The Giardino dei Tarocchi (Tarot Garden) of
Niki de Saint Phalle has been something I have long wanted to see. So, we took this opportunity to go, not only to the Garden, but to explore southern Tuscany and Rome, as well.
 |
| Niki (not my pic) |
The Tarot Garden lies on the slope of a hill, about 8 km from
Capalbio, in the province of Grosseto, an hour and a half nw of Rome. French-American sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle (born Catherine Marie-Agnès Fal de Saint Phalle) began to build it in 1979, after visiting
Gaudí's
Parco Güell in Barcelona and the
Parco dei Mostri (Park of the Monsters) in
Bomarzo, which we later visited.
The Maremma is what they call this coastal area bordering the Tyrrhenian Sea in SW Tuscany. Formerly malarial marshlands, it was drained by Fernando I de Medici. Then, the land was used primarily to graze cattle, while the butteri (cowboys) herded them from horseback.
We saw no cowboys, but did come upon a number of fascinating places from Etruscan ruins to cliff-top towns:
Scansano,
Saturnia (hot springs),
Manciano,
Pitigliano,
Bolsena,
Civita, and
Grossetto, are a sampling. And since this is not really about Art, I will just include a few interesting shots to cover our ramblings.
 |
| Scansano |
 |
| Saturnia |
 |
| Etruscan ruins of Roselle |
 |
| the artisans workshop |
 |
| Pitigliano |
 |
| Al Villano by Mario Vinci |
 |
| Manciano |
 |
| Civita di Bagnoregio |
 |
| preparation for Feast-day of Corpus Christi |
 |
| One of the sisters was from No. Dakota. |
 |
| Bolsena |
 |
| Medici walls of Grossetto |
The
Park of the Monsters in
Bomarzo, was far from being a frightful place
You would hardly notice the village of
Pievasciata in Sienna. Until you see the sculptures:
Metropolitan Ostriches by Yu Zhaoyang
 |
| Incommunicability by Piero Giadrossi |
These are just appetizers for the
Chianti Sculpture Park. I
naugurated in 2004 on an initiative of Piero and Rosalba Giadrossi, it is a wonderful place of Art and Nature.
 |
| Energy by Costas Varotsos |
 |
| The Blue Bridge by Ursula Reuter Christiansen |
We then had time for a couple of days in
Rome. As this was not our first time, we hurried past the
Forum,
Trevi Fountain, and other iconic landmarks, in search of Art. We found sculpture and lots of water fountains (it was sweltering!), and Art galleries.
 |
| Homeless Jesus by Timoty Schmalz |
A show of paintings by
Helen Frankenthaler was at the
Gagosian (no need to add "gallery.")
And even more Art down the street at the
Galleria Comunale d'Arte Moderna, housed in a former Barefoot Carmelite monastery dating from the 17th century. There were many nice works, though the only name we knew was
Milena Pavlović-Barilli, whom we discovered in Požarevac, Serbia.
 |
| Sailors' Wives by Massimo Campigli (Max Ihlenfeldt), 1934 |
 |
| In the Park by Amadeo Bocchi, 1919 |
 |
| Frigidarium by Allesandro Pigna, 1882 |
 |
| Compostion by Milena Pavlović-Barilli, 1932 |
To see just a few more,
CLICK HERE.
There was also some Art Nouveau to root out. Only, it's called "Liberty Style" in Italy. Strangely, this was the name of a London department store that sold Japanese and other Asian ornaments. Have not yet found out why. The best architectural examples are not in Rome, but we always enjoy the hunt.
 |
Little Fairy Villa in the Quartiere Coppedé
|
 |
| Villa Torlonia or Casina del Civette |
We crossed over the Tiber to
Trastevere, which means “on the other side of the Tiber.” A very nice place for wandering. Lots of street art, though almost all paper and wheatpaste. And then our time was up Italy.
 |
| Ponte Garibaldi |
No comments:
Post a Comment