Inspiration

This blog exists because I love to be creative.

However, lately, I have not been so creative in writing blog posts. My apologies. And thank you to all of you for still sticking with me.

For those who want to know - and maybe the new reader, I will explain, the reason(s) why I was reluctant to blog:

Lack of idea

• After having finished 99% of our renovation and decoration project, there is not much left to report about the palazzo.
• Also not living in Italy permanently, does not provide me with many new stories from the village life in the beautyful South.
• There are so many blogs around these days, that good new stuff that hasn't been explored inside out by others is difficult to find.
• When I write I want to deliver quality, well researched things. I try not to just briefly touch a fashionable topic.
• When I press the publish button, it's because I have to tell something. Something that worth to be printed. Something that is entertaining and keeps readers coming back.

Lack of time

• As I said above, I aim for quality. And that needs time. But nowadays, you need to be faster and faster if you don't want to be the last writing about a subject.

Lack of motivation

• I started this blog in December 2006, so I am in my 7th year of blogging!! Mmmhhh, is it the seven-year-itch !!??
• People seem to follow more and more other (faster) social networks, like facebook, like twitter, pinterest, tmblr .... than blogs. Maybe.

I was even tempted to sign up for a blog e-course with Holly Becker at Decor8.

As I said, this blog exists, because I love to be creative. Actually, I need to be crative! It enriches my life. Although, for a couple of weeks I have not been writing, I have been creative elsewhere:

I am into photography since some months. I know now how to use my digital camera in the manual mode. I learned that prime lenses are giving better results than standard zoom lenses, and that the body is less important than the lens. Over the past days I played around with the free trial version of Adobe Lightroom. I learned how to improve photos in the post process. And, very important, how to insert a copyright into the metadata of a photo - or even better, into a whole batch of photos.

On top of photography, I did some weekly painting. First with a maestro artist who helped us students when stuck. After a year or so, I gave up to paint with him since I was not able to paint without him anymore. Slowly, I started to paint again, just by myself, and with a group of ladies who use different media and techniques.

Over the time I realized, how photography and painting are inspiring and complementing each other. I grew with both. I also came across many artists. Some I heard before, but most were new to me, especially the photographers. Very Inspiring!

I am always curious about an artist's life and where famous artists got their inspiration from! Often from each other!

The other night, I looked up my favorite post-impressionists on my iphone... for hours...The next morning I woke up, sleepy though,  I finally knew what to paint on my pink canvas.

In one session I almost finished the painting. Now, just some glazing (shadows) is missing. I posted it on FB and my friends liked it. I got compliments from art connoisseurs, form art buyers and even a successful artist friend. If I continue to be productive like this, I will be able to participate in the exhibition of my art group at the end of this year. - The only problem is, that the exhibition's target is to sell paintings. - Ha ha, I am not sure, if I can separate from that bird?!



oil on canvas (40 x 50 cm) by me

For future inspiration, I always collect photos and art work in files on my personal computer, ipad and iphone. But today I had an idea. Why not share my inspiration on my blog? I will have a new label "inspiring art" and feature painters and photographers I like. Here we go, same purpose of blogging as before, filing my inspiration online (and finding them in cyberspace always)!

And so, after photography and painting for many months, I am happily back to writing again.
What a connection!

Renovation Reloaded

I am not talking about a new project. We are renovating in our house again. We are renovating the renovation. Or are we re-renovating? Maybe, I should say repairing.

Before we left Italy this summer, I walked through the house and noted all the tiny and not so tiny things that needed small repair or even big make-over.

Angelo, Tonino and Mimo, our workforce, went back to work. Starting from adding rings to several door hinge-joints (to avoid abrading on the floor) to restoring entire walls. The latter is documented with photos below:  

preparing renovation in a renovated house...

craftsmen everyone likes (broom!)

the colour and plaster strangely peeled off in this corner

wall newly plastered and drying (hopefully!)

same corner, one floor down, similar issues

This is an outside wall, facing South-West. The same wall causes humidity problems on all three floors of the house. In the bathroom of the guest residence (to be), one floor above in the living room, and one more floor above in our master bathroom (no photo). We have already insulated the wall from the outside. 

