Summers in Muriaglio- Gary Smith

Each summer I spend in Muriaglio, Italy, the birthplace of my great-grandfather and grandfather. I have a home there just around the corner from the house my grandfather was born in. Muriaglio has a population of one hundred eighty-eight people and is an incredibly old village. The oldest house was documented to have been built around the year 1100. My house was built in 1550. As a writer, there is no better place to spend time and write a new novel than in Muriaglio, surrounded by Italian history, friends, and family.

My typical day starts at sunrise. I sit outside on the top terrace with a coffee and pastry, watching the small village awake to meet the new day. Next, a walk through the streets of Murigalio. I always meet someone to have a small conversation with while walking with their small dog. Back at the house, I do the daily tasks that keeping up a house requires. After a light lunch on the terrace and with the day warming up, I will go down to my office to write.

My office is solid rock, with an arched red brick ceiling. In the 1500s, it was a barn with the house built above it. It has sixteen-inch-thick walls and stays cool while the day heats up. The perfect place to write during the heat of the day. I sit at my desk, turn on the computer, and turn on some jazz. The album Kind of Blue starts to play; I sit back with my eyes closed and let my mind clear. Now it is time to write. I will reread the last page written and start.

I am not a writer who outlines the story before I begin to write a new novel. I read that Frank Sinatra never rehearsed a song before recording it. He would study the lyrics before getting to the studio. Getting to the studio, he approaches the microphone, turns to Nelson Riddle, and gives a nod. The orchestra would start the intro, and Frank would record the song in one take. When asked why? He said, “He liked to paint with fresh paint.”

I, too, like to paint with fresh paint. After reading a little of yesterday’s work, I begin with fresh thoughts of the last scene and feeling. Like many writers, I get thoughts as to what might be a great new direction for the story. I never write them down, nor do I try to remember them. I could never pull out my notebook and try to conjure up what I was experiencing when I wrote those thoughts. As I read yesterday’s work, the story will change according to my feelings at the moment. Maybe I got word of a friend in an accident, and I’m worried.

Maybe something good happened to me. These fresh feelings get written into the character’s mood and the scene. I begin writing with fresh paint.

Soon, it’s time to end the writing and take an afternoon stroll through the village to stretch my legs and return to the terrace where the day began and have a cocktail. The quiet and relaxing atmosphere of Muriaglio allows my mind to wander, drift, and think. There is no better place for me to write.

Photos by Gary Smith.

Gary Smith found joy in solitude and imagination from a young age. Fascinated by people and their interactions, he developed a keen observational eye. Encouraged by his brother, he immersed himself in literature early, reading Cyrano de Bergerac in fifth grade and The Canterbury Tales in sixth, along with classics such as To Kill a Mockingbird and Breakfast at Tiffany’s before high school ended. At sixteen he chose work over college, trained as an electrician, and in 1979 founded an electrical contracting business that grew into a national multimillion-dollar company. A lifelong artist, he began photography at eight and exhibited in 1981. In the 1990s he discovered writing’s power after publishing in Options (1997).

Find out more at https://garysmithauthor.com.

Article published in The Relatable Voice Magazine - July 2026. Downolad the full magazine at https://www.relatable-media.com/the-relatable-voice-magazine.