reflect and rejuve

dear ones, i'm taking a wee blogging break. time to rest my eyes & thoughts for a day or two. but i'll be back at it before you know it.

{photo by lorenzo}

edra ~ 20th anniversary

ecclectic, artistic, and unique the furniture from edra beckons you to sit pretty or cuddle up, no matter where you find it. the milan-based edra is celebrating 20 years of combining advanced technology with traditional craft skills, continual successful experimentation with materials, and creating furniture that speaks to the emotions and the intellect. as you can see, their photo shoot locations are equally as unique and fun as their furniture designs.

color of silence

for notte bianca in rome, giancarlo neri created a light installation called massimo silenzio (maximum silence). comprised of 1000's of round glowing orbs placed all over the ground, it most certainly hushed the crowds. i'm sorry to report it was only open from sept 7-11th; the experience of walking amongst it must have been quite incredible. to get a glimpse for yourself, please jump over to this bubbleshare site.

villa ludovica, latest obsession

it's friday, so let's take a long visit to my favorite tuscan villa, the villa ludovica. this lovely house is located in one of the most wonderful hilly places of a region called lucchesia. it was once an ancient convent whose origins date back to the xvii century. the house is placed in a unique position with a magnificent view over the town of lucca.

i have lived in italy, i have visited several times, i speak the language, and there isn't much about the culture i don't adore. so i suppose it's no surprise i'm obsessed with this villa. forget "under the tuscan sun" (i couldn't even finish that cliche-ridden tome), i'm ready to just escape to my own reality filled version of living in tuscany. ok, so this villa isn't in my reality yet either. you caught me! but it's friday and i'm feeling full of big dreams. let's just stroll on over there, shall we.......

sometime this weekend, i hope you can take a moment to close your eyes & imagine the place you'd most like to go in the world if money & time were no issue. feel yourself there & make it a reality in your mind's eye. go ahead, rest your mind there for a while. you deserve it!

have a fabulous get-away-wonderland weekend!

(all photos from shootfactory)

calatrava crossing in venice

(artist's rendition of how the bridge will look)

access to three parts of venice will soon be much easier, thanks to a 308-foot-long bridge designed by spanish architect santiago calatrava. the last, center section of the quarto ponte sul canal grande (fourth bridge on the grand canal) will be connected this weekend.

the section was transported via boat along venice´s grand canal tuesday night, during low tide. located near the city´s major railway station, stazione santa lucia, the bridge includes a new passage between the piazzale roma and the mooring platforms for the a.c.t.v. water transport. the bridge is slated to open later this year.

santiago has conceived an arched, steel structure rising nearly eleven feet over the canal. steps and deck are tempered security glass and natural istria stone. handrails are glazed bronze and florescent bulbs will illuminate the bridge at night. "bridges in venice do more than join together different parts of the city," calatrava states. "they serve as landmarks, meeting places, points of definition within an urban fabric that is utterly unique." santiago was awarded the commission by the municipality of venice via a public selection process.

~taken from interior design.net

here's a quick video clip of the central section of the bridge making its way down the grand canal.

more info can be read on italy heaven.