Art and Southern Italy

I spent a few weeks at Arquetopia Italia Art Residency, only to find that it was poorly run and the provisions the residency promised fell short. I was quite depressed there, so I left a week early and made back to Naples, and onward to Rome. You can read the full post about my Arquetopia experience HERE.

I packed my bags for an amazing day and night in Naples. First stop was dropping my bags off at hotel Il Tesoro Smart Suite & Spa. Then off to the Museo Cappella Sansevero. Not to be missed! If you go, get tickets ahead of time. Followed by a stroll and nap in the Botanical Gardens. I had to get my last Napoli Pizza and stopped by Pizzeria Capaso a Porta San Gennaro and had the best pizza and Peroni. Then back for a nap at the hotel. Later that evening was just a lazy walkabout and had a delicious red arancini and a glass of wine at a cafe. It was the best send off from Naples.

The next morning I caught my train to Rome. My hotel, Hotel Mondial Rome was also beautiful. I should mention that I hadn’t had a hot shower while at the residency so these showers were amazing. Rome is Rome, a beautiful incredible city that I am lucky enough to have been to 4 times. Went to all my favorite places, Rosciolis bakery, Fatamorgana Gelato and Filetti Di Baccala restaurant.

The absolute highlight of my entire trip was Nikki de Saint Phalles Taror Garden, located north of Rome at the edge of Tuscany. An easy train ride and a scheduled taxi took me and two new friends I made at the Capalbio station right to the Tarot Park. It was a dream come true, to interact with her larger than life sculptures based on the tarot. I can’t recommend this enough. Bonus are the views of the tuscan countryside.

I came back rejuvenated from my mini art vacation and have been working on projects non stop. I did make a few things while at Arquetopia so not all is lost. I channeled my frustration into a DESPONDENCY + SUPERSTITION deck of cards.

Cheers to everyone that makes lemonade out of lemons, especially in the land of lemon trees.

Despondency + Superstition Cards. Cut paper and glue.