“The rain was coming down in what seemed solid sheets. But it was Italy. Nothing it did could be bad”       
                       - Elizabeth Von Armin ‘Enchanted April’

Welcome to Episode #26

Join me for a little Italian Joy and the delights of an afternoon wandering the Tuscan town of Lucca.  The beauty of travel to me is leaving one molto bella historic city for another.  An hour and a half on the train and then presto, we arrive at a medieval castle just outside the looming city wall that circumnavigates the centro storico.  A little wet because it was raining but we are seduced by the beauty of early in Spring in Italy.  Raining or not we enjoyed a wonderful dinner in Piazza San Michele (my namesake) always a good sign and revered the unfolding of another delightful travel adventure.

Music Composed by Richard Johnston, Copyright 2021.

Please find all Show Notes and details mentioned at:

www.michellejohnston.life

Instagram:  @awriterinitaly and @theyellowhouse__

About A Writer in Italy Podcast:

Five years ago Michelle Johnston traveled to Italy to create space for herself and her writing.  Michelle traveled solo giving herself time to recalibrate after many years of parenting and life in general.  Leaving her husband to take care of the family she reconnected with her writing, her art and her love of travel.

The adventure turned into the book and travel memoir...............

Support the show

"Thy light alone - Gives grace and truth to life's unquiet dream'    -  Percy Bysshe Shelley

Welcome to Episode #25.......

Sometimes you just need to start in the middle, and somehow you find the beginning and the end.  That is how this episode came about.  There is always the attention to the inner calling to do the work, to make way, to make hay while the sun shines.  This episode is a soliloquy to the creative life, to getting back to writing and to some musing about life and art. 
'Eat, Pray, Love’ and the book ‘Big Magic’ by Elizabeth Gilbert played a role in reminding me why it all matters.   And that sometimes you have to go out on a limb if you want to get the fruit.  Enjoy.  

© 2021 A Writer In Italy - travel, writing, art and life

Music Composed by Richard Johnston, © 2021

See Show Notes for Books mentioned and a little share on podcasts I have enjoyed over the summer  if you are interested in the creative journey....

Please find all Show Notes and details mentioned at:

www.michellejohnston.life

Instagram:  @awriterinitaly and @theyellowhouse__

About A Writer in Italy Podcast:

Five years ago Michelle Johnston traveled to Italy to create space for herself and her writing.  Michelle traveled solo giving herself time to recalibrate after many years of parenting and life in general.  Leaving her husband to take care of the family she reconnected with her writing, her art and her love of travel.

The adventure turned into the book and travel memoir...............

In the Shadow of a Cypress: An Italian Adventure

Support the show

“To make time to eat as Italians still do is to share in their inexhaustible gift for making art out of life” 
                                        -  Marcella Hazan
                     ‘The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking 

Welcome to Episode #24
Join me for the final episode for 2020 as I make a Spritz Prosecco Cocktail and share my last podcast for the year with Christine from Italian Dish Podcast.
At the beginning of December Christine and I had a Skype chat about her Italian Dish Podcast and how she made her way to Italy over the recent years.  We chat about the mood of Christmas as we near the end of 2020, cooking in la Cucina Italiana and her inspirations behind her Italian food creations and how she went to Italy to study abroad and eventually found herself married to an Italian and living in Tuscany.

Christine can be found on I-Tunes or your favourite Podcast Channel @ Italian Dish and on Instagram at @italiandishpodcast.

Enjoy and try one of her gorgeous Italian Recipes......or join her Patreon Community for extra cooking ideas and recipes.

Music Composed by Richard Johnston, Copyright 2020.


Please find all Show Notes and details mentioned at:

www.michellejohnston.life

Instagram:  @awriterinitaly and @theyellowhouse__

About A Writer in Italy Podcast:

Five years ago Michelle Johnston traveled to Italy to create space for herself and her writing.  Michelle traveled solo giving herself time to recalibrate after many years of parenting and life in general.  Leaving her husband to take care of the family she reconnected with her writing, her art and her love of travel.

The adventure turned into the book and travel memoir...............

In the Shadow of a Cypress: An Italian Adventure

Support the show

“Italy, like the olive tree, is ever-green” 
                                    - Lina Waterfield, ‘Castle in Italy’

Welcome to Episode #23.......

I begin with a light serenade to December 2020 sitting out in the morning sun and then share the fifth installment of The Family Trip in Italy....

Part 2 Florence, Tuscany....Firenze and the travel adventure continues. 


Enjoy, See You Next time with Christine from The Italian Dish Podcast #24


And then onto Lucca, Pisa and Genoa Italy.........and then the French Riveria

Music Composed by Richard Johnston, Copyright 2021.


