Author Archives: Virginia Merlini

I FOUND HER! As Blanche DuBois says “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers”. I went back to Torre di Santa Maria today to continue looking for the enthroned Madonna indentified in the article I was sent by the retired director of Valtellina history. Although I hypothesized yesterday that the 17th-century Madonna IContinue reading “CONTRADA BIANCHI – la Madonna in trono con Bambino”

My search for Wall Madonna’s in the Valmalenco began in Torre di Santa Maria. I knew from research that – somewhere – and if lucky – I would find an ancient Madonna Enthroned in this small village or in one of its frazioni. The Valmalenco is a valley that is considered part of the ValtellinaContinue reading “TORRE DI SANTA MARIA – The Madonna’s of Vincenzo de Barberis”

MADONNA OF THE DAY! Another Alfaedo Wall Madonna for you! My fresco finding skills have definitely improved as I now know that I must search between rows of old houses. Alfaedo has one main street and on the valley side there is one row of houses. On the mountain side though there is a doubleContinue reading “ALFAEDO – the Wall Madonna of Gotardo Borellini”

ALFAEDO – this tiny, ancient frazione is reached from Selvetta and belongs to Forcola on the River Adda. At 803 meters above the valley floor, Alfaedo is considered a mid-mountain town. No one has lived here year-round since the 19th-century. I almost forwent a visit because I had already spent the day walking to andContinue reading “ALFAEDO – Wall Madonna of the day!”

Yesterday I searched for Wall Madonna’s in three frazioni of Morbegno on SP8 – the Strada Proviciale that leads to the Passo San Marco. In Albaredo per San Marco I found a fresco in a context which crystallized for me my passion for this art that is its own language. So – for your pleasureContinue reading “ALBAREDO PER SAN MARCO – a foundation for a passion!”

This is a post precipitated by a life change and a visit to a friend in Brauneberg, Germany. Wall Madonna’s are not the theme but they are the motivation. I hope you find the art interesting! After 20 years of teaching college classes online, I resigned my position as one of the Wal-Mart workers ofContinue reading “The Madonna ‘head-tilt’”

ESINO LARIO is 913 meters above Lake Como in the Valsassina and about 2.7 miles from the shore as the crow flies. It is also an 8 mile drive from the nearest train station and – with the very few buses that visit the village each day – without a car one needs to beContinue reading “ESINO LARIO – pretty mountain valley town above Lake Como”

Desco is a very small frazione of Morbegno – across the Adda River and facing the eastern-most side of Talamona – with what was once a fabulous view of the river that is now scarred by a large quarry. This 50-house – 101-person village is perched precipitously on the side of a mountain where aContinue reading “DESCO – a tiny family town!”

Because I was in the commune of Montemezzo to revisit the 16th-century frescoes by Aurelio Luini in the 14th-century parish church of San Martino, I decided to explore a nearby frazione – Burano. Actually, I wanted to get above the church to take a photograph. To do that I walked up the old mulatierra thatContinue reading “BURANO – frazione of Montemezzo”