Latest commission

Another wedding present featuring trips all over the world
with a fabulous house in via Malpighi, to come home to.
Known as Casa Galimberti, it was designed in 1905 by the
architect Giovanni Battista Bossi for the Galimberti brothers.
It's in an interesting bit of Milan, around Porta Venezia, where
some of the best Art Nouveau (Liberty in Italian) buildings are
to be found. These sprang up at the beginning of the 20th
century when the "Lazzaretto", the hospital complex that dealt
with suffers during frequent outbreaks of the plague was
almost completely demolished. 
As Shakespeare so neatly puts it,
"Journeys end in lovers meeting".

Thanks Will!

2014 in Piazza Leonardo - think B I G !

Starting the new year with exciting developments
in Piazza Leonardo here in Milan. You will now find the box
(which you can see here in the photo), with the map and key
explaining the "1000 cose da fare..." project in lots of shops
and bars around the square.
Everyone has been so enthusiastic! Many many thanks to all
the people who have accepted our invitation! Here they are,
near the faculty of Architecture:
Valentina Stefanoni at the Cortina bookshop and Luigi Antonino
at La Dolce Sosta in via Ampère, and the very helpful but very shy
man who runs the newspaper stand on via Bonardi.
On the other side of the square in via Pascoli:
Tiziana Cortina and Sara Caruso at the Cortina bookshop
Alessandro Vendola at New Brand Cafè, and
the gang at Matricola.
We'll be going along in the next few days to see how they're
getting on. Please pick up the map from one of these places if
you use Piazza Leonardo and give us your ideas.
The success of the project hangs on the number of people
who participate and it's a great opportunity to think B I G -
you have nothing to loose!

Christmas is nearly here

Illustration for La Repubblica, Christmas
as celebrated by Massimo Bottura at his mother's house.

And We Did with Anais Nin

A reflection on the habit of keeping and collecting objects,
particularly rife in my family, inspired by a book called
“Looking in Junk Shops” which my father gave to my mother
for Christmas in 1963. She certainly did. One of her great
pleasures was buying all sorts of bits of china, often chipped
or cracked which she mended and used in her paintings.
A contrasting point of view from Anais Nin serves as a bookmark.

Tapirulan time again

Back on the magic carpet again (more fun than conveyor
belt and much more fun than treadmill!), this time off to
the Garden of Eden of all places! It's hard to believe that
a year has passed. Actually I nearly didn't make it to
number 9 because I've been busy but, luckily I squeezed
in, through the giant box hedge, at about 8.30pm on the
last day - here's mine, showing the empty garden that
everyone has left, while the other 700 or so are here:
http://bit.ly/1cR7WZA

'Piano piano' as they say here

Here's what's been happening recently in
Piazza Leonardo da Vinci:
I'm working on the map and key to the first 99 things,
there are several comments on the Politecnico blog
(http://smartplanpolimi.wordpress.com/) and Ivana has
started making a video!!
Meanwhile, back in the square, some of the numbers
are fading, others are practically hidden by beautifully
coloured autumn leaves and some are as bright as the
day we put them there!
This must be 'work in progress'.

New commission

For a wedding this time, on the 4th October.
A present of two rather beautiful quotes.
Viva gli sposi!!