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Art of Loving Italy

Art of Loving Italy

Art & Beauty are all around us.

Books by Melissa

3 Novels set in Italy: Celebrating Art and Creativity

“Dreaming Sophia,” “Waking Isabella,“ and “Eternally Artemisia“ are three novels set in Italy that celebrate Art and Creativity. They tell the stories of three distinct women and their journeys of self-discovery to find love, uncover hidden truths, and follow their destinies to shape a better future.

Available on AMazon in Print and Epub
Visit Melissa’s Author WEbsite

Dreaming Sophia

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Dreaming Sophia is a magical look into Italy, language, art, and culture. It is a story about turning dreams into reality and learning to walk the fine line between fact and fantasy. When tragedy strikes, Sophia finds herself alone in the world, without direction and fearful of loving again. With only her vivid imagination to guide her, she begins a journey that will take her from the vineyards in Sonoma, California to a grad school in Philadelphia and, eventually, to Italy: Florence, Lucca, Rome, Verona, Venice, and Val d’Orcia. Through dreamlike encounters, Sophia meets Italian personalities—princes, poets, duchesses, artists, and film stars— who give her advice to help put her life back together. Following a path that takes her from grief to joy, she discovers the source of her creativity and learns to love again, turning her dreams into reality.

Waking Isabella

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Waking Isabella is a story about uncovering hidden beauty that, over time, has been lost, erased, or suppressed. It also weaves together several love stories as well as a few mysteries. Nora, an assistant researcher, is a catalyst for resolving the puzzle of a painting that has been missing for decades. Set in Arezzo, a small Tuscan town, the plot unfolds against the backdrop of the city’s antique trade and the fanfare and pageantry of its medieval jousting festival. While filming a documentary about Isabella de’ Medici—the Renaissance princess who was murdered by her husband—Nora begins to connect with the lives of two remarkable women from the past. Unraveling the stories of Isabella, the daughter of a fifteenth-century Tuscan duke, and Margherita, a young girl trying to survive the war in Nazi-occupied Italy, Nora begins to question the choices that have shaped her own life up to this point. As she does, hidden beauty is awakened deep inside of her, and she discovers the keys to her creativity and happiness. It is a story of love and deceit, forgeries and masterpieces—all held together by the allure and intrigue of a beautiful Tuscan ghost.

Waking Isabella has been translated into Italian: “Il risveglio di Isabella.”

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Eternally Artemisia

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They say some loves travel through time and are fated to meet over and over again. For Maddie, an art therapist, who wrestles with the “peculiar feeling” she has lived previous lives and is being called to Italy by voices that have left imprints on her soul, this idea is intriguing. Despite her best efforts, however, proof of this has always eluded her. That is, until one illuminating summer in Italy when Maddie’s previous existences start to bleed through into her current reality. When she is introduced to the Crociani family—a noble clan with ties to the seventeenth-century Medici court that boasts of ancestors with colorful pasts—she finally meets the loves of her life. One is a romantic love, and another is a special kind of passion that only women share, strong amongst those who have suffered greatly yet have triumphed despite it. As Maddie’s relationship develops with Artemisia Gentileschi—an artist who in a time when it was unheard of to denounce a man for the crime of rape, did just that—Maddie discovers a kindred spirit and a role model, and just what women are capable of when united together. In a journey that arcs back to biblical days and moves forward in time, Maddie encounters artists, dukes, designers, and movie stars as well as baser and ignoble men. With Artemisia never far from her side, she proves that when we dare to take control of our lives and find the “thing” we are most passionate about, we are limitless and can touch the stars.

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Pizza night! Facciamo una pizza… o due… o tre! Pizza night! Facciamo una pizza… o due… o tre! Che bella festa!
Matta Parole della settimana Sfogarsi = let of st Matta Parole della settimana

Sfogarsi = let of steam

Tesoro, sfogarsi è una parte importante del matrimonio.
Honey, venting is a very important part of marriage.

Sarete in grado di sfogarsi, e non nascondere la rabbia.
You will be able to let off steam and not hide anger.

Credo che avesse solo bisogno di... sfogarsi un po'.
I suppose he just needed to spout off for a while.

LEARN ITALIAN. Learn Better. Learn more. 

• At HOME Conversation Practice, Lessons, Group/Private Bookclubs

• In ITALY small Group Lang Programs

• In ITALY HOMESTAY Programs

#ItalianVocabulary #StudentessaMatta #ImproveItalian #LearnItalian #PracticeItalian
Today I'm featured on Women Writer's Women's Books Today I'm featured on Women Writer's Women's Books online journal in a guest post I wrote: Thoughts on Writing and the Creative Process: How I am inspired by Italy and its Inspiring Women.

In this post — I explain my passion for Italy and why I write about Italy and famous Italian women like Sofonisba Anguissola, Artemisia Gentileschi, Isabella de’ Medici, and Sophia Loren. I also explain what I’ve been up to lately — teaching Italian, my Italian immersion programs, why I started an Italian book club, and the opportunity to interview Silvia Zucca (her book has been adapted into the hit Italian Netflix show). I talk little bit about why I write and my creative writing philosophy. I also talk about where the ideas for my past books came from and that I’m in search of my next Italian heroine for my next book.

You can find links to my author page and my author facebook page and links to the post in my Bio

#MelissaMuldoon #MelissaMuldoonAuthor #IndieAuthor #WomenWriters #WomenBooks #AuthorsInstagram #CreativeProcess #bookstagram #bookitaly #novelitaly #novelsetitaly #italyfiction #womenwritingfiction
New Blog Post on the Studentessa Matta Site: Revie New Blog Post on the Studentessa Matta Site: Review of 4 Metà (Four to Dinner): Netflix Italian Film, 2022

In a new romantic Netflix comedy, “4 Metà,” (Four to Dinner) director Alessio Maria Federici tackles the complex and burning question “do soul mates exist?” Follow four singles as they are paired up in two parallel existences, see their lives play out and decide for yourself if there really is just one person out there for each of us. Watch in original Italian, or in English

Practice vocab in the post on the Matta Quizlet site. Link in the post

Find the link toread the post on the StudentessaMatta.com site in Bio

#PracticeItalian #LearnItalian #StudentessaMatta #ItalianLanguage #ItalianFilm #AlessioMariaFederici #fourtodinner #4metà
Matta Parole della settimana Camerini = dressing Matta Parole della settimana

Camerini = dressing rooms

Dove sono i camerini per provare gli abiti da ballo. / Where are the dressing rooms to try on the ball gowns.

Il primo attore è nel suo camerino. / The lead actor is in his dressing room.

Ho sempre voluto sapere come sono i camerini di Broadway. / I’ve always wanted to know what it's like in a Broadway dressing room.

LEARN ITALIAN. Learn Better. Learn more. 

Tips, advice, and practice on the StudentessaMatta.com website. Links in Bio. 

• At HOME Conversation Practice, Lessons, Group/Private Bookclubs

• In ITALY small Group Lang Programs

• In ITALY HOMESTAY Programs

#ItalianVocabulary #StudentessaMatta #ImproveItalian #LearnItalian #PracticeItalian
Cin cin! Cin cin!
Andiamo ad Ascoli questo settembre. Learn Italian Andiamo ad Ascoli questo settembre.

Learn Italian small group programs in Italy. Arezzo in June, Lucca in sept, Ascoli in Sept. StudentessaMatta.com 

Links in bio

#studentessamatta #learnitalian

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