My grandparents were born in the small Sicilian fishing village of Siculiana in 1897, immigrating to the United States when they were nineteen. As they essentially raised me, I became very intertwined with the food, culture, and people of Italy. Therefore, it’s no accident that the Mauro Bruno novels reflect this love of the Italian people, and that I take the reader to different environs in the country and immerse them in the uniqueness of those areas.

In making my novels as authentic as possible, and excluding the carnage that I create for the sake of the storyline, I’ve been to the locations mentioned, allowing me to accurately describe the places, people, and food. You can find pictures of me at many of these locations in the photos section of alanrefkin.com.

Recently, my wife Kerry—who performs the initial edits of my manuscript and selects the cover design—and I spent a considerable amount of time in Lake Como, Portofino, Cinque Terre, and Milan in preparation for the next Mauro Bruno novel. To immerse myself in the vibe of a region, I prefer to stay at a hotel where I can interact with the area residents, learning more from them than any Google search, believing this interaction will provide a uniqueness to my story. This applied during my stay in Portofino, a charming town of only 400 permanent residents, where I had the pleasure of staying at the Splendido Mare, a fourteen-room gem off a cobblestone street and steps from the marina.

While I’ve stayed at some wonderful places in Europe and been spoiled by their staff, Splendido Mare stood out as the only luxury hotel that felt like home. On the face of it, calling a hotel a home seems like a contradiction, but Michela Nicosia and her staff have somehow managed to blur those lines, creating a stress-free atmosphere that’s relaxing, warm, and charming—something that’s only possible in this intimate atmosphere where the staff view those who stay there as house guests and not a room number.

Make no mistake: this Belmond hotel is exceptionally luxurious, and you will want for nothing. Therefore, when this author sat down at an outside table to outline the plot and characters for Mauro Bruno’s next adventure, it felt as if I were simply documenting what I was seeing, seamlessly immersing myself in the story I was creating as easily as if I were sitting at my desk. Splendido Mare makes you feel as tranquil as if you’re at home, alleviating the stress of travel and soothing the soul. Thank you, Michela, for this and giving me a beautiful canvas for the next Mauro Bruno novel. Tu e il tuo staff siete stati fantastici.