a challenging time in life. Find all Shownotes at  michellejohnston.life [https://www.michellejohnston.life/episodes/episode-111-in-italy] My book:  In the Shadow of a Cypress - An Italian Adventure [https://www.amazon.com.au/Shadow-Cypress-Italian-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0DFL3LHPV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1D2XT94OXVLIE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.oG55yiWK_bSiLC48nPrkDsNWwx6pMfCGkhNZwv5BpB1Y-IouH0G0R1GzY3_QidKvbqELkQ8UiDzssYtlkdErHXGEiBrl0aV8mn2Pg4435suwOu3cC99OoEeNdtxsxQ1krbNjT4GFdDOt_Pu4odSJS0ZDz3Yd0S9W-z81rYZVg2XLWnMdD31FmerJrMvLiBcdPR8n6BAqACseEzzFkOzNvDROupdQhaqRTwhGusqYVr7mNj7AFn-e69oSQDboPcWTuLlNzKWHQUClkckSl3_quOYvp1kfIH4z5lwXH_8shfE.9xQi8L_Esh2fHK7LKyaZ309XIyB9EFgAftInlcY2vUo&dib_tag=se&keywords=in+the+shadow+of+a+cypress&qid=1727400551&sprefix=in+the+shadow+of+a+cyp%2Caps%2C279&sr=8-1] Book Link for  MichelleJohnston.life [https://www.michellejohnston.life/book-store] © 2025  A Writer In Italy - travel, books, art and life Music Composed by Richard Johnston © 2025 Support the show [http://michellejohnston.life/] Support the show [http://michellejohnston.life]