Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Paradiso in Pastel ~ Spectacular Umbria in December


Paradiso, Assisi
Umbria, Italy
December 2012

Villa in Paradiso
Pastel on sanded, mounted Wallace paper


At breakfast, in my cute little hotel in Assisi, I met my new friend Nick. (Nick is the one who joined me for my birthday/cooking lesson dinner.) Well, anyway, Nick and I got to talking over our morning cappuccinos, about how I wanted to take artists to Umbria to do plein air pastels. When I said this, his eyes got big, and he said he knew of what could possibly be the perfect place … in a place called Paradiso.

He introduced me to Valeria, the contessa who owned the place, and the three of us ended up driving out there. It was just North-East of the old town of Assisi. 


Her place was on a hill and upon exiting the car, I felt like I had taken a ride to visit heaven, for the afternoon. There are two main structures on the property. That's Nick, above, in front of the main house. 

A little music for the visit …


The mist on the valley below, made it all the more magical. It made me think of a magical place like Avalon, as we stood there on that glorious December day. It couldn't have been more perfect.



Love is a portion of the soul itself,
and it is of the same nature as the celestial breathing 
of the atmosphere of paradise.
~Victor Hugo



Looking into the studio, workroom area ...






Her master bedroom ...




Paradise is open
to all kind hearts.
~Pierre Jean de Beranger


I loved her ceramic Mary so much, I decided to do a pastel of her …


Our Lady, in Umbria
Pastel on Uart paper




Looking up at the converted barn/farmhouse ...






Look familiar? I recently posted this pastel, below, of this little building. (Little is relative, because I could fit my apartment in there, at least three times!) Love the stonework ...


Umbrian Farmhouse
Pastel on Wallace paper




Looking back at the main house ...


Inside the farmhouse ...




 

Yes, Paradiso is the perfect name for this beautiful place, nestled in magical Umbria.




Life is a paradise
for those who love things
with a passion.
~ Leo Buscalgia



Leaving, I hoped I would return to this piece of heaven. I have since learned from Valeria that she has sold the property. It makes me sad but I'm hoping the new owner will maybe turn it into a place one can visit! 

In this photo, below, you can see the house in the distance. Sigh.


Heading back to Assisi … the Rocca Maggiore, on the hill.


After our visit to Paradiso, we headed to the main piazza for some food.

On Pizza Commune, there is a fantastic little wine and food shop, Bottega dei Sapori, where you can order up these wonderful antipasti of meats, cheeses and mushrooms … Oh my word! So yummy!!! Nick just asked Fabrizio to give us a combination of things, and it was all delicious! 


I have to say, I don't usually eat meats like this, here in the States, but there … it's spectacular.



I still can't believe that, in another week, this will have been a year ago!

Paradise is always
where love dwells.
~Jean Paul Richter


Hope you are enjoying a beautiful December!
Blessings and light!


10 comments:

Tammie Lee said...

oh how beautiful
the place
your photos
and your art honors it magnificently!

Joop Zand said...

Wonderful places in Italy...... your pictures are very nice Lucinda.

Thanks for sharing.

Greetings, Joop

rjerdee said...

Oh my, what a treasure of a post! I will come back to this one again and again! What a divine location...heaven is for sure! And your pastels are fantastic...what a wonderful artist you are!!!! I am a FAN!!!

Unknown said...

What a beautiful location. Your photos of it are wonderful. I am so impressed by your pastel paintings...wow...fantastic!!

martinealison said...

Bonsoir,

Je découvre avec ravissement votre blog...
Un lieu vraiment exceptionnel que celui que vous nous dévoiler.
Comme j'aimerais m'y trouver !
Vos photos nous entraînent à la rêverie.
Je comprends que ce cadre soit aussi idyllique et participe à la création de ces merveilleuses oeuvres.

Gros bisous

Anonymous said...

Beautiful pics and paintings!

donna baker said...

Love the pastels, Lucinda. And, if I don't make it back to the blog world in time, happy birthday my dear, fellow Sag.

Stefano Davanzo said...

This is a really wonderful place, nice shots and drawings
Haeve a good week
Stefano

JANE MINTER said...

farmhouse and mary are delightful ... lots of inspiration looks a special place ...enjoy your time in italy lucinda

Kerry O'Gorman said...

SIGH is right! Lovely and magical...you captured it all so well in photos and pastels.