Valentina

Patrician Doors

05 Nov 2022 8 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #BariHistory, #ClassicArchitecture, #CornerDoors, #PalazzoMincuzzi, #TravelItaly

This building in Valenzano, in the province of Bari, Italy might have been, long time ago, the home of a wealthy family. A split pediment with a family crest over the balcony is an indication a patrician family lived there. The main entry is a classical Italian “portone” entry with curved top and a pillar on each side with two simple caps. The corner entry was an expensive feature of a building then, just as much as it is today in any country.

This town is quaint and quiet, I visit it every time I go back to Bari my home town and still wonder who lives there.

This is Palazzo Mincuzzi in downtown Bari, Italy. The building is located in Via Sparano, the most expensive shopping street of the city, it is at the same level of Via Margutta in Rome, Via Montenapoleone in Milan or Fifth Ave in New York.

The Mincuzzi Family commissioned the project that the architect Aldo Focignano’ built between 1926 e il 1928 as one of the first commercial architecture of the XX century. Here again, a corner door of an expensive building that became a landmark of the city, makes a grand enty.

Unfortunately, a few years ago, the administrator of the city decided to eliminate all the beautiful palm trees that lined both sidewalks and provided refreshing shades in the heat of the Summer. Via Sparano now in the morning is blinded by the sun, drenched in heat of over 40 C. (100+ F) and is not a friendly place to stroll and window licking.

Dan Antion offers an opportunity to learn about doors in the world with his Thursday Door Challenge. This is my participation for today’s challenge. Ciao,
Valentina
My books on Amazon

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel.
Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble

First Rain In Color

03 Nov 2022 7 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #ColorfulAutumn, #RainandColors, #RainFashion, #RainSeason, #WhatToWearInTheRain

Yesterday, we had the first rain of the season and perhaps the last before a long time, it was a gift coming down from the sky. Here in California never rains, the sky is always flat blue and rarely has clouds. We have sun and soft wind, no seasons, it’s beautiful and boring at the same time, as a photographer would describe it. The soul needs a change of season to get rejuvenate and the body will respond better from summer to winter to new vibrations.

We bag for rain here, often I feel I want to do the rain dance, like Indians did. It was strange to see all that water released on our heads like a bomb. I watched it hypnotized for a while, the sound of the water hitting the ground was music. Finally my trees and plants are now clean of spider webs, they will grow more luxuriant, the air feels refreshed and maybe I will fall asleep with the sound of rain beating on the roof.

I had to get out just for the pleasure, I wanted to get wet and wear luminous colors. I don’t have to wear grey and dark colors just because the sky is grey. My raincoat is chartreuse green, I took out an apple green hat, a large hand painted scarf with all those colors mixed in the blue, a pair of jeans, a string of pearls and I was ready to celebrate this bounty from the sky.
What colors will I wear in the next rain? Ciao,

Valentina
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Copyright © 2022 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble

The 28 Of Every Month

29 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #EnergyOf#28, #EnergyOfNumbers, #Number28, #NumbersandChakras, #Numerology

In numerology the number 28 represents the end and the beginning of a cycle, the moon’s cycles, the woman’s cycle, the cycle of life, the cycle of this earth. In ancient time the month was considered 28 days long and not 30 or 31 days. Through the sacred mathematic, human beings communicates with the universe, our numbers are embedded in our DNA, which has the frequency of Fibonacci sequence of numbers. Our DNA talks about sound, frequency and numbers related to the day we are born, even our name and last name have a vibration related to numbers that determine our life moves. The number 28 represents the Crown chakra (head).

The colors of the number 28 have everything to do with the hues and vibrations of the sun: gold, yellow, copper, orange. The number 28 is a very strong number because it represents the head, decision, ideas, goals and communicates with the solar plexus, where liver and gallbladder are located.

The addition of 2+8 = 10, the perfect number. If you are a 10 means you are excellent in everything you do. Do you remember the 1979 Film 10 with Bo Derek? She was perfect in her body measurements and she was beautiful. The title was not a casual choice, the producers must have known the importance of numerology.

Numbers are like a tailored dress, fit differently on each person. Let’s start a new cycle of life with a total positive attitude. Ciao.
Valentina
Fashion Services
My books on Amazon

Copyright © 2022 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble

Doors To Eternity

27 Oct 2022 3 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #ColorsOfEgypt, #ExibitionRamsesII, #PyramidDrawings, #Pyramids, #RamsesII, #TravelEgypt

I have always wondered how the eternity will be? Will I have as colorful home as I have now where my soul will go to? Will I have the company of people I loved in this life? Will food and wines be part of my eternity? Egyptians resolved these questions when they were alive. As soon Pharaohs were crowned the work for the home of their eternity started, of course that was a privilege for the ruling class, as they were considered the extension of God on Earth.

