6.) Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous Italian Art
Venetian Gondolas, Jewelry and Romance on Lake Merritt
By Lorna Moglia, November 16, 2012 Once upon a time (c’era una volta), a Great Egret with snowy white plumage, long neck and a yellow dagger bill, was perched on the dock of Gondola Servizio–a rare occurrence (una rara occorrenza), watching a young romantic couple board an authentic Venetian gondola. As the gondolier lifted his [...]
Ceramics and the Italian Constitution
As we all know, the year 2011 was the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy and of its emergence as a modern national state. For this occasion a series of 12 ceramic plates were realized by ceramist Andrea Branciforti. On each plate is painted one of the first 12 fundamental articles of the Italian [...]
Plates and Chopping Boards | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer
When we sit at the dining table, we hardly waste much time thinking of how tableware originated and evolved in time. We might briefly admire the beauty of a plate or a particular decoration perhaps just as ice breaker and small conversation. We might treat ourselves with the elegant newest collection of dishware made by [...]
Italy In Small Bites | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer
This year is the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy as a Republic, such a small country, such a concentrate of art and history, a country where even a shoe shine is an artist in his own way. Today, April 25 Italy celebrates its liberation from the Nazi’s occupation. I am in Torino and [...]
Brewing In Architecture | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer
Getting up in the morning with that roaring sound of my Italian professional espresso maker really gets my blood going. Aside from the sound of birds chirping outside my bedroom window there is no better sound I like to hear in the morning. Espresso, my lifetime lover I can’t do without it. My coffee has [...]
Italy’s Iron Crown
The tradition of Italian jewelry-making and of silver- and gold-smithing goes back centuries. But most objects of silver and gold, whether made for aesthetic or utilitarian purposes, belonged to wealthy individuals, and their historical vicissitudes were not necessarily recorded for posterity. Some institutional collections, however, such as royal treasures, have recorded histories that offer fascinating [...]
Caressing The Past | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer
This year I feel very honored to have been selected as one of the designers to decorate Christmas at the Historic Ainsley House in Campbell, CA. The owner, John Colpitts, a British native, built the House in 1920s as a retirement home. John came to California in the late 1800s and made his fortune canning [...]
The Nativity Scene in Italian Art – 2
In Naples, where the most elaborate creations eventually took place, we have a record of a Presepe given by Queen Sancia to the Poor Clares in 1370. Development was subsequently rapid, with artists such as Giovanni and Pietro Alemanno and Giovanni da Nola. The Presepe became mobile, based on wooden sculptures crafted to scale. Artisans [...]
Shaken, Not Stirred | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer
As the holidays season approaches with all the cheerful lights, elegant evening dresses showing up in stores and many parties to attend, I am just on time to bring “to the table” some directions for easy, understated classic style to make many unforgettable stylish parties. Being a designer with a passion for kitchen designs, good [...]
The Distinctive Direction Of Italian Fall Fashions | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer
A few months ago, I had the idea of declaring the month of October the month of Italian style. Many presentations will occur this month in the Bay Area, one of them will be the event I have organized with Frette store in Stanford Shopping Centre, Palo Alto, CA. Frette is an Italian house producing [...]
Hollywood lives in cookie wonderland! | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer
Love to go to matinees, especially when the expectation is high. Good film, good stories, attractive images, fantasy flies high, resulting in a few hours of daydreaming. That is time well spent. I cannot say all of this about the film I saw last Sunday Eat Pray Love, a two hours and half wasted in [...]
Le Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome
Some of the most acclaimed art exhibits to have taken place in Rome in recent years have been held at the Scuderie del Quirinale. These have included works from quintessentially Italian artists, such as Antonello da Messina and Giovanni Bellini, as well as international collections on loan from from their permanent homes. Such were the [...]
Unwind, Ferragosto Is Coming | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer
The word Ferragosto comes from the Latin word Feriae Augusti, the pagan feast in the year 18 a.d. made in honor of the Roman Emperor Octavian Augustus. On the 1st of August the Romans celebrated the harvest of grain, cereals and the fertility of the earth. This festivity would last until the end of August. [...]
