Podcast
A Writer In Italy - travel, books, art and life
Hosted by Michelle Johnston · EN
A Writer in Italy is about travel, art and life. A place to share the travel journeys and the many 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 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.
23episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Why Artists and Writers seek Europe, especially France & Italy!
1w ago00:31:34Tap to summarize“France had long been at the center of her philosophy. She had made France a touchstone in her writing, in which she alchemised life, love, and food in a literary genre of her own invention” - Luke Barr on MFK Fisher, Provence 1970Welcome to Episode #144:Today I share why going to Europe for art, writing, philosophy and liberation has been a necessary evolution for many artists and writers. I contemplate my own journey and the many that have gone before seeking stimulation and artistic freedom amongst the avant-garde and the lively cafes of Paris and other wonderful European cities. Artists and writers have gravitated to these places and cultural epicentres for artistic communities, intellectual stimulation, mentors and teachers, and to attract opportunities for their art and writing careers. Enjoy this share,Michelle xShownotes A Writer in Italy InstagramSubstack - At My TableMichelle’s BooksMusical Scores by Richard JohnstonA Writer in Italy is about travel, art and life. A place to share the beautiful travel journeys and the discoveries along the way. Support the show
Transcribe →
Could our cookbooks save us right now?
2w ago00:15:38Tap to summarize"There is magic in cooking, and in cooking Italian food there is alchemy" - Old World Italian by Mimi ThorissonSince our lives contain multitudes, yes an American poet once said that, I feel to step away from the noise is to disarm the outside influences that are at times necessary and sometimes it is just kind of ridiculous. So the remedy is to open a cookbook and read a recipe and make something beautiful. I am an instinctual cook, I like throwing things together and using what is within reach, but sometimes I do find it quite meditative to pull a book and take some quiet time to wander through the pages, let the pages talk to me. I find this kind of thing quite wonderful and simple. I like reading about the author's philosophy and personal experience, what brought them to share their world of cooking and eating and sharing. I find this rather meditative and inspirational, a balm for my spirit. In these changing times I believe it could be the perfect antidote to the things piling up on top of us. Cook something, eat something, and maybe share it with a friend.Note: The image is from my table, while editing I was baking my favourite Ricciarelli - the Tuscan almond biscuits from the cookbook by Gennaro Contaldo - Gennaro's Italian Bakery...Enjoy, Michelle xShownotes A Writer in Italy InstagramSubstack - At My TableMichelle’s BooksMusical Scores by Richard JohnstonA Writer in Italy is about travel and life. A place to share the beautiful travel journeys and the discoveries along the way. Support the show
Transcribe →
"Il mio maestro" and the Quintessence of Reading
2w ago00:33:29Tap to summarize"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 WoolfToday 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 ParksA Place in the World by Frances MayesEnchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop by Alba DonatiIntermezzo by Michelle Johnston (August Release)Image - 6th Arrondissement Paris & Me (or it could have been heaven)Enjoy, Michelle xShownotes A Writer in Italy InstagramSubstack - At My TableMichelle’s BooksMusical Scores by Richard JohnstonA Writer in Italy is about travel and life. A place to share the beautiful travel journeys and the discoveries along the way. Support the show
Transcribe →
Out on a Limb, the writer’s life….
