Episode 74: The Giant With Laura Morelli

In our current “new normal” of COVID-19 and physical distancing, sitting on the back porch with a good book sounds pretty relaxing. It won’t take you long to realize your reading a masterpiece byAuthor Laura Morelli. A historical fiction account of Michelangelo’s The David.

Florence, 1500. Fresco painter Jacopo Torni longs to make his mark in the world. But while his peers enjoy prestigious commissions, his meager painting jobs are all earmarked to pay down gambling debts.

​When Jacopo hears of a competition to create Florence’s greatest sculpture, he pins all his hopes on a collaboration with his boyhood companion, Michelangelo Buonarroti. But will the frustrated artist ever emerge from the shadow of his singularly gifted friend?

Our interview dives into the labor of love writing this book was for Laura, it was 20-years in the making! Lots of research trips to Florence, and a true understanding of Renaissance Art History.

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THE GIANT: Cover reveal, plus... a virtual trip to Italy from Laura Morelli on Vimeo.

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Purchase The Giant

From The POdcast

"It has been a passion project for me, the subject of Michelangelo's David is something that wouldn't let me go. The drama and the unfolding of the creation of the sculpture and its journey through the streets of Florence."

ABout Laura

• Earned a Ph.D. in art history from Yale University
• Haswritten for National Geographic Traveler, USA TODAY, Italy Magazine, Departures, and other media
• Produced art history lessons for TED-Ed
• Taught college students across the U.S. and in Italy, and now teach exclusively online
• Has earned numerous awards for my historical fiction, as well as reviews in Writer’s Digest, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, the Historical Novels Review, the Eric Hoffer Awards, National Indie Excellence, and others
• Has had the privilege to live and work in five countries
• Has enriched the experiences of many travelers over two decades with Authentic Arts shopping guidebook series
• Has a heart filled with home on the coast of Georgia

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