Having lived in Russia for 12 years, Marco and his wife, Daniela, have invested a lot to make the small town of Tarusa in the Kaluga region a real center for art and culture, restoring an art school for children, building a private culture house for concerts and setting up the modern art expos, as well as introducing Italian mosaics into Russian culture and everyday life.
Together with Marco, we dive into the forgotten art of Italian mosaics and explore the extraordinary world of beauty that the artist creates every day with his own hands. "In Russia, I’ve found something that I can’t even put in words: the freedom to express myself and a lot of inspiration that comes from Tarusa, the city of poets and artists, the Russian intelligentsia."
Daniela Bravura recalls that Russia came into her life due to Italian poet and writer Tonino Guerra, who had a lot of Russian friends, whom she would often meet and take on guided tours. She admits adoring Russian culture and still remembers the first time she saw a Russian church and its iconostasis.
Together with Marco, we visit the residence of Vassily Polenov, the famous Russian artist, and draw parallels between the Italian modern artist of our days living in Russia and the Russian painting classics of those who settled in the region around 100 years ago.
Being born in Ravenna, the capital of Byzantine mosaics, Marco was drawn to this kind of art from the very beginning. He began to study mosaic art there and then continued his education at the art academy in Venice, where he lived for 20 years. After years of travelling and working around the world, Marco found himself in Russia. The result of this experiment is available in our new documentary series. Enjoy!