Please find all Show Notes and details mentioned at:

www.michellejohnston.life

Instagram:  @awriterinitaly and @theyellowhouse__

About A Writer in Italy Podcast:

Five years ago Michelle Johnston traveled to Italy to create space for herself and her writing.  Michelle traveled solo giving herself time to recalibrate after many years of parenting and life in general.  Leaving her husband to take care of the family she reconnected with her writing, her art and her love of travel.

The adventure turned into the book and travel memoir...............

In the Shadow of a Cypress: An Italian Adventure

Support the show

“These trains have eaten into my mind and my writing”    -   Tim Parks ‘Italian Ways:  On and Off the Rails from Milan to Palermo’

Welcome to Episode #22.......

This an excerpt from the journey, the little adventure from Padua in Italy to Paris, France....

Next stop - Florence, Tuscany....Firenze is one of those places that you can just wander and there is something wonderful around every corner.  The architectural detail and the Renaissance treasures are all there to be seen and savoured.  It is the open air museum like qualities that make it such a great walking city.  I share this with a little detail on the rich history of Renaissance art how this city is considered the birth place of the Renaissance and the reasons why.

Enjoy, See You Next time with Florence, Pisa and Lucca, Italy.........

© 2021 A Writer In Italy - travel, writing, art and life

Music Composed by Richard Johnston, © 2021

Please find all Show Notes and details mentioned at:

www.michellejohnston.life

Instagram:  @awriterinitaly and @theyellowhouse__

About A Writer in Italy Podcast:

Five years ago Michelle Johnston traveled to Italy to create space for herself and her writing.  Michelle traveled solo giving herself time to recalibrate after many years of parenting and life in general.  Leaving her husband to take care of the family she reconnected with her writing, her art and her love of travel.

The adventure turned into the book and travel memoir...............

In the Shadow of a Cypress: An Italian Adventure

Support the show

“I just think food is so important to us, it is the most important thing we do, so why not enjoy it”...Rick Stein

Welcome to Episode 21:

This is just me, the real me, the girl that decides to make it happen regardless of the original plan.

A garden walk and a podcast recorded in the chicken pen.   A little cook up of the stinging nettle I foraged in the garden was the outcome of this spontaneous episode on the philosophy and heritage of La Cucina Povera.  

It goes without saying that 2020 has been an interesting social experiment and I have been contemplating  many things that relate to less waste and more good living on my own terms.

After listening to the book on Patience Gray about her evocative life by Adam Federman this week, she died early 2005 and published many books and essays on food and life in particular the classic 'Honey From a Weed'  on her journey of living in the wilds of the Mediterranean lands and sea.  I have been musing over many things related this past few months that I ponder in this episode.

This is an offering of sorts, a whimsical share and a possible rant on what it means to be a modern woman and what it means to juggle the anxieties of the modern trappings this world offers.   Certainly I am a privileged woman who can make her own decisions about the give and the take on an ordinary Wednesday.  

If you want the real truth it is most of all the ordinary kind of magic that interests me the most.  The kind of alchemy that happens in the kitchen and in the garden, and when you spontaneously decide to make a plate of pasta for lunch from something on hand and within reach.   An improvisation of sorts.  This is my favourite kind of day, a privilege yes, and a humble thrill to even ramble and share this musing on a detail of Italian culture and how I feel inspired by it daily.

mj xo

Enjoy, See You Next time with Florence and Lucca, Italy.........


© 2021 A Writer In Italy - travel, writing, art and life

Music Composed by Richard Johnston, © 2021

Please find all Show Notes and details mentioned at:

www.michellejohnston.life

Instagram:  @awriterinitaly and @theyellowhouse__

About A Writer in Italy Podcast:

Five years ago Michelle Johnston traveled to Italy to create space for herself and her writing.  Michelle traveled solo giving herself time to recalibrate after many years of parenting and life in general.  Leaving her husband to take care of the family she reconnected with her writing, her art and her love of travel.

The adventure turned into the book and travel memoir...............

In the Shadow of a Cypress: An Italian Adventure

Support the show

"Travel is like any other addiction: the more of it you've had, the more of it you need" - Tony Wheeler

Welcome to Episode 20: Verona, Veneto

The day began with a large yellow Mimosa heart wreath in the middle of the Corso Porto Nuova.  And that pretty much sets the stage for a day of exploring the Veneto town of Verona.  The star crossed lovers, the myth and the magic of Romeo and Juliet and the legacy of the della Scala family,  the Scalageri in the Piazza del Signori and beyond.   The Romanesque architecture, the castle walls, the grand palazzi on the River Adige, the Roman ruins, the pristine vicolo to wander along with a gelato in hand admiring the homes of terra-cotta, lemon and sienna, and the ivy falling from wrought iron balconies all made for a delightful day exploring this fabulous city. 

Enjoy, See You Next time with Florence and Lucca, Italy.........

