Festa Veneziana a Ca’Toga: The Imaginative World of a Venetian Artist in Napa Valley
by Carlo Marchiori
In the serene Northern California town of Calistoga, a splendid villa is fronted by stately wrought-iron gates and a small sign reading “Carlo Marchiori, Maestro d’Arte.” Ca’toga, as the Palladian-style villa is named, is the home and workshop of Carlo Marchiori, a world-renowned Venice-born artist. In Festa Veneziana A Ca’toga, Marchiori serves as tour guide, leading us room by room through this live portfolio, providing deeply personal and mysterious explanations for the wonders that abound in his gallery-like residence. 16th-century-style frescoes hang in the main salon, hand-painted stone floors accent the library, and antler and bone sculptures embellish the Native American room. Roman ruins, Thai temples, a seashell-encrusted grotto, and an open-air theater sit in archaic splendor on this dreamscape-turned-landscape. A spontaneous and creative expression of his life and work, Ca’toga is Marchiori’s artistic utopia-a work in progress that is a brilliant spectacle to behold.