Maestro d'Arte... Carlo Marchiori...

 Color! Venetian born artist Carlo Marchiori sees the world through the language of color and reinterprets it in his eclectic pieces of art.

Located at the northern end of the Napa Valley in Calistoga, California- Carlo has his studio open to the public Thurs-Mon.

Carlo creates in both one and three dimensional mediums-paintings, ceramics, sculptures, furniture and watercolors. Don't worry, if you see something you like, you can order on line

In 1999, I was in the Venice train station and this magazine cover caught my eye...this was my first exposure to Carlo Marchiori.

Opening the pages, I found an incredible article on the artist along with pictures of his home.

Remember, this was 1999, we didn't even have a computer in our home yet...my Italian was not that good and I assumed this was an article on an Italian artist with his villa in Italy.

A few years later (computer installed in home now) I was on line searching some art references. I remembered the magazine and did a search on Carlo's name.

Bingo! There was a book! And he now lives in the U.S.!  I called the number listed on the web site and ordered the book. Carlo himself answered the phone when I placed the order.

When my daughter moved to San Francisco, I planned a visit to meet Carlo and take my daughter to see his incredible world.

Carlo has created a world reminiscent of Rome and Venice on his five acres in the Napa valley. The land has olive and eucalyptus trees, natural mineral springs and a climate similar to the Veneto area he grew up in. Marchiori designed his villa and gardens himself and is still adding to the illusion.

The interior walls are painted floor to ceiling in Italianate references.

Bacchus, Pompeii, Trojan horses,grottos, pulcinella-they are all here. When interviewed for California Style magazine, Carlo said- “I return home and enter my own dream world,” he says. “It’s a fantasy, and it’s my reality. I wake up, and I can be in 16th-century Vicenza. My spirit is uplifted. It’s the best way to start the day. It’s like living inside a painting.” •

On the way out of town, we rounded out the trip with a visit to the Del Dotto winery.

Del Dotto is an opulent winery with marble columns, mosaic floors and fantastic murals painted by Carlo!

You can view the winery's opulent tasting room in the video below.

The upper border Carlo painted features wine being aged in amphora clay vessels-Roman style.

The mantle wall is the focal point of the room with its floor to ceiling mural.

This fall, I look forward to the arrival of my 2009 clay vessel Zinfandel fermented as the Romans once practiced!

Also, here is a link to a great blog-Art and Alfalfa-Gina had her home built by the same architects that designed Ca'Toga!