3w ago00:35:37Tap to summarize"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 I come out the other side with a fresh perspective. I also had a nice epiphany straight after so really, thanks for being here!And please feel free to share with me if this episode resonated with you. I am here for the connection Michelle xEnjoy,ShownotesA Writer in Italy InstagramSubstack - At My TableMichelle’s BooksMusical Scores by Richard JohnstonA 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.Support the show
Transcribe →
Rothko in Florence - The Liberation of Colour
Apr 2600:21:50Tap to summarize“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 WorldWelcome 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 cradle of the Italian Renaissance - Today I share the story about this encounter and the shift in perspective that occurred for his painting, and the places in Italy that opened a new dialogue, a liberation of colour.Mark Rothko is currently on exhibit at the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. There are three site specific places to see this exhibition including the Laurentian Library (Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana) and the Museum of San Marco (Museo di San Marco) in Florence.Mark Rothko is most known for his colour field paintings, the great abstract artworks that have become iconic in modern art. Today I share about his life, the influence of Italy, and the experience of seeing a Rothko artwork in person (think rapture meets a direct experience of a unified colour field) and why you should go if you can."Rothko’s art is an invitation. It is a doorway and really demands that you pay attention" - Michelle JohnstonVisit: Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi "Rothko’s first encounter with Florence dates to 1950, during a trip to Italy with his wife Mell. He was deeply moved by Fra Angelico’s frescoes at the Convent of San Marco and by Michelangelo’s architectural vision in the Vestibule of the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, which would inspire the Seagram Murals painted in the late 1950s—a dialogue that Rothko further developed during his second visit to Florence in 1966. In some of his more delicate works, one can also perceive the influence of fifteenth-century Italian art and, in particular, of Angelico’s fresco technique. Rothko and Angelico shared a desire to evoke a sense of transcendence, a dimension at once distant and profoundly familiar. While Angelico achieved this through the emotional resonance of divine figures in dialogue with earthly reality, Rothko created color fields capable of accompanying viewers into different emotional depths, challenging accepted notions of abstraction and color theory" - Palazzo Strozzi, FlorenceEnjoy, Michelle xShownotes A Writer in Italy InstagramSubstack - At My TableMichelle’s BooksMusical Scores by Richard JohnstonA Writer in Italy is about travel and life. A place to share the beautiful travel journeys and the discoveries along the way. Support the show
Transcribe →
On Seeking Art & Beauty and Why it Really Matters!
Apr 100:22:48Tap to summarize"Fortunately for us art and travel lovers, science has caught up with what we have felt inside, what we have experienced" - Michelle JohnstonIn 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 importance of art, creativity and travel and how there are many positive flow on effects in our lives. Enjoy, Michelle xShownotes A Writer in Italy InstagramSubstack - At My TableMichelle’s BooksMusical Scores by Richard JohnstonA Writer in Italy is about travel and life. A place to share the beautiful travel journeys and the discoveries along the way. Support the show
Transcribe →
Cucina Classica - My favourite foodie moments in Italy
Mar 2700:28:09Tap to summarize"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 LandscapesWelcome 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 specialities of the place you are visiting while traveling.I love the excitement of ordering the cucina classica or something off the daily menu when I travel. Here are a few of many glorious moments that I have savoured along the way...Enjoy,Shownotes - All Places / Restaurants mentioned for today's podcast are here!A Writer in Italy InstagramSubstack - At My TableMichelle’s BooksMusical Scores by Richard JohnstonA 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.Support the show
Transcribe →
Why if you are stuck in life or feel unappreciated, you should just go to Italy!
Mar 2700:10:33Tap to summarize"Happiness is a byproduct ultimately of being in right relationship with your own soul” - James HollisWelcome 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 makes life colourful. Travel is a marvellous gift to the self especially when you feel stuck or frustrated or burnt out from being on the wheel of life. Today is for the ones who need a permission slip or a reminder for the journey ahead. I like this quote by Frances Mayes, “Why not, in middle age, remember Dante’s dilemma: What now to do in order to grow?” - A Place in the World.Enjoy, Michelle xShownotes A Writer in Italy InstagramSubstack - At My TableMichelle’s BooksMusical Scores by Richard JohnstonA 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.Support the show
Transcribe →
Bookshelf - Mamma Milano: Lessons from the Motherland by J.J.Martin
Mar 2000:19:46Tap to summarize"Italy, you win!" - J.J Martin, Mamma MilanoWelcome 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 Sant’ Andrea in the Quadrilateral della Moda - the fashion zone of Milan. Enjoy, Michelle xImage from the Book "Mamma Milano: Lessons from the Motherland"Shownotes A Writer in Italy InstagramSubstack - At My TableMichelle’s BooksMusical Scores by Richard JohnstonA 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.Support the show
Transcribe →
Milan, North Star - The Last Supper, Museums, Villas, Culture & More
Mar 1500:29:29Tap to summarize"Italians strongly believe that being surrounded by beauty is beneficial to a happier life" - Riccardo IllyWelcome 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.Enjoy, Michelle xShownotes A Writer in Italy InstagramSubstack - At My TableMichelle’s BooksMusical Scores by Richard JohnstonA Writer in Italy is about travel, art 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 lifeMusic Composed by Richard Johnston © 2026Support the show
Transcribe →