MAPPING TUSCANY

American art collector and world traveler Eli Portnoy reminded me to  make time this summer for a visit at the Chianti Sculpture Park. Here's why (in Eli's words): Italian family friends from Venice introduced me a few weeks ago to the Sculpture Park and Performance Center of Chianti in the small town of Pievasciata 8 miles north of Siena. A true cultural gem not well known apart from a few European tourists and Tuscan locals. It’s a bit off the beaten track (part of the road is actually dirt), but I was delighted by what was at the end of the drive. Glass Labyrinth at Chianti Sculpture Park

Etruscans, Romans, the Renaissance -  Tuscany is chock-full of art and architecture, but where is all the recent and contemporary stuff?  Niki de Saint-Phalle's Sculpture Park  lies near Capalbio in the southernmost angle of Tuscany right on the border of Lazio (the region Rome belongs to).  And finally all that way down one will encounter the 20th century thanks to the imagination and mastery of this French-American artist. Not only the children will love it!  Bumtastic - Niki de Saint-Phalle in Capalbio The Swiss artist  Jean Tinguely  contributed some of his famous machine sculptures to the park, and yes, the two of them had quite a love affair going on. Think about that one when you visit the fairy tale house Niki lived in (I still wonder whether all those mirrors were her or his idea). Another Swiss contributor to the Tarot Garden is Mario Botta. The star architect from Southern Switzerland designed the beautiful entrance and muse...