This past week, I visited the interactive exhibition of Pharaoh Ramses II and his gold at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. The exhibition was excellent and the interactive show was incredibly interesting as if I was in the streets of Thebes, on the Nile and inside the Pyramids among the Egyptians breathing their culture and lifestyle of millennia ago.
(Click on each photo to see it larger and the beautiful art).

Ramses II built an impressive mortuary temple in Thebes to safeguard his soul.

Drawings and colors of the Temple’s ceiling as well as murals and tombs decorative paintings have been recreated inside the museum.

The Temple Façade (below) is oriented to face the rising sun. Rays illuminate the four colossal statues of Ramses II, the smaller sculpture of Nefertari, his wife, the statue of Isitnofret, his second wife and their children. As the sun moves in, floods the temple interior with light.

Ramses II was a prolific man, he created 100 children with 8 wives.

The photograph below is the entry excavated in the pyramid built for Ramses II.

The Pharaohs’ tomb builders decorated walls and ceilings with painted scenes, they envisioned blue skies with stars and inserted symbols of magic spells from the Egyptian Book od Dead.

The dead Pharaoh was buried across the Nile from Thebes in the Valley of the Kings with everything he needed to continue his afterlife as God.

I would love to show the gold collection of the Pharaoh, but this post is about doors, their functions, history and what they hide behind.

Dan Antion offers an opportunity to learn about doors in the world with his Thursday Door Challenge. This is my participation for today’s challenge. Ciao,
Valentina
My books on Amazon

Arch Entryway To Little Italy

13 Oct 2022 11 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #ArchLittleItalySanJose, #ItalianCulture, #ItalianHistory, #ItalianMusic, #LittleItalySanJose

A door or an arch are both passages that take us from an exterior to an interior space or even into another space in time and history.
It was not too long ago, March 2015, when I was awarded for my participation in the design concept of the arch for the Little Italy in San Jose, CA.
A team of architect, builder, designer, iron worker, stone fabricator, cement layer, lighting designer, investors and many more people in the committee of the Little Italy city project worked at the unison to make this come true. It was a many years effort from all of us volunteering to build something that was in the hearts of older and younger generations of Italians immigrated to this country for the continuation of our culture and traditions, but also as a bridge between other ethnicities of the area.

It was a beautiful moment when we finally saw the arch raised and illuminated. That day, a huge celebration in the streets defining the Little Italy area was in order. Many people attended the award ceremony and afterwards they danced in the streets at the tunes of mandolins, accordions, guitars and the voice of the Italian tenor Pasquale Esposito.

Full view of the Little Italy Arch, San Jose, CA

The piazzetta is now full of bricks of various sizes with the name of donors to remember them in the posterity. Since then, we organized grand galas to raise money for the future public works in the area, many merchants established shops, an art & craft festival takes place every August, every October people fill the streets dancing to the sounds of Italian music, eat Italian specialties and feel as if they are in Italy for one day. A Museum of Italian culture is currently being built.

Brick from donors layed in the Little Italy’s piazzetta

Bronze plaque installed on the base of the arch with all the names of professionals participating to the design concept.

The plaque I received at the award ceremony

The plaque I received for my contribution in the design concept of this arch is still in my studio, I see it every day and proudly reminds me that I made a difference in my community together with a lot of other generous and professional people.

Myself celebrating with Italian tenor Pasquale Esposito

It’s always a pleasure to be embraced by the handsome Pasquale Esposito, our Italian tenor.
If you ever have the chance to be in this area, stop by the Little Italy, in San Jose, CA.

Dan Antion offers the opportunity to learn about doors in the world with his Thursday Door Challenge, please visit with us, it’s fun to see various interpretations of doors. Ciao,
Valentina
My books on Amazon

Delicious Discoveries For The Holidays

01 Oct 2022 4 Comments

by Valentina in The Good Life Tags: #AncestralWines, #BottleFermentedWines, #EuropeanWines, #HolidaysWines, #Homemadewine

The holidays are approaching, it’s that time of the year when I search for specialty food and drinks.
I read about wines fermented in the bottle instead of barrels and got interested. I found Lunaria, a fizzy wine made in Italy with an ancestral method of fermentation in the bottle.