© 2021 A Writer In Italy - travel, writing, art and life

Music Composed by Richard Johnston, © 2021

Please find all Show Notes and details mentioned at:

www.michellejohnston.life

Instagram:  @awriterinitaly and @theyellowhouse__

About A Writer in Italy Podcast:

Five years ago Michelle Johnston traveled to Italy to create space for herself and her writing.  Michelle traveled solo giving herself time to recalibrate after many years of parenting and life in general.  Leaving her husband to take care of the family she reconnected with her writing, her art and her love of travel.

The adventure turned into the book and travel memoir...............

In the Shadow of a Cypress: An Italian Adventure

Support the show

"Open my heart, and you will see / Graved inside of it, Italy" - Robert Browning

Welcome to Episode #19:  Venezia, Venetia - Italy

Venice is the icing on the cake and should be sampled at least once in a lifetime or more if you are lucky.  Traveling to see this city built on over one hundred islands, linked by bridges and canals halfway between the rising and the setting sun never fails to excite and entice the curious traveler.

A family day walking this city to sample the delights of the Gothic and the Byzantine, the romance, the time worn elegance, the grand palazzi, the maze of alleyways, the bridges and the magic of the canals was a sweet thing.

Contemplation and wonder over travel narratives and thoughts on the art of travel.......... In truth an ever expanding world that one shall be musing over for some time.

Enjoy.....

© 2021 A Writer In Italy - travel, writing, art and life

Music Composed by Richard Johnston, © 2021

Please find all Show Notes and Books mentioned at:

www.michellejohnston.life


Please subscribe, rate and/or review if you enjoyed this podcast.

Instagram:  @awriterinitaly and @theyellowhouse__

About A Writer in Italy Podcast:

Five years ago Michelle Johnston traveled to Italy to create space for herself and her writing.  Michelle traveled solo giving herself time to recalibrate after many years of parenting and life in general.  Leaving her husband to take care of the family she reconnected with her writing, her art and her love of travel.

The adventure turned into the book and travel memoir...............

In the Shadow of a Cypress: An Italian Adventure

Support the show

"We are all pilgrims who seek Italy" - Goethe, Italian Journey

Welcome to Episode 18:  Padova, Veneto

What a sweet thing to create this episode and share our family journey in Italy and France.  So grateful for a little Carpe Diem moment late 2018.  Tickets to Italy arriving in Milano Milpensa and the fast train to Padova in March 2019 was the beginning of a wonderful adventure.  Italy always inspires....the endless art, the architecture, the history, the grand cafes and the ambience of piazza life are all waiting there to be explored and savoured.

Padova is one of the seven provinces of the Veneto region of Italy, just a hop, skip and a jump away from the capital of the Veneto, Venice.  We begin our stay there and enjoy the ambience of this beautiful medieval city, taking in the wonders of the Scrovegni Chapel and the canals and layered history around every corner.

© 2021 A Writer In Italy - travel, writing, art and life

Music Composed by Richard Johnston, © 2021

Please find all Show Notes and details mentioned at:

www.michellejohnston.life

Instagram:  @awriterinitaly and @theyellowhouse__

About A Writer in Italy Podcast:

Five years ago Michelle Johnston traveled to Italy to create space for herself and her writing.  Michelle traveled solo giving herself time to recalibrate after many years of parenting and life in general.  Leaving her husband to take care of the family she reconnected with her writing, her art and her love of travel.

The adventure turned into the book and travel memoir...............

In the Shadow of a Cypress: An Italian Adventure

Support the show

Welcome to Episode #17:  Bringing Italy Home.. 

This is a second dose of possibilities of an Italian kind.  Over the past few weeks I have been wandering into old books and new ones, and have felt delighted at sitting down to watch the documentaries Made in Italy, Franca: Chaos and Creation and my favourite Italian film I practically had to go on a pilgrimage to get my hands on.  It turns out that E-bay came up with the goods in the end....I was so happy because for ages I have wanted to watch Bread and Tulips, the Italian film that one many Italian Academy Awards back in early 2000.  I just love the characters and certainly the back drop of Venice is wonderful...

Since we are in the middle of a large adjustment around travel it is great that we can tap into film and books like Always Italy to feed the muse in the meantime.  As I said in the last in the last episode, they teach and open one to the beauty of a place.  Let that transport you for now.

Enjoy.....


© 2021 A Writer In Italy - travel, writing, art and life

Music Composed by Richard Johnston, © 2021

Please find all Show Notes and details mentioned at:

www.michellejohnston.life

Instagram:  @awriterinitaly and @theyellowhouse__

About A Writer in Italy Podcast:

Five years ago Michelle Johnston traveled to Italy to create space for herself and her writing.  Michelle traveled solo giving herself time to recalibrate after many years of parenting and life in general.  Leaving her husband to take care of the family she reconnected with her writing, her art and her love of travel.

The adventure turned into the book and travel memoir...............

In the Shadow of a Cypress: An Italian Adventure

Support the show