Two years ago I traveled to Sicily to attend a cousin's wedding. At that time I was struggling with my own creative life as an artist.
The wedding was located at a mountainside town overlooking the ocean and the most active volcano in the world. The ceremony took place at an historical five star hotel in Taormina, Sicily. It turns out the hotel had an amazing history. It started out as a haven for beginning artists back in the 1800’s. Otto Geleng, a twenty year old Prussian painter, discovered it. He rented a room at the then La Floresta house. His paintings eventually inspired many other European artists to seek out this magical location. The La Floresta family turned their modest house into a hotel for visiting tourists, many of them artists and writers including: J. Wolgang Goethe, Oscar Wilde, DH Lawrence, Luigi Pirandello, Somerset Maugham and later on Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote.
Upon leaving the reception I spoke to the concierge. He took me down a narrow hallway and showed me Otto Geleng’s original painting of the view from the hotel. It was the original work that inspired so many to travel to Taormina. He also gifted me with a lovely book about the history of the hotel. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that the wedding would be located in a place that had such an inspiring history. Look for places that inspire your creativity. I really believe that you will be led on your journey of discovery of your true self and your gift of creativity.
“When you arrive in Taormina, you almost feel daunted by its thousand year old history, which you can feel in every nook and cranny; then, you breathe in the perfumes of jasmine and orange-blossom and suddenly you realize you have come home forever.”” - Mario Bolognari
To find out more about art inspired by the Sicilian culture visit: starhousetreasures@instagram.com