# Ellen Misciattelli Bernardini > Cozy crime mysteries set in Italy ## Posts - [Meet the dogs of Orvieto](https://ellenmisciattellibernardini.com/meet-the-dogs-of-orvieto/): Gli Amici di Charlie runs on very low funding. Here is why half of every book supports the volunteers who care for them, and the dogs who found their way into the novel. - [Writing from a palazzo in Umbria](https://ellenmisciattellibernardini.com/writing-from-a-palazzo-in-umbria/): People often ask us when our house was built, and I usually answer, “Which part?” The palazzo was not built at one moment in time so much as accumulated over centuries. Beneath it are grottoes carved into the volcanic rock some 2,500 years ago and used by the Etruscans. On the ground floor are medieval and Gothic structures, while the first-floor salons contain late medieval and Renaissance architectural elements dating back to the 1300s. The main staircase and a newer wing came with a major renovation in the 1950s. We added the upper library about seven years ago, and access to […] - [That Last Night in Italy is here](https://ellenmisciattellibernardini.com/that-last-night-in-italy-is-here/): Dear readers, after years in the palazzo, the book is finally out in the world. That Last Night in Italy is available now on Kindle, the first in a series set in the hills of Umbria. Half of every copy goes to Gli Amici di Charlie, the volunteer dog shelter here in Orvieto. It felt right: dogs run through the story, and they run through my life. More on the shelter soon. I will use this space for the occasional letter, on the writing, the setting, the dogs, and life in a house with ancient foundations and probable ghosts. Thank you for reading. ## Pages - [Letters from Italy](https://ellenmisciattellibernardini.com/letters-from-italy/): The Blog Letters from Italy Occasional notes from Ellen, written from Umbria. 50% of proceeds from That Last Night in Italy support the volunteer dog shelter of Orvieto. gliamicidicharlie.it - [Giving Back](https://ellenmisciattellibernardini.com/giving-back/): Half of every book 50% toward A shelter run on very little funding. In the hills near Orvieto, a small group of volunteers runs a dog shelter with very little funding: open-air enclosures, no heat in winter, no relief from the summer heat. And yet the volunteers are full-time, tireless, and extraordinary. Under their care, adoptions are up and abandonments are down. The shelter is not able to cover the cost of veterinary care without significant donations. These donations allow for surgical procedures, diagnostic tests, and hospital stays, as well as the purchase of all flea, tick and parasite treatments, specialized […] - [Contact](https://ellenmisciattellibernardini.com/contact/): § · Contact Ellen Misciattelli Bernardini Novelist · Umbria, Italy Press & Media Download high-res headshot (8×10) For general inquiries. Send a note below and Ellen will reply at her earliest opportunity. For press and rights requests, see the options further down. Press & interviews Reviewers and journalists welcome. The headshot above is free to use; ask and Ellen will send high-res cover art and more. The dogs of Orvieto Questions about the shelter go to Gli Amici di Charlie directly. 50% of proceeds from That Last Night in Italy support the volunteer dog shelter of Orvieto. gliamicidicharlie.it - [About](https://ellenmisciattellibernardini.com/about/): § · The Author About Ellen Ellen Misciattelli Bernardini Novelist · Umbria, Italy As a child in Virginia, Ellen dreamed hard of Italy, the country of her maternal grandparents. As soon as she could, she took the leap and moved there, where she studied the ways of the Italian aristocracy: gracious and ethical on one hand, judgmental and scathing on the other. Today she lives in a medieval-Renaissance palazzo she and her husband restored, complete with ancient foundations, hidden secrets, and probable ghosts. An armchair archaeologist, former orchestral violist, and recovering technology professional, Ellen holds three university degrees of debatable practicality […] - [That Last Night in Italy](https://ellenmisciattellibernardini.com/that-last-night-in-italy/): Book One · Out now That Last Night in Italy A Novel of Family Secrets, Ancient Mysteries, and Deadly Betrayal Some secrets are buried. Others live in the family. “A wonderfully engrossing journey into the underworld of Italian and Etruscan antiquities” —Reader review “This was such a great read, a really captivating plot which I thoroughly enjoyed!” —Reader review “An intriguing story of love, mystery, complexity of people, and their relationships.” —Reader review As an Amazon Associate Ellen earns from qualifying purchases. A lush, romantic Italian thriller The night Dante Monaldeschi’s parents were murdered in a moonlit Italian olive grove, he […] - [Home 2026](https://ellenmisciattellibernardini.com/): Genre: Italian Mystery / Thriller Series: That Last Night · Book 1 For readers of: Christie · du Maurier · Foley The Story The night his parents were murdered in a moonlit Italian olive grove, Dante was just a child, a witness who became a target. Years later he ignores the warning and returns to the crumbling family palazzo, where stolen Etruscan antiquities, buried betrayal, and a dog who sees the ghosts the living cannot pull him toward a secret far closer to home. Gli Amici di Charlie · Orvieto 50% of Book Proceeds supports Orvieto’s Dog Rescue Half of the […] - [Cookie Policy (EU)](https://ellenmisciattellibernardini.com/cookie-policy-eu/) - [Test](https://ellenmisciattellibernardini.com/test/): A Novel That Last Nightin Italy Some secrets are buried. Others live in the family. Stay in the Story Letters from Italy Behind-the-scenes, and first word on Book Two, arriving by the holidays. Sign Up Built with Kit Praise Early Words A house, a family, and a summer that refuses to end. Il Corriere della Sera Christie’s plotting with du Maurier’s weather. Atmosphere doing the work of shock. Add your review source The dog alone is worth the read — and then the last forty pages arrive. Add your review source The Cause Gli Amici di Charlie 50% Half of every […] - [Privacy Policy & Terms of Use](https://ellenmisciattellibernardini.com/privacy-policy/): Last updated: September 21, 2026 This website at ellenmisciattellibernardini.com is operated from Italy by the author writing as Ellen Misciattelli Bernardini (“Ellen,” “we,” “us”). Ellen is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. For privacy questions or requests, contact Ellen at privacy@ellenmisciattellibernardini.com or use the contact form. Privacy Policy Information we collect Purposes & legal bases PURPOSE GDPR LEGAL BASIS Send occasional news and marketing about Ellen’s books Your consent (Article 6(1)(a)). You may withdraw it at any time. Receive and respond to a contact request submitted through Formidable Forms Steps taken at your request before entering […] ## Optional - [Agent (MCP protocol)](websites-agents.hostinger.com/ellenmisciattellibernardini.com/mcp) [comment]: # (Generated by Hostinger Tools Plugin)