Versilia Cafe » Versilia

Neal Barabar sculpture in Forte dei Marmi (Lucca)

grazia — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:41:51 +0000

From July 4 to September 27 the Hotel Byron in Forte dei Marmi opens again its doors to the world of culture and contemporary art with an exhibition of sculptures created specifically for these areas by the Californian Neal Barabar.
There are approximately ten pieces placed in the garden and in some rooms with the intention of bringing the public to know better and better a large community of national and international artists working and living around Pietrasanta.
Neal Barabar works in his studio in Pescarella between Pietrasanta and Forte dei Marmi, with other artists working in marble. The study is a short walk from many laboratories in the area. This allows him to have many types of marble from the quarries from both local and those imported from around the world.
The marble used for the works presented has strong, deep, warm and superimposed colours so to make possible to achieve vertical compositions of different forms. In some works as the Marble Mini Ping forms are derived from diamonds superimposed on each other.
Barabar Neal has never used a marble of a single type, for example, the typical white Carrara marble.
He believes that the rich colour that is obtained by mixing colours gives another dimension to the sculpture, it’s almost like painting with the stone. The most used marble are the Turkish leopard, also known as Raggio di Luna, the China ming green marble, similar to jade, the Portuguese pink marble with inserts of large crystals.
A hotel as an area of exposure? Yes, this is an alternative to galleries and museums, provides a different accessibility of the public. The hotel is akind of alternative house. You can live with art, you can play and interact, which in a gallery or a museum would not be possible.
The physical dimensions of the interior of Byron Hotel and the inability to use a forklift created problems in putting large-scale sculptures made all of one piece, so the artist has opted for the solution to link into various components, which were then were assembled on site, thus giving rise to a surprising monumentality in such intimate spaces, especially inside the rooms.
Neal Barabar, after studying at the University of California, Santa Cruz, since 1987 lives and works in Pietrasanta, home to many international artists and sculptors who have created in this corner of Versilia their open studios. Many of his works are in public and private collections in California, Germany, China and Sweden and also in Italy.
Hotel Byron is situated on Lungomare di Forte dei Marmi, a short walk from the famous Capannina. The hotel has been drawn from the union of two liberty villas. These villas have been for many years a meeting point of the nobility associated with the Savoy and later were used as a hotel but retaining its original characteristics.
Byron Hotel
www.hotelbyron.net
Viale A. Morin 46
Forte dei Marmi
0039 0584 787052
info@hotelbyron.net
entrance free from 10.00 to 20.00.

Hotel la Pace in Forte dei Marmi

luca — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 10:54:54 +0000

The hotel is 200 metres from the sea and in centre but still, its complete absence of noises and its big garden welcomes you in a very peaceful and dreamy environment.

Learn Italian at the seaside in Viareggio

luca — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 08:36:24 +0000

The italian language school “Istituto Linguistico Mediterraneo” organizes all the year round Italian Language and Culture Courses to learn italian in Viareggio.

The school is recognized by the Italian Ministry of Education, the Swedish CSN and is member of ASILS, the Association of Schools of Italian as a Second Language that guarantees the quality of the courses.

The schools is not only a place where one can follow entertaining and high quality lessons, but also a place where students can enjoy pleasant moments of socialization. On the first day, after the test, the students are invited to visit the town under the guidance of a teacher. The school also organizes a small party during the first week and, during the summer, some night parties on the beach.

So the students are able to get to know each other and feel part of a group of friends rather than tourists. At our school there is a relaxed and familiar environment thanks to a friendly staff. The secretary is also permanently available to provide information about leisure activities as well as to help with bureaucratic problems.

ILM offers a wide range of different italian language programs from our popular standard language course to individual tuition, cookery course and Wine-tasting course. People from all over the world come here to learn the italian language and to study the italian culture and way of living.

The Courses

On the first day of a course each student is carefully assessed by means of an entry test so as to place him or her in a group that is suited to his/her knowledge of the Italian language.
The groups of students are on average small (6-7 students) with a maximum of 12 students per class.
There are eight levels from absolute beginner to advanced. The lessons take place from Monday to Friday, normally in the morning.
The cost of the course includes: lessons, course entry test and certificate of attendance, teaching materials, booking of accomodation, help with applications for visa and residence permit, some social activities organized by the school, the showing of films.

Istituto Linguistico Mediterraneo
http://www.ilm.it

Via XX Settembre N°39 – Viareggio
Phone +39 333 6460640

Head Office: Via C. Battisti, 3 C.P. 209 – I-56100 Pisa
Phone +39 050 500399
Fax +39 050 48157

mail: info@ilm.it

Historical Versilia

info — Sat, 14 Jan 2006 19:19:00 +0000

Small map of Versilia

Versilia occupies the north-western part of Tuscany, between the ridge of the Apuan Alps and the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The historic territory of Versilia is divided into the administrative Communes of Pietrasanta, Forte di Marmi, Seravezza and Stazzema.

Nowaday, the term “Versilia” includes also the communes of Massarosa, Camaiore and Viareggio.