A trip to di Rosa art gallery in the Carneros region grants a close encounter with California contemporary art in its most diverse representation. Over two thousand works of mostly SF Bay Area artists, gathered by Rene and the late Veronica di Rosa in their estate (now a public trust), include big names and newly emerging artists from the 1960s through present. You can easily spend an entire day in di Rosa. 200 beautiful acres of hills-and-pond grounds are heavily populated by open-air artworks. Take your sweet time in the galleries, marvel at unobstructed views of rose-framed vineyards around, and watch a flock of full-tailed peacocks, freely walking among the tourists. The sheer volume of paintings, sculpture, ceramics, and video installations in the collection grabs visitors’ attention and induces wonder, but an inherent quality shared by the majority of works here is their exciting and astonishing intellectual depth. It’s a full-immersion experience like no other. While you can arguably be too rich or too thin, you can never see too much art. Indulge! Located at 5200 Sonoma Highway, Napa. Learn more at 707-226-5991 or: www.dirosaart.org. 
A short drive up North from Novato takes travelers to the foot of North California Wine Country. Carneros wine-producing region is the only one Napa and Sonoma share. At Viansa Winery & Italian Marketplace, wine tasting is enhanced by guided tours of the building, modeled after a medieval Tuscan convent, wine-blending sessions, and food pairings. If Julius Caesar’s favorite red, Nebbiolo, a native of cool and foggy Piedmonte, is a tad too acidic for a discriminative California palate, the winery’s flagship Ossidiana is sure to please with its full-bodied complexity. During our visit to Viansa, its “Cento per Cento” butterscotch-and-aloe Chardonnay was masterfully pared with freshly baked bread and pungent olive oil, and “Piccolo” Sangiovese – with mascarpone, cream cheese, and pesto on water crackers. For “Samuele” Cab Frank, a slice of focaccia topped with marinara, roasted veggies, and Gorgonzola proved to be a good match. All Viansa wines are sold on premises, nothing is distributed in retail. Its Italian Marketplace offers a great number of delectable cured meats and cheeses, jams and preserves, and everything necessary for a picnic. A big part of Viansa enjoyment comes from a spectacular location and a thoughtful design of the grounds. Popular with wedding planners and corporate events coordinators, the winery offers a variety of services and facilities to accommodate hundreds of guests at a time. Located at 25200 Arnold Drive, Sonoma. For more information, call 707-935-4723 or visit www.viansa.com.
Way to the West of Novato lays one of the most intriguing places on the Pacific coastline – Point Reyes Peninsula. Tomales Bay, formed and protected by it, is calm and warm, with silky green ribbons of eelgrass moving under clear blue waters in slow motion. Hog Island area here is a commercial oyster farming paradise and a paddling destination for a wildlife observation tour with Blue Waters Kayaking. When we engaged on our North Bay Tule Elk half day nature tour, the morning marine layer was just burning away at the Nick’s Cove, and first shiny sunny sparks were dancing on the wavelets. Chris Starbird, our guide, took our group on a journey to a remote sandy beach, accessible only by water, and past the eerie island, teaming with pelicans and cormorants whose overpopulation disfigured a ghostly-looking eucalyptus grove. Tule elks appear on the surrounding hills during mating season; harbor seals reside on the shores, and bat rays, jellyfish, and various other marine animals thrive in the Bay. According to Starbird, 12 million oysters grow around Hog Island, and half of them survives and makes it to the restaurant platters all over the country. The best-tasting oysters can surely be located in the closest proximity to their source, so we celebrated our kayak adventure with a brief outdoor beer-and-oyster fest (and you should, too). To learn more about Blue Waters Kayaking, visit www.BWKayak.com.
A good night sleep, a relaxing stay, and a fresh new approach to a family business are found at Inn Marin, a recently renovated creature-comfy and pet-friendly hotel in Novato. It’s not only a five-acre garden with a spacious lawn behind the swimming pool and luscious vegetation all around the grounds that is green here. Owned by the Marshall brothers, John – president, and Robert – general manager, Inn Marin is awarded California certification of Green Lodging Program. It is now 90% green – not an easy task to accomplish, which requires continuous efforts. Newly designed guest rooms have cheap, clean and sustainable bamboo flooring, bamboo shams and coverlets, and even ice buckets. (As opposed to regularly used trees, bamboo grass grows fast after being cut, and emits more oxygen than other plants). The walls are covered with low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint, which reduces the amount of toxins and potential allergens in the environment. Rainfall showerheads help reduce water loss, while skylights in bathrooms help use less electricity. Slump stone adobe structure has six-inch thick walls, preserving the room temperature at a comfortable level. The staff sets thermostats in the offices and public areas back a few degrees; the pool and spa stay covered through the night, and all lighting has been changed to energy-efficient LED. Green changes do not mean lesser amenities. Refrigerators, flat screen TVs, coffeemakers, and complimentary Internet access make a business or a family stay here very comfortable, indeed. Inn Marin is popular not only with tourists, but serves as a weekend retreat for the locals. Live jazz by the pool is a regular occurrence on weekends here, and wedding parties often choose a garden patio with a beautiful fountain for their ceremonies. Rickey’s Restaurant and Bar on premises serves dinner and cocktails daily, has happy hour on weekdays, and a frequent diner program. It is available for corporate and private events. Reservations at 800-652-6565. Inn Marin is located at 250 Entrada Drive, Novato. More information at 415-883-5952 or www.innmarin.com. Photography by Yuri Krasov.
0 comments:
Post a Comment