Could there be a leakage from the roof top terrace? :-/ 

Actually, there are two possible explanations for the humidity in the wall:

1. Rain water penetrates the whole wall from top to bottom in that corner of the house. We will have to look into re-doing part of the roof terrace.
2. And that is Angelo's theory, that the centuries old, one meter thick wall has absorbed water over the years before the renovation and had not yet dried out completely. - I hope so. Otherwise we will repeat this same repair work again. But then after the roof top examination.

Beside that humidity problem, we also had a material problem:

interior natural stone wall is too natural - sand keeps falling

but hopefully the new material can fix the problem

same with our "just" renovated outside wall,

the rain washes the plaster/sand-mix off - and sand keeps falling on the garden terrace

Not sure, what Angelo, my father-in-law - who is from Piedmont and in fact is based in the Veneto, but prefers spending his time in Calabria - would do here in the South, without my new To-Do-list...

It sounds like a joke, but every joke has a bit of truth - and this one is almost all truth. Angelo always needs a crafting project. Therefore, we are blessed that he coordinated right away all the tasks.

Meanwhile, our cappo is back in the Veneto. And everyone prepares for the holidays. For now I have no more updates and news from Pizzo and will be back on the blog in January. I hope to see you  !

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

and ALL THE BEST FOR A LUCKY 2013 !

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Upholstery: Sofa and Armchair ! Before & After !

I wrote about the inherited tiger sofa, the 7 different dining chairs and the funny baroque armchair before. All in need for upholstery. Then, I confused my readers and myself while searching for the right fabric - but knew how to measure and calculate the right amount of fabric.

But it is all good now.
Almost.

First, I had to travel to Italy this summer. I packed all the chosen fabric from Thailand into my suitcase. Before arriving in Calabria we stopped in Venice for a wedding. Then, I repacked the suitcase. The fabric continued the journey by car, while I travelled by air. Reunited in Pizzo, I entered the house - the sofa was gone! But that is another story that I prefer to skip.

It is all good now.
Almost.

The craftsman who was introduced to us had a look at the furniture and the fabric. We explained what we want, he made a proposal, and we agreed. Since it was summer, the craftsmen would need longer than 10 days for the work. We were awaiting guests and did not want to miss dining chairs. Therefore, we decided to have them, the sofa, and the armchair picked up after the holiday peak Feragosto (August 15). When everyone and everything goes back to normal.

One day after summer, we were long gone back to Asia, our order was ready and delivered - or picked up -  from the tiny upholstery workshop in the heart of Pizzo. My father-in-law made some snap shots and mailed the result to us.

From what I see, the sofa looks good.
The armchair looks wrong.
The dining chairs look okay.

What do you think?

AFTER: calm grey fabric enhances carved sofa frame

BEFORE: the "tiger sofa" and it's story

For the sofa, there was a big surprise: I never saw the back! I did not know we would need fabric for the back too! I am very glad, I bought some spare fabric.

always have some spare fabric for surprises

From what I heard, my mother-in-law did not like at all the new upholstery for the armchair. She "discussed" with the craftsman - got a chair for free - and asked me to buy more fabric, in order to redo the seating cushion.

AFTER: the armchair - something looks wrong

BEFORE: it looked promising

BEFORE: the real before with gold lacquer

(previous pic is a 2nd chair that needed more work) 

Apparently, I was not clear enough about the fabric direction for the armchair, as well as for the dining chairs. One chair had even a similar fabric and the fine stripes ran from front to back - and not from left to right. But who knows why the craftsman changed direction.


Now, our 7 dining chairs of three styles have something in common: a dark finish and a bluish upholstery.

AFTER: dining chair

BEFORE: backrest broken, fabric riven 

BEFORE: unstable and rotten fabric

BEFORE: unstable and broken backrest

(fabric runs in the right direction!)

