Welcome to Musings on Italy. Within these posts I discuss my passion for all things related to Italy—language, culture, food (oh, yes, we must have lots of food)—and so much more.
I have been fascinated with medieval and Renaissance history since childhood. Especially the women of those eras, how they navigated a restrictive patriarchal society to make names for themselves, names that history had forgotten for a very long time. Thankfully, more women (like me) are fascinated by the struggles these women went through. And their stories are now coming to life with the care and diligence they need.
No offense to the men out there who write these tales as well (with great success), but women (I believe) understand women’s thoughts and the complexity of their minds and why they do the things they do in the ways they do them much better than men can. And of course vice versa—I still wonder what the heck men are thinking/doing sometimes and often ask them in order to delve deeper into their psyche so I can write about men more accurately. Though I also know we women think too much. 😊
Why Musings on Italy?
I started this blog as a companion piece to my work-in-progress, because there were so many delicious tidbits I came across during my research that fascinated me. And I named it Musings on Italy because it my thoughts, my Italy muses so to speak, that continue to delight and astound me the more I uncover. It truly is a wonderful world to get lost in day after day.
Historical novels begin and end with research. I could not write mine without it. So a great nod to the National Central Library of Florence (Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze, BNCF, pictured above). Italy’s largest public library and one of the most important ones in Europe. A treasure trove of information to be mined for anyone writing Italian history.
I hope to include guest posts from others who write about anything based in Italy. So please contact me here, and I shall respond.
And, since above all things I am a reader, you’ll find reviews of other Renaissance historicals and books about Italy. As well as other novels and books that help me grow my craft.
Travel to Italy
Additionally, for places that I have visited or still want to visit, you shall see tips/guides for how to do so. Italy today is fascinating, and I love the culture for keeping their history alive, preserving such great works of art, architecture, and more dating back thousands of years.
Vivere la bella figure (live the beautiful figure) they say, something I discovered a while back and wrote about here: https://www.viragojourneys.com/blog/vivere-la-bella-figura. A concept I truly believe in, but sadly don’t always practice. Thus, I hope this blog will bring all that back to me and allow me to live in such a way again.
So, please, pull up a chair and join me as I recount my research adventures…as we delve inside this country’s rich history and culture.
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English