#3476 | Intriguing, Illuminating, Idyllic Italy.
9 thoughts on hidden beauty, dreamy light, and cake.
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Hello lovelies!
This week's post 100% owes its existence to Victoria over at SFGirlByBay whose last post about her upcoming trip to Italy sent me down so many fascinating rabbit holes...thanks Victoria! Although I've been to Italy a handful of times, mostly on work trips, I in no way have any deep insider knowledge...but it was so fun just to follow the bread crumbs to see where they would lead...
RAFFAELLO DA MONTELUPO...
I have been to Rome only once, for three days in 2004 (jeezuz...that was 20 years ago?!)ā¦I was traveling solo, staying at the pre-renovation Hotel Locarnoā¦Iām guessing I wouldnāt want to stay there nowā¦too posh (and expensive) for the likes of me! For some reason the only picture I took in the (humongous) room was a corner of the bathroom! And that hot air balloon gliding by the rooftop terrace on my last day is not AI-generated!
I wandered aimlessly through Trastevere, marveled at the Pantheon, climbed the Spanish Steps, visited the Trevi Fountain and the Villa Borghese, popped into many churches, downed an espresso at a tiny bar off the Campo de' Fiori (blehā¦Iām cream and sugar all the way)...but all of that largely blurs together and, somewhat surprisingly, the thing that has stuck with me the most over the years is...
ā¦one afternoon I decided to go to the Castel SantāAngelo, built in the year 128 AD, by the Emperor Hadrian, which was, according to the guidebook, āfull of history and intrigueā. I was about halfway up the massive interior ramp, built to allow for horse-drawn chariots, on the way to the Popeās apartments, when, drawn by the sunlight, I stepped through a doorway into a narrow deserted courtyard, and there, like a vision, was the most captivating of statues...Rome is chock full of monumental statues but this one of the Archangel Michael just stopped me dead in my tracks.
Carved by Raffaello da Montelupo (1504-1566), apprentice of Michelangelo, he originally had pride of place on top of the castle, but eventually, eroded by time and weather, was replaced in 1753 and simply left to decay in this obscure, rather melancholy spot. Stunning.
GABRIELLA PICONE...
Artist and designer Gabriella Picone is fueled by her creative upbringing between Lipari, one of the Eolian Islands where her family is from in Sicily, and New York. In 2019, she founded Idda Studio (idda means āherā in Sicilian dialect). Her work in ceramics, painting and textiles draws inspiration from the folklore tales she heard as a child ā stories of mythological creatures, volcanoes, wildflowers, fruits, and the Mediterranean landscape ā as well as the abstracted faces of Italian women.
I love these "shellfies" sheās been making on the beach...!
LA SIRENA | ISOLA DIĀ FILICUDIā¦
Run by Italian gallerist Sergio Casoli in the ancient fishing village of Pecorini Mare on the tiny Aeolian island of Filicudi off the coast of Sicily, La Sirena, features a seafront gallery, a restaurant/saloon, and five eclectic rooms with panoramic views of Sicily and Mount Etna.
Historically, this tiny island gem has attracted artists and designers with its remote location, rocky hills, cacti, wild jellyfish-infested beaches and panoramic views. Casoli, an acclaimed expert in post-war, modern, and contemporary art, opened the first Studio Casoli in 1985 in Milan, expanded in the 90s, and then in 2001, decided to leave the gallery world behind and relocate to Filicudi. He has run La Sirena since 2010, and then in 2022, over two decades after closing the original Studio Casoli, he decided to reopen the gallery on Filicudi.
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GIULIA DE MARCHI...
I found the work of Treviso-based photographer Giulia De Marchi through a story about the villages, landscapes, house-museums, botanical gardens and breathtaking views along the shores of Lakes Como and Maggiore on the wonderful Italy Segreta site (again...thanks Victoria!).
CHRISTINA CELESTINO...
As you may have noticed I have a thing for beautifully patterned cement tile floors and I had come across the 4th-generation Italian terracotta tile-makers, Fornace Brioni, a while back. The designer responsible for working closely with them to revitalize their showroom, brand identity, and product line was Milan-based architectural designer, Christina Celestino.
To activate experimentation far from the static tenets of history and tradition, through an erudite, daring exploration of a material as old as mankind: terracotta. To conceptualize ornamentation, to recover styles and details belonging to the history of architecture, to study the harmonies of the earth, to work on various scales, daring to defy established canons, finding the right balance between nostalgia and innovative design.
What I particularly appreciate about her aesthetic is her sense of color...her palettes somehow capture that distinctly Italian quality of mellow/vibrant light.
ELISE PIOCH BALZAC...
Not an Italian maker but fits the vibe...Elise Pioch Balzac started her careerĀ at HermĆØs in Paris under Martin Margiela's artistic direction, then worked as a fashion buyer in Australia for several different multi-brandĀ boutiques. After traveling the world for 10 years, she had a desire to apply her fashion eye to homewares. Maison Balzac started, in 2012, with a collection of five perfumed candles and has since become a whole world of its own.
MURANO BULBS...
Hand-blown and decorated Murano glass bulbs with a replaceable LED "filament"...cool! Here's a little mini film about how they are made...
MADRE LINENā¦
For a little hit of that Italian "gioia di vivere"...Madre Linen makes napkins, picnic cloths, pot holders, tea towels, coasters, and even pillowcases in checked, striped, and plain edged linen...
And...here's the recipe for this insanely beautiful Pumpkin Spice Olive Oil Cake with Vanilla Bean Mascarpone Filling and Salted Chocolate Espresso Buttercream!
ESCAPE TO THEĀ MOUNTAINS...
If you'd like a little dose of vicarious travel and/or escape to the Italian countryside...these are two talented YouTubers that I've been watching lately...
Martijn Doolaard is a filmmaker from the Netherlands. After finishing two long-distance bicycle journeys from Amsterdam to Singapore and Vancouver to Patagonia...he decided to buy a remote stone cabin in the Italian Alps which he is currently living in and (almost single-handedly) renovating.
Stories from the Cascina is from couple Isis (Belgian textile archaeologist, dress historian turned wedding photographer, turned creative business coach) and Bertus (Dutch historical geographer, equestrian performer, maker of museum-quality armour, saddles, and other things involving leatherwork, metal and wood), who, after 15 years of dreaming and working towards making this happen, have recently moved into a dilapidated farmstead in the rolling hills of the Langhe area in Piemonte, Italy.
Thank you all for reading...let me know if you have any thoughts!
xo,
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Mood board credits: 1-3 The Socialite Family; Daria Reina; di LunedĆ 4-6 Lucy Laucht; unknown; Lucy Laucht 7-9 Thomas Tissandier; Gabriella Picone; unknown
What beautiful images! Love seeing Italy through all this beauty.
Thanks so much for the shout out, Anne!! I loved this. I, too, stayed at the Hotel Locarno when I was much younger and didnāt have much money! Itās definitely gotten fancy since my time there! I like staying in smaller boutique hotels or charming b&bs or Airbnbs nowadays. Thanks again, this was more inspiration for my trip!! x