I have always loved to write and to travel, but I became an English teacher because I also like a steady income. When I left teaching full time and started writing, I naturally gravitated to travel stories. And as a traveler, photography came naturally as my best souvenir. So those two aspects of my career grew together. As for guiding: well, that came about at the same time. When I left teaching, I had a flexible schedule at last, and I started working as a tour manager for Gateway Festivals and Tours in Monticello, Minnesota. For Gateway, I have taken groups to march in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, to perform in Washington D.C., to Ireland's rolling green hills, and of course, to Italy.
I've been to Italy many times because my father-in-law lives in Rome. It started to feel like a second home, and my friends kept asking when I was going to take them to Italy. Finally I just started organizing trips. So now I take several groups a year to Italy where we focus on Michelangelo's work, but we see all the glories of Florence and Rome. For more information about my tours, visit my website.
What made you take on this book?
It is the natural fusion of my great loves: travel, art, writing, and Italy. Roaring Forties Press put out a call for proposals, and I just knew that Michelangelo's Rome was the perfect combination. Fortunately, my publishers agreed!
Did you know a lot about Michelangelo and his work prior to researching and writing this book?
Actually, I did. When I was teaching, I developed a class called "The Bible as Literature," And in order to create a framework for my students, we focused on the Biblical stories portrayed in the Sistine Chapel. So, I knew a lot about the Sistine Chapel and the forces behind creating it. But I was delighted to learn more. I was most interested in Michelangelo's later years, actually. He lived 89 years and was respected and admired as an older man. I found his letters and poems so enlightening and personal, and came to feel as if I know him some little way.
How long did it take you to research and complete the book?
From the time I signed the contract to the time I held it in my hands was two years. But in publishing there is a lot of hurry-up-and-wait time which can be frustrating!
What was the most fascinating thing you learned while researching and writing this book?
Michelangelo sculpted until his very last days of life. He was incredibly prolific, but his work was very personal. His final sculptures were intimate portraits -- not the grand dares of his early years. And he wrote poems while he sculpted. The two art forms were inseparable for him.
What was the most challenging thing about researching and writing this book?
Not being fluent in Italian. I have never had the opportunity to formally study Italian, and while my husband speaks it fairly well, neither of us are fluent. I know enough for the important things: to eat and to shop. Someday I would like to move to Italy so that I can truly master the language - and read Michelangelo's letters in the original Italian.
If a traveler has never been to Italy before, what advice do you have for them?
Don't try to do it all. You just can't. I take groups of travelers to Italy, and I often see other vacationers wandering around looking rather lost and overwhelmed -- especially in Rome. A huge guidebook like Frommers or Lonely Planet does not help you make decisions about where to go or what to do, nor does it create the scaffolding necessary to understand the links between the Forum and the Vatican (and there are so many!). That's what A Journey into Michelangelo's Rome does: it provides a framework so that this dramatic and rich country with 3000+ years of history is not overwhelming. I love helping travelers make those connections.
Having been to the Midwest, do you find any similarities between Midwesterners and Italians?
I lived in Minnesota for 10 years before moving to California, and I miss the Minnesota (and Midwestern) Nice. Italians are just as nice, but in an even warmer and more hospitable way. In Italy I have been invited into people's homes and welcomed as if I was family by people I've never met before. But where Midwesterners tend to avoid confrontation, it isn't unusual to see Italians engaged in heated arguments. That stereotypical temper is true, but it is followed by passionate making up and a genuine love that runs deep. And a generous spirit - well, that's another thing Italians and Midwesterners share.
What is your next project? Will you write another book for Roaring Forties Press in the future?
I am not ready to talk about it publicly yet, but it will be about Italy, art, and travel.
Where else have you been in Italy?
My travels have taken me to the major cities in Northern and central Italy including Rome, Florence, Venice, and Milan. I am hoping to spend some time south of Rome, exploring the beauties of Southern Italy soon. Italy is divided into 20 regions - each with its own foods, flavors, history, and traditions. It will take a lifetime to enjoy them all!
Where is your next trip?
Well, I am writing you right now from The Sea Ranch on the coast of California in Sonoma County. I am here enjoying the intersection of California's redwood forest with the Pacific Ocean.
But I am taking a group to Italy in October, and there is still room on the trip. Check out the Traveler section of my website for more information about my tours.
Where can Midwest travelers buy your book?
It is available at all major booksellers including Borders, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.com. But check out your local independent bookstore! Cherry Street Books in Alexandria, Minnesota hosted me for a great evening. And I recently did a signing at St. Olaf College's bookstore, too. And if your favorite bookstore doesn't carry A Journey into Michelangelo's Rome, ask them to them to order it for you. They will be happy to do it!
Is there anything else you would like Midwest travelers to know?
You are very fortunate. Currently the Vatican Splendors exhibit is at the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland, Ohio. In September, the exhibit travels to Minnesota History Center in St. Paul. Go see it! What a wonderful taste of Italy in the heart of the Midwest!
