An art cafe surrounded by mountains

Pictures of Sina Shangpin, a coffee shop of warm art

Introduction: Vigolo Vattaro, a small town with a population of 2000 in Italy, is surrounded by mountains. Young Ms. Luana runs a small shop full of artistic atmosphere according to her personal taste.

Ten kilometers southeast of Trentino Alto Adige in northern Italy, there is a small town of 2000 people, Vigolo Vattaro. Surrounded by mountains (Vigolana Chain at 2150 meters in the south and Marzola at 1738 meters in the north), it stands alone on the plateau at 700 meters above sea level. Most of the locals work nearby or work in the fields, and they are best at growing corn and apples. One of the most historical is the "Caf é del Glicine" surrounded by giant wisteria.

For nearly a year and a half, the young Ms. Luana ran the shop according to her personal taste: the walls were painted as jujube, orange and apple green as Bordeaux wine. These leaping colors are in sharp contrast to the usual pallor. Maybe because of this wall, maybe because of Luana, I suddenly came up with the idea of planning some art activities in a cafe, and I firmly believe that anyone should have the right to enjoy art freely (no need to go to museums or galleries). This right is a unique Italian tradition, not to mention that we have such a suitable environment that can be filled with any form of work of art.

A few months ago, I asked Luana through the bartender if he could hold an exhibition on her site. She agreed at once, though we didn't have time to get to know each other. The first show began at the end of April, when Zhu Julan, a young artist from Shanghai, China, exhibited his traditional landscape paintings. The mountain people finally had a chance to face the world beyond the mountains, and they were stunned by the huge contrast. At the end of June, Filippo Romano, a household photographer in Italy, held a film festival entitled "lato mare" here, which includes two sets of pictures taken by the sea.

One group was taken in Trieste (Italy) and the other in San Francisco. He printed his image on the page, the kind of school notepad we used when we were kids. This makes images more intimate with human beings. For any visitor who wants to get close to Wisteria Cafe, all they have to do is order a cup of red wine or coffee. Displaying the best works of art in cafes and letting people communicate, share, get to know each other and be understood without specific goals is an experience that I would like to continue. It gives constant excitement to those who want to enjoy the images on the wall in a more subtle and unconscious way.