New and used travel stories about the Umbria region of Italy by Michael Kiefer. Michael Kiefer has been a travel writer for nearly 30 years. Here are engaging essays from his forays to the Umbrian region of Italy while researching the novel, Another Monk's Tale. Kiefer writes about learning Italian, food and wine, St. Francis and his hometown of Assisi, as well as the sights and people of Citta di Castello, Narni and Orvieto. Many of these stories appeared in slightly different form in The Arizona Republic, where Kiefer is a staff reporter, and in American Way and TravelGirl magazines.