The church in the woods and the open air park
The Sanctuary of the Santissima on the Livenza River during the #italiagrandsketchingtour.
Thanks to a talk with the waitress in the bar in Polcenigo, I discovered the existence of this incredible park, a pure nature gateway linked to the Livenza river that passes in this area.
The river rises in Friuli, on the border with the Veneto region, where the first karst spring can be found, the Gorgazzo, which gushes out from a hollow at the foot of the Cansiglio plateau. The area around here is presumably a funnel that is filled by waters from the plateau above and it is thought that there must be a large underground basin that replenishes it. But researches still couldn’t prove it.
The beautiful nature deeply inspired me
This is an intensely magical place on account of the brilliant blue water, the bright green vegetation and the sense of mystery that surrounds the cave. Not far off, near the holy sanctuary of the Santissima, lies the second Livenza spring. It has a substantial flow and the water gushes constantly from the limestone rock.
Around the area an open air cultural park was built, with open air installations that create an art exhibition with works from all over the world along the way. A place that I spent much time taking picture at. The beautiful nature deeply inspired me. Maybe toward creating a series of works that connects nature and art, and combine the two in a harmonious way, to celebrate the beauty of nature and to foster its safeguarding. A project that is now in my drawer, let’s see when I will be able to open and tackle it.
The Sanctuary itself is a very sacred place, and its surrounding show it. If the actual church dates back “only” few centuries, its position is confirmed to be an ancient space for sacred rituals along all the millennial history of the area.
Title of the painting ‘The Sanctuary of the Santissima on the Livenza River’
This is a painting from the Italia Grand Sketching Tour Collection, a series of original ink and watercolor paintings done on location during my tour to discovery the marvelous Italian heritage. All paintings are also available as numbered and originally signed prints.
The painting is also featured in the book about my motorbike Italian tour. By acquiring this work you will get to know better Italy also thanks to a personalized story about this place that I will include in the package.
Painting information:
- Watercolor and ink on white paper
- Size 19 x 28.5 cm (7.5 x 11.2 inches)
- Shipped in a box
- Certificate of authenticity will be sent with the painting