AFTER: all new! (sorry for blur photo)

Lessons learned:

• Always buy more fabric than you need! Miscalculation or mishap may happen.
• Explain your idea clearly! Direction of fabric, border, nails, finish tone or colour for wood - don't leave room for unexpected creativity.
• Be sure about the finishing before choosing the fabric (silver seems not the right choice for our armchair)

Maybe, I should think about a DIY upholstery project next time? I researched some books about upholstery and think, this might be a good introduction:

Upholstery: A Beginners' Guide

A final remark and last photo:

AFTER: new upholstery with good vibes

Does anyone see the spots in the above photo? Not the spots on the wall. The two circles, below the light switch. I would have said, Angelo's camera has spots on the lens again. My friend says, these orbs are a sign for good energy in the room. Wow, my new upholstery has a great energy boost then! 

Photos: Angelo and Palazzo Pizzo

What is the Charm of an Italian Village?

What is it that makes Italian villages so charming?

Italian, French, Greek or Spanish villages, it does not matter which Southern Europe country you take, many have that attraction, that appeal. But what makes an Italian borgo, paese or villagio special?

When I blogged about the restoration projects in the historic center of Pizzo, that are meant to give back the "fascination", the "charm" to our village, I was wondering:

Isn't Pizzo already very charming? - Yes, but why do I feel that way?

Can a restoration add charm? - Or does it erase another kind of charm, the morbid charm?!

Is it a global trend that city people fell in love with the country side? 

Back to the title of that post: "What is the Charm of an Italian Village?" - I wanted to ask you, my readers to take action, to think, why you are reading this blog? Have you been in Pizzo or any other Italian village? If you have been in Pizzo, how did you find it and what did you like most about Pizzo? Maybe you are an expat in another Italian village and can describe the magic of your Italian bel paese? Maybe you are an Italian immigrant and miss your charming Italian home town. What do you miss most?

I have asked a similar question on our Facebook site. There is no need to sign up, become a member or friend, if you are on FB, you simply can leave a comment without any hassle. Or you welcome to add a comment here at the end of this post.

I will try and give you my thoughts about my Italian village, called Pizzo. Why I like that village in particular and why I was so excited to have our European home base here:

It started with the tartuffo ice cream! There are lots of picturesque villages in Calabria. But Pizzitani have invented the famous tartuffo ice cream (to honor the visit of Italian Prince Umberto I of Savoy in Pizzo in 1943). So my first visit ever to Pizzo was because of that special, big brown ball of delicious chocolate and hazelnut ice cram. It is like a must see and taste "object of interest" in Calabria. Before and after that calorie bomb, we used to walk around the piazza a bit. We looked down the "balcony" towards the Marina and the sea, watched sunsets over Stromboli, walked around the small castello - and that's it. For many summers, we only came for a gelato to Pizzo. The first time, I tried to push the baby stroller up the Corso Garibaldi, I thought, wow, there is more than the piazza! This village seems nice!

After having travelled around the world for many years and lived in different countries, I discovered one day, I am in love with this small Italian town, called Pizzo.

Pizzo has good energy

I think, Pizzo has good energy. The location of Pizzo regarding Feng Shui aspects is a very good one! It is in front of water, elevated on a rock, and protected by green hills from behind. The shore is accessible, there are protected beaches, a secluded bay, and long, long sandy beaches that spread for kilometers.

photo by  Caterina Maria Feroleto via I love Calabria

There is only one street that passes through, partly below the main piazza. Most part of the historic center is car free. A small castle thrones on the rock but does not dominate the village. There are beautiful sunsets over the sea that can be seen from all kind of spots around the village. When the air is clear, volcano Stromboli and Mount Pollino greet from far.

Around 8pm in the evening in summer, many birds fly over the piazza and then disappear again. At noon and 8pm some churches play a magic Ave Maria that echoes over the piazza and the sea. It makes me feel like in heaven. During Easter, the mass of San Francesco is aired via speaker and it sounds like the pope himself gives the "urbi et orbi" blessing.

I don't need to leave my home, just to open my window to feel the magic that surrounds that village. And if I leave our home, there is always a neighbour or friend to great on the way. A small talk here and there, I never feel alone. Everyone is in piazza at one point of the day. People are friendly, warm and smiling. Sometimes, I get a free coffee or a small conno of ice cream at the bar, which makes me feel special.

tartuffo ! photo by CC

We like the good taste and smell of all the local grown vegetable and fruit. The food just tastes so much better here in the South with lots of sunshine and mild winters. Italian food is always tasty, but in Calabria there are some special local recipes that add more spice onto your plate!

I like the long calm afternoons, when shops are closed and people stay at home, together with their families for lunch and siesta. It is relaxing during hot summer days and cozy during rainy winter.

Life in this Italian village is slow and easy. It's simple, and I enjoy that. Not always things are progressing as expected, but if you talk and talk, you find the Italian way to make it happen.

I like the old palazzi - some are restored nicely and painted in warm colours - some offer a morbid charm. It is pleasant to stroll up and down through the alleys of Pizzo and always discover something new. I like the possibility to live without a car and being able to walk everywhere. At night, I like the old lanterns that shine a warm yellowish light on the houses, alleys and piazza.

At summer mornings, I like watching the old fishermen in small rowing boats with colourful umbrellas, alone at sea, fishing until noon.

Pizzo has about 10 churches and 20 ice cream parlours. It's inhabitants, the Pizzitani, young and old, live in their village all year long. They like tourists, but they are not depending on them. That's why this village is alive all year round.

This is why I like Pizzo.

Do you like Italian villages?!  What is the most you like?


You can comment also @Palazzo Pizzo on Facebook!

Restoring the Charm of old Pizzo

new scenic piazza - in progress - in Pizzo old town

With great interest we have been following reports from Pizzo about the recent public renovation projects of the historical center, centro storico. The new major,  Sindaco Gianluca Callipo, a young motivated citizen of Pizzo sees Pizzo's potential. During the election campaign he promised - among others - to finally start long awaited projects to restore the charm of this picturesque village.

We are pleased to see, that the renovation of the alleys - an off-road car almost was necessary to pass - finally started.

uneven cement used to cover the original black lava stones for many years

Via Paladini belongs to the oldest part of Pizzo

getting messy for many months...

The narrow alleys, i vichi, of  the oldest quarter of the village, Carmine, which is just in front our doorstep, will be renovated by removing all asphalt and concrete and maintaining the old original black lava stones. The areas where the original stones have been removed in the past, will be restored using old stones taken from two other streets in centro storico. To complete the work in the other streets, they will use new stones similar to those used in some parts of the Piazza della Repubblica.



the street next to Chiesa San Giorgio will get newer stones

Another project that has progressed fast, was the demolition of the old elementary school. The school and the school yard was abandoned for years. But there was never enough money to proceed with the plan to remodel this area into a public piazza with sea views over La Seggiola bay.

demolition of the yellow old school building

future scenic piazza with views over La Seggiola

I can't wait to see and feel the new "face" of Pizzo. It is all happening around our house. Some neighbours will be very happy since they gain sea view! And I am very curious to see if Pizzitani will use the new piazza - or will they remain "living" in Piazza della Repubblica, their famous "public living room"? Will only tourist sit down and enjoy the view? Will youngsters hang out their all night? Or will it end up as additional parking space?



Identita Nov 2012, page 4

Well, I trust the team around Gianluca Callipo as they have a passion for art and culture. The actual restoration is a huge improvement for all inhabitants and visitors of the centro storico, especially in the old quarter Carmine. It is giving back the charm to Pizzo, as titels the newspaper Identita (Nov. 2012): "Partiti i lavori per restituire fascino al centro storico di Pizzo"!

Photo source credit: Angelo C. - Grazie for the update!

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Update: Progress of street pavement in April and June 2013