handmade...in italy

I had an email last night from my brother Russ wanting his Italy fix!  Sorry Russ...and anyone else who's been following our little adventure...I've been attending daily Italian classes in an effort to break through on the speaking front.  It seems to be helping, but hasn't left much time for blogging...mi dispiace ;)

Of course in my world there's always time for shopping and last weekend we spent a morning at what has become one of my favourite local shopping pleasures.  The Piazza Santo Spirito Organic Market is held every third Sunday of the month and is well worth the wait.  Producers and artisans from all over Tuscany offer everything from organic produce to hand made cheeses and even jewelry.  It's a lovely market in a beautiful setting and chock full of creative design offerings.  Here's a look! 

Felt  jumpers in bright colours.  Cute!  And take a look at the hand made display rack...

Hand woven fashion for the whole family.  Well, maybe just Elly ;)

Felt slippers in every size and colour.  Elly will be sporting a pair in November.

One of the things that makes this market so inviting is the thoughtfulness and creativity that goes into many of the vendor's displays.  Huge baskets full of nuts and fruit provide inviting texture....artisinal cheeses resting on a bed of straw...rows of silky honey jars and colourful hand milled soaps...you can literally wander through all morning just taking it in...

Such a well thought-out vignette...complete with branches of pomegranate and roasting nuts!

I have a thing for hand milled soap...Sandro thinks it's weird...they're just so pretty and a perfect way to decorate any bathroom!

Hand made sheep's milk cheese.  The straw is unexpected but creates a cool textural display.

Some of the vendors not only offer their work for sale, but sit and create pieces on site.  It's like seeing a piece of art come together right in front of you.  The seat weaving is amazing to watch and brings an authenticity to the whole experience.  I also love the hand woven baskets.  The textures and colours are so beautiful and rustic...they'd fit nicely with any decor.  The perfect hiding spot for all kinds of clutter.

...like little pieces of sculptural art.  Imagine one or two of these in a sleek modern kitchen!

...gonna have to look into shipping rates to Canada.  These hand woven stools are just gorgeous!

There are at least three wood workers on site, each offering their own take on olive wood cutting boards, kitchen utensils and serving bowls.  Olive wood has a beautiful rich tone and a nice open grain pattern.  My husband Sandro has his eye on one of the huge, table sized boards.  That might be tough to get back to Canada....but you can expect to be served cheese & other aperitivi snacks on some of these the next time your at our place!

Olive wood cutting boards...Sandro is coveting the big one at the back.

More olive wood offerings....these might be easier to get home.

Olive wood spinning tops...I love the rainbow one!  You could decorate a whole kids room around one of these.

 

Who wouldn't want to buy from this guy??!

imperfectly beautiful

 A few weeks ago on a hot, humid day and in the hopes of occupying our two year old for a few hours, Sandro and I visited Boboli Garden.  This once served as the formal garden for the Pitti Palace - home to the Medici ruling family in Florence.  I spent an afternoon here nearly 20 years ago as a backpacker and had memories of lovely manicured lawns; formal hedges; beds of colourful flowers; and beautiful views of the Florence Duomo.  Well, the views are still there but thanks to this summer's drought the lawns were crispy, there wasn't a flower to be found and the hedges were in need of a trim.

View of the Duomo from Boboli Garden

Looking down on Neptune with the city of Florence beyond.

 Strangely, on this visit, the gardens seemed to offer an authenticity that was lacking in my first visit.  Without the flowers and hedges steeling the show, what comes to the forefront is the structure and planning of this elegant Italian Garden.  The use of repetition is evident everywhere and it's a beautiful compliment to the formal symmetry of the outdoor space.  Lovely classical sculptures dot the landscape and there's an aged patina covering everything.

One side of the Amphitheatre located just behind Pitti Palace

One of the classical sculptures used to decorate the Amphitheatre wall

 

Repetition - a design element used throughout the garden to create harmony

The centerpiece of Boboli Garden's central axis is Neptune's Fountain.  Located on a hill above Pitti Palace and offering beautiful views, the fountain itself is green with algae and wild plants that have taken root.  Like the unkept gardens, this just seems to add to the fountain's beauty and authenticity.  There's a Grey Gardens sort of feel all about the place.  It's crumbling around the edges, but it's elegance still shines through.  It feels as if the space is being allowed to age gracefully...and naturally.    

Neptune's Fountain complete with plant life and brackish water

The only modern sculpture in Boboli Garden was added in 1998.  This piece by Igor Mitorai with it's patina and cracked surface was created to represent the deterioration of classical works over time.  You come upon it after strolling through the formal garden - it's a surprising discovery after all the classical pieces, but seems to fit naturally into the landscape.  Everywhere in Italy there are beautiful juxtapositions between the ancient and modern.  The two co-exist out of necessity in many instances but here in Boboli Garden it's natural and harmonious.

A new addition to the park - Tindaro Screpolato by Igor Mitoraj

The gardens were developed over time and in many ways are still evolving.  This visit wasn't what I expected, but it was a reminder of the beauty to be found in imperfection.  As a designer, often my job is to improve upon a space by "updating" or eliminating the signs of age.  Once in a while perhaps we need to leave a trace or two of the lives that have been lived...keep a little of the soul to offer inspiration and a sense of connection.  Just a thought.  

Looking back at the Pitti Palace & Fontana del Carciofo from the gardens

Cypress Lane - A little overgrown, but elegant nonetheless.

A statue tucked away in a corner of the Garden...

