Wednesday, April 25, 2007

New Coffee Hour Drawing


This is my latest coffee hour drawing from which I began a painting today. The drawing is a view of a vineyard from Il Castello di Verrazzano. The lighting is truly spectacular in Chianti and the drawing depicts the strong contrasts and rolling hills. Just wait until you see the color in the painting! Though not owned by Il Castello di Verrazzano, it was a remarkable view from the winery.

Il Castello di Verrazzano was originally owned by the Verrazzano family of Italy. Giovanni da Verrazzano, owner of the vineyard, was the first European to enter the Bay of New York, hence the Verrazano Bridge named for him. As I discovered, the Verrazano Bridge is missing a "z" because it was named for the 15th century spelling of Verrazzano. According to the guide who took us on a tour of the winery, New York City gave the castle stones that were used in the building of the bridge and are now displayed outside the house.

We spent several hours touring the grounds and then eating an eight course meal with a sampling of all of their wines, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.

No comments: