Today we meet Monsieur Zanatta's charming assistant, Madame Evelyne Sauvage - and her dog! He wouldn't want to fall off the scaffolding but then obviously he's used to sitting happily alongside his owner whilst she does her delicate and beautiful work.
The main work was done by Viotti & Soulier of Monaco and today we see Monsieur François Zanatta, the brilliant décorateur fresquiste (frescoist decorator) at work - a true artist. You'll meet him again, of course.
These photos were taken in the middle and end of July - the red hanging is to protect the work from the intense summer heat - and the workers!
Tomorrow, we'll meet Monsieur Zanatta's assistant.
It's a month later. Yesterday's photos were taken in May - these in June. The background colours are on and if you look carefully at the top left hand corner of the facade, you can see the trompe l'oeil taking shape. This is shown in close-up below.
The artist works from the design in the smaller photo.
This shot of the church was taken one evening when we all went in and listened to the blissful strings of Arco Musica - click on the link.
The surface is now finished - the final coats are based on lime and powdered Carrera marble. All the preparation has been done as it would have been in the 17th century.
The facade has had the right amount of time to dry, which, because of our incredibly heavy spring rains this year, put everything back by two months. During this time the facade was covered by heavy plastic fixed over the scaffolding.
The framework of the windows is in place.
Below you see the design that was chosen and over the next days we'll meet the artisan, and his assistant, who will be creating the trompe l'oeil - you see him on the scaffolding. Meanwhile, he has tested the colours - top photo.
The other evening Gorbio celebrated the inauguration and blessing of the new church facade but we are going back to the beginning - six months ago - so we can see each step of the work in progress and at the end, we'll see an incredible work of art.
Gorbio's church (the photo below shows it before the renovation) was built in 1694 but, at the time, the village was poor and the masons, who came from Sospel, were never fully paid and so the facade was never finished.
Last year, the inhabitants of the commune of Gorbio (the village and the valley) were given the chance to vote on one of six designs. Tomorrow I'll show you the winning design.
In the main photo and the small photo (taken in April), the render has been removed, right back to the original stone. Now the facade is being covered in several layers of enduit (a special coating) ready for the artisan to start his work on the trompe l'oeil design.
Do come back tomorrow...
Place du Cap at 8 p.m. The nights are getting shorter. At the Bar du Cap you can have a drink before dinner or stay for the evening and eat - they serve simple good food - and very cheap.
It's easy to walk past this doorway in the village of Gorbio but if you notice it, wonders await.
The sign says Crèche Animée which means 'animated crib.' You put your hand through the bars, flick the switch and suddenly the lights come on and the village is alive - the children go up and down on a seesaw, the angel above the crib moves back and forth waving her light, the baker puts his bread in the oven, the cows get milked etc etc.
The ironwork gate is backed by a piece of clear perspex leaving just one small space for the hand to flick the switch or place the lens of a camera, so not easy to photograph.
This nativity scene, created by one of the villagers, Monsieur René Zumerli, is in place all year round and you can throw a coin onto the floor to help cover the cost of electricity if you wish.
Lunch on the terrace of Le Beausejour restaurant in Gorbio - and it's raining. Rather than moving inside, this gentleman decided to use his umbrella...
It always surprises me how many glasses can be held in one hand. This waitress has already placed two on the table and her right hand is still loaded.
Le Balico in Place aux Herbes was my favourite Menton restaurant for the nearly 20 years I've lived here so I'm really sad that the owners, Franck and Anne-Marie have sold the place.
Sadly a place is never the same with a change in ownership and without a patron on the premises.
This lady looks as if she is posing for a photograph, doesn't she? In fact she was in conversation with friends whilst waiting for an exhibition to open at the gardens of La Serre de La Madone.
Summer is almost over but a few visitors remain. It's 22h00 at a bar near Place du Cap.
This is for my friend Catherine in Paris who remembers this bar when it was called l'Alba.
We're at the 20th Journées Méditerrranéennes du Jardin at a stall selling garden ornaments. You don't really expect to see a couple of cranes or a stag in Menton!
In the photo we are looking towards Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.
Hibiscus in the Old Town.
'Beautiful and brief
Is your stay above
The late summer leaf . . .'
~ Agnes Ware
Yesterday and today Menton celebrates the 20th Journées Méditerrranéennes du Jardin - a massive garden fair held on the Esplanade Francis Palmero in Menton.
One section is devoted to children - here we see designs created by kindergarten children and topped by the flower-pot man.
An old mill in Gorbio - currently undergoing restoration as a private dwelling. There are several mills around here, restored, but not used for their original purpose.
Thanks to my friend Don (The BOOTboys) who helped me clamber up two steep levels to get this shot and more importantly, get down to the track again!
A policeman in Ventimiglia, just across the Italian border. A reminder that the beauty and tranquillity of the French and Italian Rivieras sometimes gets disrupted.
This beautiful tapestry was made by a famous Parisian company called Gobelins in the 17th century. It was created for Louis XIVth and is part of a series called 'The History of Alexander.'
It hangs in the Museum of Beaux Arts in the Palais Carnoles in Menton.
'Who among us hasn't envied a cat's ability to ignore the cares of daily life and to relax completely?
~ Karen Brademeyer
The decorative friezes below the eaves of houses in Menton, Monaco and the hill villages were the work of Italian experts in fresco and stucco. Between 1860 and 1930, more than 200 friezes unfolded their abundance of fruit and flowers in lively scrolls. Neoclassical or more eclectic in style, some of these friezes have decorative elements showing cornucopia, griffons, putti or even gambolling rabbits.
This house is in the medieval village of Gorbio.
You can see another frieze by clicking on the link.
This rather strange sculpture is to be found in the gardens of the Palais Carnoles in Menton.
It's called 'Question d'Arome' (Question of Aroma) and was created by the sculptor, Sacha Sosno in 1996. Click on the link to read about this well known local artist.
Stéphane Montalto is a well-known Riviera ceramist and potter, originally working in Menton but now at his workshop in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.
And it isn't only beautiful pots that he is famous for. A while back he discovered the archives of Saissi, an important ceramics company of the last century. Saissi was a Menton enterprise with more than 100 employees who created beautiful balustrades, cabochons and bowls using the particularly beautiful pale turquoise we see around Menton and Monaco. Using the traditions of Saissi, Stéphane works restoring many of the Belle Epoque villas of the region. You can see more of Stéphane and his balustrades and large pots in the colour I'm talking about by clicking HERE.
Stéphane's work is installed in many parts of Monaco, including the Japanese Garden and St. Martin's Garden on Le Rocher. His work has been shown in many different exhibitions and he's won many awards. And he's such a nice gentle man. Today's photos were taken at one of Menton's art markets near to Place du Cap.
Logs, ready for winter and framed by a pink oleander, are piled up outside a house in the medieval village of Gorbio.
