Rosanna's book "Poesia: Painting in Venetian Gardens with Giorgione" will be published in Summer 2017. Below is some insight into what inspired Rosanna to publish her fascinating stories. WHY I WROTE A BOOK In 2001 while studying art with the Maryland Art Institute summer program in Sorrento, Italy, my instructor Howie Weise gave me a small drawing book for sketching and keeping notes. Soon I filled the book with sketches of villas in nearby Pompeii I would like to paint. I was so captivated, I returned to the ancient ruins by local train daily to fulfill my mission to learn as much as I could...

After long wishing and planning to study art in the center of the Italian Renaissance, I am keeping my wish alive. I arrive at the Florence Stazione (train station) and walk for three blocks to the Florence Academy of Art. At last, I find the bell cord, the lock clicks, and the door opens into a small entryway where bicycles line up. Through an archway, I can see a garden as I enter the art studio to the left. Standing at his desk is Daniel Graves, an American painter and the director of the academy. He welcomes me with a hug. Strangely, I already feel at home in my new city. The Florence Academy...