Dali Exhibit in Sorrento, Italy

This was my last travel day and I wanted to check out Sorrento.  What I actually did in Sorrento is pretty opposite of what I had expected.  If you followed my last post on Pompeii, then you know that I took the train going to Sorrento and hopped off on Pompeii.  So obviously to get to Sorrento, you just wait till the very last stop on the train.  It took about an hour to get there from the train station.  Very easy though. 

I rated Sorrento high in a lot of categories

Arriving in Sorrento, I expected that I would see similar cliffside villages to the ones in Capri.  And they have that.  But what I didn't realize was that it wasn't available right off of the train station, you had to walk quite a distance or take a bus.  I didn't have too much time to spend in Sorrento before class started so I decided to head towards the shopping area which was only a few blocks from the train station. 

Being that this was towards the end of my trip, I didn't want to spent too much money.  They had some awesome looking clothing and accessory stores.  But I kept walking.  I stopped to take some pictures inside of this gorgeous church.  I really loved the blue and green color combinations and haven't seen those colors in a church yet.

 I walked a little further and happened upon this beautiful Italian villa, called Villa Fiorentino..  I didn't know what it was for but I had to check it out.  I walked inside, and to my surprise, there was a Salvador Dali exhibit going on called Dali Universe. Exhibit meaning, only there for a limited time! Studying Spanish in high school and college, I've learned quite a lot about Dali, so I was excited to see some of his original works.

This isn't the first time I had seen an exhibit of Dali's works.  Years ago, I saw another one with many of his undiscovered painting and drawinsg at an exhibit in Philadelphia.  So what are the odds I'd randomly see another one in Sorrento of all places?  But, the two exhibits I saw were very different.  In Philadelphia it was all about pictures and painting, with a lot of penises and vaginas (mostly penises).  It was a bit disturbing, but overall I appreciate Dali's Surrealist vision.  No matter how old they get, they still somehow appear very modern.  They aren't stuffy and boring.  Even Dali's life is very interesting.  A Spanish born artist, he is skilled not only painting but several mediums including illustrations, sculptures, glass, gold, and even furniture!!!

 

 

If you ever get a chance to read about his life, it is really interesting.  Here are some fun facts:

• There is controversy surrounding the way he died.  Some people say it was a result of his wife Gala, slowly poisoning him...Ouch. 
• He was a very flamboyant character especially in the public eye. 
• He was scared of grasshoppers...
• "The Persistence of Memory" is his most famous painting (the one with the melting clocks)
•  He was named after his dead brother
• His obsession with drawing surreal sexual images probably stems from his his fathers persistence that Dali not contract a disease.
• "The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot."-Dali

Here are his works in glass.

View of Sorrento outside of the Villa

I am kind of obsessed with this Surrealist furniture set and I wonder what others he has done.  I'll have to look into this.  Doesn't this look like super modern furniture?  I'd love to have this in my home!

Some images of Dali

 

After visiting the exhibit, I had some homemade lasagna for lunch at one of the outdoor cafes.  I stopped in a Gelateria for some limoncello flavored gelato, which was amazing, and of course I had to grab a bottle of limoncello to take home. Perfect day.

Would have loved to take these sunglasses home!

If I had more time in Sorrento, I would have gone to shore and taken a stroll there.  Sorrento a great spot to do some shopping or get some great shots.  And the exhibit was a great surprise.

Last Stop: Dinner in Downtown Naples

Any more fun facts you know about Dali?

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