Angela K. Nickerson, author of A Journey into Michelangelo's Rome
Before she learned how to read, Angela Nickerson refused to eat broccoli and aspired to be a tap dancing nurse. However, once her mom taught her to read, Angela’s medical aspirations expired. Her favorite books were those set in “the olden days” in places far more exotic than Dallas, Texas. In her thirties Angela translated that passion for history and travel into a column of local biographical profiles as well as her book, A Journey into Michelangelo’s Rome. Her second book, Rome's Angels & Demons: the Insider's Guide, soon followed. And in 2018 she published The Nice List — a Christmas gift-giving planner which is published annually.
When she was fifteen, Angela’s grandparents, both worldly travelers, gave her a life-changing birthday gift: they took her to Europe. Together they took a nearly-nude summer sauna in Finland where the sun hardly set. They explored Red Square in Moscow, visited one of the first privately-owned restaurants in the USSR, and brushed their teeth with Pepsi. The three-country tour ended in England with a trip to the Tower of London and the purchase of some fantastic Princess Diana kitsch.
After graduating from high school, Angela went to St. Olaf College in Minnesota. The cold, snowy campus offered the perfect place for a bookish girl with a passion for research to blossom. Angela’s parents impressed upon her the need for a reliable career, so after college, she went on to Washington University in St. Louis where she earned a Masters of Arts in Teaching. Teaching at small, private schools, she applied her love of art and music, history and travel in her classroom.
She won a Fulbright Memorial Fund award and spent a month in Japan studying the Japanese educational system. Not long after Angela’s husband asked, “What would you think about moving to California?” And away they went. She has taught writing in Korea as well as in cyberspace. She has marched in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, escorted a variety of performing groups through the US and Europe, and jumps on a plane any time she can -- now flying out of Denver, Colorado.
Angela married an Italian-American with memories of playing as a child at Ostia Antica and romping through the Colosseum. Now she enjoys traveling to Italy frequently – often escorting small groups of people. In doing so she combines the great passions in her life: art and history, travel and, of course, writing. But motherhood has made those trips a bit less frequent. She and her family are currently renovating a 1958 Mid Century home in Colorado, an experience she writes about at MidModernMama.com which is her celebration of all things creative.
However, even as a mother, Angela still does not like broccoli much.
Books
By Angela K. Nickerson
Reviews
"Nickerson's book seamlessly interweaves the genres of biography, art history, and travelogue into a convenient . . . portable package." —Art Blog by Bob
"Well-written, lively without being pat, informative without being burdensome, and at 163 pages, it's easily readable." —Grizzled Old Traveler
"Works well on many different levels . . . a great book." —Wandalust
"Chockablock with information about the artist and his creations . . . that anyone interested in Michelangelo would want to see." —New Jersey Star-Ledger
"An incredible read. Heading to Rome? Don't go without this book." —Wandering Educators
"The richness of your visit will only be compounded by this insightful book." —examiner.com
"There aren't many times I would be willing to carry two books around on a trip, but . . . this is a great addition to one's day pack." —gogalavanting.com
"The combination of both personal and professional, with photos and maps, results in an art history book that invaluable to the Roman visitor and a joy for the armchair traveler." —Bookstorepeople.com
- Series: IPS
- Paperback: 163 pages
- Publisher: Roaring Forties Press; 1st edition (March 1, 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0977742911
- ISBN-13: 978-0977742912
- Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.5 x 7.5 inches
- Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
This is a digital download.
Angels & Demons has blockbuster written into every page; no wonder it was made into a hit movie! Part of the appeal lies in the setting. As Langdon and Vittoria dash around Rome, they face a fictional villain in real places. The College of Cardinals convenes to select a new pope in the most famous room in Rome: the Sistine Chapel. Tourists posing for photos in Piazza Navona may recall the battle between Langdon and the Hassassin in the Fountain of the Four Rivers. Langdon and Vittoria take their first wrong turn at the Pantheon. Dan Brown skillfully weaves together the familiar and the mysterious into a thriller that transcends the centuries.
Angels & Demons’ Rome: The Insider’s Guide embraces the mixture of fact and fiction that Brown delivers. Slipping between the world of conspiracies and the solidity of a travel guide, Angels & Demons’ Rome: The Insider’s Guide offers travelers a new perspective on the city. Biographical information about the book’s key historical figures—Raphael, Galileo, and Bernini—places them in a historical context, while practical tips afford the traveler an insider’s guide to the Eternal City and maps and photographs help readers see Rome the way Langdon and Vittoria did. Used as an itinerary or as a companion to the novel, Angels & Demons’ Rome: The Insider’s Guide takes the reader into a world of intrigue, imagined and real.
Angela K. Nickerson regularly leads tours to Rome. She is also the author of A Journey into Michelangelo’s Rome.
Other websites
Mid Modern Mama
Writer-and-Mama bopping around the world, taking pictures, making stuff, and dragging a 1950's Atomic Ranch into the 21st century
Medium
Writing about life, politics, and the world
@piningforrome on Instagram