...but had to show you the lovely owl detail on her shield.

a weekend in rome, part 2

As I mentioned in part 1, we spent last weekend in Rome with my husband's family who live in an around the city.  He has one aunt who lives on a small farm in the hills outside of Rome.  We congregated at this beautiful spot for a family feast on Saturday afternoon.  Though this post is a little less about design and more about the good things in life, I thought you'd enjoy a look at the De Angelis farm and rural living in Italia...

The view from the farm yard...complete with sheep in the background.

Every farm needs a dog...this is Tobia

"Mummy, where the chickens go?"

Ah ha....hiding amongst the olives....

 

 Zia Piera has fruit trees, a grape arbour and a small olive grove from which she and her daughter Irene produce a wonderful olive oil.  Just enough to keep the whole family in supply...

A fig tree!  Bursting with fruit...

Thought they were grapefruit from a distance....nope, pomegranate!

The grape arbour - much to Elly's delight.

Olives will be ready for harvest in November!

 Zia Piera and Irene hosted us all and prepared enough food for an army...then loaded us up with farm fresh goodies to take home to Florence!

Potatoes roasted with rosemary...

...in the outdoor wood oven!

Slowing down after round one...really must remember there's always more to come!

Here's our haul: three litres of olive oil...fresh eggs....apricot preserves....and grapes for Elly.  Yum!

a weekend in rome, part 1

Now that we're feeling somewhat settled in Florence and my husband Sandro is about to start his culinary education, we decided to take a quick trip south for a visit with the family.  Sandro's aunts & uncles (zia's & zio's) and every one of his cousins and their children live in and around Rome.  With just three days and a lot of family to see, we skipped the usual tourist fare and settled quite happily for life as Italians live it...I thought you'd like a glimpse!

Sandro, Elly and I camped out for the weekend with cousin Antonella and her husband Lorenzo.  They live in the city, but well outside the hustle of the centre.  The day we arrived, Antonella recommended a children's park within walking distance of their appartment.  We found it easily, but what we discovered was a huge urban green space set in and around the archeological remains of a Roman Aqueduct. 

"Aqua Felice"

The Aqueduct up close...

   I was amazed at the size of the structure, but more so at our ability to get close to the ruins.  There are no guard rails or "stay off" signs.  In fact there are stairs provided to give you better access and pathways to move from one side to the other.  It's a beautiful marriage between history and modern necessity.  What better way to acknowledge and appreciate history than to play with your children, have a game of soccer or walk your dog along side it?  I'm sure for most Romans, the presence of ruins like these goes unnoticed in the day to day routine.  But when you're surrounded by this kind of aesthetic, I think you can't help but be inspired by it!

Inside the Aqueduct....complete with biking trails and a duck pond.  Bellissimo!

A support wall with stairs to get nice and close...

...from the top of the wall...

Playing field with Aqueduct in the background

my new muse

The first thing I want to show you is a building that for me, right now, is the most inspiring piece of architecture in Florence.  It's a building that most tourists don't even see.  Off the beaten path but right around the corner from our apartment is Piazza Santo Spirito.  This is Elly's favourite bird chasing spot and where we stop in the morning for fresh produce at the daily market.  There are also some great restaurants, a gelato spot and a fantastic pizzeria!  And presiding quietly over it all is the Basilica di Santa Maria del Santo Spirito.

The Basilica of Santo Spirito

This was Brunelleschi's final architectural project.  The design couldn't be more different from his better known work - Florence's Duomo, pictured below.  Where the pink and grey marble-clad Duomo looms large over the Florence city scape (but that's for a later post), this simple Basilica offers a peaceful and inviting lack of adornment tucked away in a quiet Florentine piazza.  

A glimpse of the Florence Duomo...and my handsome husband ;)

The Basilica has it's own Duomo, but the facade is the star of this show

The facade front and centre...diners in the foreground

  
I'm in love with the effortless serenity of this facade.  I want to create rooms that feel just like this!  Paired down, quiet, yet somehow glamorous.  The uncomplicated symmetry and sweeping curves are all it seems to need.  In a way, the bedroom of our rented apartment achieves this feeling....simple furnishings and artwork against pale pink plaster walls.  Maybe it's the light or maybe it's the exposed timber ceiling, but it gives me the same peacefulness I feel when I pass by the Basilica each morning.

Our spartan but peaceful bedroom

A whole new reality!

My family -- aka my husband Alessandro, our two year old daughter Elly and I -- arrived in Italy at the end of August (2012) to begin our year abroad.  Or as we refer to it, our "family adventure".  Maggie, our beloved chocolate labrodoodle is spending her year in the rockie mountains and from the looks of things so far, not missing us a bit.

Maggie, swimming in a mountain lake

Home base for us is Firenze, Italia.  Sandro speaks the language...I'm embarking on an intenesive immersion program....and Elly is newly enrolled in an Italian pre-school.  She'll be fluent before I am - that's certain.

We've spent the past two weeks getting the lay of the land.  Sandro knows where to get the best produce and prosciutto.  Elly has been introduced to gelato (there's no going back now!).  

...nothing better

I on the other hand, have been amassing a camera full of amazing doors - beautiful tiled floors - aesthetic compositions - inspiring structures...and the list goes on.  As a designer, Florence is a wonderland!  This blog will share my observations, thoughts and inspiration from my wanderings throughout this beautiful city.  And of course, plenty of pictures!

As this is just an introduction, I'll leave off with a few pictures of a newfound pleasure.  Elly chasing birds in Piazza Santo Spirito.  She truly believes she'll catch one if she just keeps at it....

On the hunt...

"That was fun mamma!"

Contemplating her attack strategy