During the summer, you can visit Guiliano Gori’s art collection at Fattoria di Celle. The property stretches over 70 acres of diverse rolling landscape. The artworks are all site-specific and thus take on a different feel than other collections in sculpture parks. Each artwork is integrated into the landscape by the artist. The ditches, bridges, fields, and groves …
I would have bought this picture book when I was 2 years old because of the flaps, rhythm, and animals. I would have bought this book when I was 13 years old because it is poetic. I bought this book this summer because it captures a lifetime of conversations in a very short story. Each …
When I hear people talk about visiting Tuscany, their itinerary reaches from the coast to the mountains. But the sunrise to sunset touring was not our plan. We wanted to have adventures while also saving time to eat relaxing meals on the terrace at sunset. The time we spent sitting while our children made things in the gravel …
In June, we visited Christo’s most recent art installation on Lago Iseo in northern Italy. I posted pictures and thoughts about our expierence here. The catalogue, “Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Floating Piers,” was published in late August and arrived in our mailbox minutes later. Each page is full of crisp, stunning photographs and succinct captions. The book congruously pictures the logistics, …
Bruno Munari is described as a prolific artist, designer, and inventor. Pablo Picasso called him “the Leonardo of our time.” Pierre Restany described him as “the Leonardo and the Peter Pan of Italian design.” And these are two characters parents know little preschool boys can relate to. During Munari’s lifetime (1907-1998), he created a long list of children’s …
The Chianti region of Tuscany is best known for it’s wine. Traversing from Florence and Siena, many people detour off the highway to the windy roads and rolling hills found here. During our tour, my three year old and I stopped at the Chianti Sculpture Park. There are over 26 artists represented, but there were two artworks that …
Yesterday I wrote about our visit to Galleria Continua in San Gimignano, Italy. The hill town is a walled city famous for its towers. We followed a gallery staff member around the city to unexpected gallery spaces and art installations. Then she told us that Anish Kapoor had a permanent public artwork inside one of the old towers. We were happy …
San Gimignano is known as the “city of towers” in Tuscany. It’s a medieval, walled, hilltop town that makes most first-time tourists “must see” list. They have arguably the best gelato in Italy at Gelataria Dondoli as well as charming streets, tunnels, and piazzas. It is not the kind of town one expects to find a contemporary …
Past the crowded streets of Venice’s highlights is a quiet public garden called the Giardini. It hosts the Venice art and architecture festivals on alternating years. Underneath the canopy of trees are 30 pavilions representing specific participating nations. The 2016 artistic director, Alejandro Aravena, called architects from around the world to create exhibitions that reflect not on architectural …
One of our Italy stops this summer was Venice. My Rialto bridge experience was a good reminder to skip the important tourist stops, to avoid standing in line with kids, and not to expect food as good as Tuscany. Instead we ate hot dog calzones in small piazzas, road boats, got lost, and went to the Architecture Biennale (which …