Michelle Damiani was hungry for a different kind of life. Il Bel Centro tells the story of her move to a medieval village in the center of Italy with her husband, three children, and two cats. The family grapples with parenting hardships made more difficult on foreign soil, unlocks the secrets of Umbrian cuisine, and grows accustomed to the early morning sight of the baker in his underpants. All five of them weave into the fabric of the town as they lay petals and blossoms on cobblestone streets in the annual all-night flower-carpet festival. Il Bel Centro evokes the pleasures of small town Italy and opens the gate into a world where a good lunch will take one straight into dinner.