I know a friend who is still using ancient filters belonging to his grandfather to make the same style of wine.

Almost any grape is good to produce wine fermented in the bottle. Grape gets pressed as usual to turn it into must. As soon as the must starts to ferment, meaning the sugar reduces and alcohol increases, the wine must gets filtered and bottled. By doing this, the natural fermentation stops and that small amount of sugar left in the liquid starts a new fermentation right in the bottle, giving a unique flavor to the final product. The residue at the bottom of the bottle looks like small crystals and tastes sweet.

Baresana, Menavacca, Primus, Sweet White Muscat are the grapes used in the region of Puglia to make this style of wine.

The next bottle is Cremant de Borgogne. I learned about it while I was watching one of my favorite shows “Escape To The Chateau” produced by Dick and Angel Strawbridge, a British couple who bought a dilapidated Chateau in France and moved the entire family to start their new lives in France.

They are different styles of wines and both are excellent choices. The producers don’t pay me a cent to say these nice things, it is my choice, my taste and my preference over some other wines.
What food do I pair these wines with? Nuts and cheeses, savory aperitifs, caviar, and any celebratory food. Any time is a good time to pop a cork. Ciao,
Valentina
My Books On Amazon

Art Nouveau Door in Barcelona

30 Sep 2022 4 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #ArtNouveauDoor, #BarcelonaDoor, #EuropeanArtNouveau, #ThursdayDoorChallenge, #TravelBarcelona

Barcelona is a spectacular display of original art. Architect Antoni Gaudi has left a beautiful heritage to the world of a type of architecture that will never be repeated again. Living in such beauty can only affect the inhabitant and multiply itself. In Barcelona there is no place or small corner that is not well designed and decorated. Art Nouveau pervades the entire city. The style inspired by nature flourished in most parts of Europe and Western World from the end of 1800s to 1915. The scope of this style was to turn ordinary objects, chairs, windows, doors and simple buildings into works of art. The results are all the harmonious architectures and various décor items we are still admiring today after more than a century.

During my visit to Barcelona, I discovered myself walking and looking up all the time to try to catch everything that was not on my eye level and looking down, as even the street pavement in some area is well designed.
The top photo is the original building, the below photo is my interpretation of the same building. Sometimes I have fun manipulating colors of my photos.

Dan Antion is offering a series on doors Thursday Door Challenge. Come visit with us, enjoy learning about doors in the world and its history. Ciao.
Valentina
Amazon Author’s Page

Carolus De Mari – Acquavive Princeps

23 Sep 2022 10 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #AdelfiaDoor, #DecoratedCeiling, #NeoClassicArchitecture, #NeoclassicStoneDoor, #PugliaHistory, #TravelPuglia

Door of the City Hall – Acquaviva delle Fonti, Puglia (Italy)

A few years ago I led a group of Americans traveling to Puglia, Italy with me. I took them off the beaten tourist path for a surprising glimpse in the Italian living style of the locals.

“Driving through the countryside of Bari in early afternoon is such a pleasant activity. Nobody is on the two-lanes provincial road, we don’t have to wait for the herd of sheep to complete their outing, and neither we have to stay behind a car waiting to make a move until the incoming traffic on the other side has passed, as we would in a different time of the day. The road is all ours and “Mimmo Lovely” (tour manager) wants to amuse us while driving. He can make music using only his lips, I mean he can be the musical instrument himself, or a full orchestra. He has an exceptional talent in imitating a trombone, a saxophone or a violin and I am sure, if sometimes he feels alone, he can start his own music just by using those vibrating lips. It is after lunch and he is trying to keep us awake while we are reaching our next destination.
At this hour in the afternoon sleepy feeling will attack easily, after all, we had a two hours lunch, good wines, and the sun is low in the sky, beating on us in the car. We are being cradled gently.

It seems we have arrived. The town is Acquaviva delle Fonti and a food demonstration is going on in the courtyard of the City Hall. Oh no, I believe we will eat again! I am a bread lover, there is a crusty home-made bread on display, how can I resist a sample of that huge country bread I see on the table, yellow inside and crusty outside? The dipping olive oil to taste is green and stings the tongue, it is peppery at the right point without having any presence of chili pepper.

The food demonstration is happening in the atrium of the City Hall designed in a neoclassical architecture. My attention’s focus is now switched to architectural details, stairs, heave, walls and a beautiful mosaic floor.

