Italy's Riviera.

A few years ago Sandy Starr dreamt she owned an art gallery in Italy. At that time she was working as an interior design consultant — a fertile training ground for what lay ahead.

Then last year, while working at the Monterey Art Gallery in Howick, the opportunity to purchase the business presented itself and while Monterey was a long way from Milan, it was as if some of her dream was coming true.

Although Sandy’s vision of owning an Italian gallery hasn’t yet come to fruition, two months ago she did travel to Italy. Together with husband Jonny, she embarked on a four-week holiday to the Mecca of European art history, or rather a turbo-charged tour taking in as much of the history, art, cuisine and culture they could absorb in 30 days.

Art History has always been a great love of Sandy’s. She studied it at school and the art modules in the various interior design courses she has taken over the years always enthralled. Successfully advising clients on artwork for their homes has been the icing on the cake. 

Sandy and Jonny resisted visiting other European countries so they could focus solely on Italy. Arriving in Rome, they savoured the flavour of the Eternal City before heading for Capri, Naples, and the Amalfi Coast.

Their initial impression of Italy was of its long and glorious history. “Visiting monasteries built 13 centuries ago took our breath away, and seeing first hand the impact that Michelangelo had on the arts, architecture and design during the Renaissance was astounding.

“He created so much and at times was working on several ground-breaking projects simultaneously.  We knew he was a painter and sculptor and also a designer, engineer, architect and an inventor, but it wasn’t until we visited Italy that we realised how all-pervasive his influence was.”

Unfortunately the Starrs only had one day in Florence but did manage to see the real statue of David by Michelangelo in the Galleria dell’ Accademia – a must for any serious student of art. “We had longer in Venice and loved everything about it – the architecture, catching the water taxi along the Grand Canal, being serenaded on a gondola and visiting the glass-making island of Murano.” 

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A Salvador Dali sculpture outside a Florence gallery.

The trip was, of course, full of highlights – walking the Cinque Terre, an 11-kilometre stretch linking five centuries-old seaside villages; visiting the town of Assissi, named after St Francis of Assissi and seeing the medieval frescos depicting his life in the famous Basilica. The couple also visited the Italian Riviera and Lake Como where Sandy took photos of several villas in the hope that one was George Clooney’s. She experienced many “pinch me” moments – not the bottom-pinching kind but the “this is so fantastic I can’t believe I’m here” kind.

The Starrs were also in Italy when Luciano Pavarotti died and for them that will always be one of those “where were you when…” stories. Well, the Starrs were in Montecatini when the great opera singer passed away. “The atmosphere was amazing,” says Sandy. “Pavarotti’s music was playing everywhere; everyone was talking about him and watching tributes on TV.”   

Milan wasn’t her favourite city but it did contain her favourite gallery – the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana. One of the best galleries in Milan, it houses Italy’s first still life painting, the Canestra di Frutta (Fruit Basket) by Carragaggio, painted in 1596. 

The gallery also displayed a cross-section of work from the great Renaissance artists to the modern day but Sandy wasn’t bowled over by the modern art, surmising that following in the footsteps of the Renaissance masters was a hard act for anyone to follow.

Art and religion reflected - Pinacoteca Ambrosiana Gallery, Milan.

“I felt that the work of our own artists was definitely on a par with contemporary Italian artists and often of a higher standard. It must be fantastic to be surrounded by all that history but perhaps today’s Italian artists feel constrained by what has preceded them? Because New Zealand is so young, it’s possibly easier for our artists to create fresh and original work.

“One sculptor, who exhibits with us, visited New York recently. He walked down a street lined with galleries and saw people paying phenomenal money for sculptures he didn’t think merited the hype or the prices especially when compared to the talent that we have in New Zealand.”

After months of research and planning, this trip to Italy more than lived up to expectations. Sandy’s love of art history was rewarded and Jonny is possibly destined for sainthood. He didn’t once complain about the inordinate number of galleries visited.

So what about that dream of owning an Italian gallery? “Who knows?” Sandy says. But one thing she’s sure of is, that she will continue to seek out quality in the work she represents. “It’s hugely satisfying running a gallery that’s considered as good as any in the city. It may not be Milan, but it’s not bad at all.”