The name Acquaviva delle Fonti comes from the union of two words Acqua (water) and Viva (live), it refers to the abundance of spring water running in the sub terrain that made the land a very fertile valley. The town is known for the production of the sweetest red-purple onion, celebrated every July with a country festival during which vendors show off varieties of their onion pies.

The ceiling in the Mayor’s office decorated in the 1700s is incredibly beautiful and the mosaic design on the floor looks like an area rug. What a privilege to work here every day, breathing antiquity and art!” (excerpt from my book: “The Road To Top Of The World“).

The building of Adelfia’s City Hall goes back many centuries, the door is an elegant neoclassic example of entry to a noble home and here is just part of the ceiling in the Mayor’s office.

San Antion is offering a Thursday Door Challenge, come on over and learn stories behind doors in the world. Ciao.
Valentina
Amazon Author’s Page

Leopard Door

16 Sep 2022 12 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #HomeDecor, #InteriorDesign, #LeopardPrintDoor, #OriginalHomeStyle, #PersonalizedDecor

I have been a salmon swimming up stream all my life, the common thinking has never touched me, and conformism never interested me. Not being like everybody else has not been easy, at times I thought I caused my own challenges. Luckily those thoughts only lasted a few minutes and came to my senses.

I have always lived in original homes with beautiful views and when the architecture wasn’t what I wanted, I created originality with home décor. Here, I present you my new entry door painted in a blue leopard print. I took me one week to paint it but the results gave me a great satisfaction and I feel to have been repaid for all the efforts.

I go in and out that door and feel a huge surprise every time. I can almost hear the screaming of a realtor if one day I will decide to sell this house, rest assured it is not going to happen anytime soon.

To top it all, I marked my territory with my initial on a wrought iron piece. What’s your reaction to the leopard door?

Dan Antion is still offering this Thursday Door Challenge. Please visit with us and discover many stories beyond beautiful doors in the world.
Ciao.
Valentina
Amazon Author’s Page

Doors in Slovenija

11 Aug 2022 10 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #AustrianSecessionArchitecture, #EuropeTravel, #LjubljanaSlovenia, #LjubljanicaRiver, #ThursdayDoorChallenge

This year, I had a chance to go on vacation with my sister. We had not had that pleasure in two years during lockdown. She lives in Italy and I live in California, not only an ocean divides us, many other new government rules, pandemics and world disasters keep us distant. We planned to meet in Trieste, the Italian region of Friuli on my way to Italy from America and one stop in Germany, then we would proceed to Slovenija.

Ljubljana – Photo by my sister Cristina Cirasola

We went to Ljubljana, the capital of the Slovenia Republic. The country is part of the Schengen Area and even though the population is made of Slavic people, it certainly comprises a mixture of more European cultures. It borders with Italy, Austria, Hungary, Croatia and faces the Adriatic Sea, waters so familiar to me, thus the city has a bit of customs from the bordering countries. As one might notice in the photo above, the architecture is made of arched doors Italian style, Austrian décor around the windows and colors of Hungary.

In the photo below, we can admire the classic order of the Italian architecture, such as windows with pediments and key stones, all in the same line, designed in the same shape, arched entry doors at the bottom and the red rooves of buildings of Eastern Europe. To complete the picture, a typical round fountain is placed in the center of a piazza just like any European city.

Piazza in the center Ljubljana – Photo by my sister Cristina Cirasola

A beautiful Austrian secession architecture beautifies the downtown city of Ljubljana.

Downtown Ljubljana – Photo by my sister Cristina Cirasola

I have noticed the influence of the surrounding European countries in fashion, food, and various merchandise with a huge difference in lower prices. In fact, Italians and people in the Schengen Area can cross borders without passports, due to this benefit they can shop and buy gasoline in Ljubljana at much lower prices than they can in their own country.

Ljubljanica River – Photo by my sister Cristina Cirasola

We concluded the visit with a ride on the Ljubljanica River admiring the picturesque bridges dated back to the Roman Empire’s time, enjoying the river banks lined with lively cafes and interesting architecture of the 19th Century.

Traveling is like reading a book from cover to cover, I bring back a lot of memories and a wish to be able to see my family again.

I am participating in the Thursday Door Challenge by Dan Antion where we can learn about customs and people in the world. Come and visit with us. Ciao,
Valentina
Amazon Author’s Page

Copyright © 2022 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved