Milano: Entertaining - Rosita's Birthday Party

Milan: Entertaining - Rosita’s birthday party. Rosita Missoni celebrated her seventy-seventh birthday with an intimate birthday party in the Missoni Milan apartment. The birthday cake was made with two big number seven shaped cakes made with berries and fresh fruit, complete with seventy-seven candles, the border was held together by lots of tiny cannoncini, placed up-side down and filled with custard.

Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. The legendary French editor in chief, Claude Brouet and Tai Missoni.
Note: her necklace is made out of lots of bangles.

Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. Laura Casalis and Franco Maria Ricci. Franco is building a gigantic labyrinth on his estate in Parma complete with a museum and a convention hall, ready in 2010.

Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party – decoration. Besides the orchids that were hanging from the light fixtures, Rosita scattered lots of polka dotted purple and white candles.




Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. Beppe Modenese, Daniela Morera and Fabio Bellotti.

Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party – the flowers. Hung all over the apartment were orchids, Rosita’s favorite flowers. Rosita often hangs orchids on light fixtures, picture etc.

Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party – the newlyweds. Mr. and Mrs. Michael Nobili.


Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. Two colorful ladies, publisher, Inge Feltrinelli and Italian Vogue editor, Anna Piaggi.

Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party – a detail. Anna found this Playboy bunny necklace on a stall on the banks of Lake Garda.


Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party - Father and daughter. Marco Maccapani and Margherita Missoni Maccapani.

Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. Amateur florist, Carla Alvera and artist, Laura Panno.

Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. Original artwork for Missoni advertising campaign by Antonio Lopez are hung on the walls of the Milan apartment.

Note: the Rose the model is holding, a tribute to Rosita.

Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. Bruno Ragazzi and Angela Missoni enjoy a tete a tete.

Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. Maurizia Missoni and Italian showgirl, Mara Vernier.

Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party – deserts. Very thin apple pies and castagnaccio, an Italian cake made from chestnut flour sit besides these very pretty and colorful flower plates designed by Rosita for Missoni Home.

Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party – deserts. The gigantic sbrisolona cake is like a crumble and is typical from Mantua.



Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. Luca Missoni chats to Venetian artist, Federica Manargoni.





Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. Photographer, Maria Mulas, looks very comfortable in the Missoni Home 60s inspired polka dotted flower chair.

Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. Even the salami looked good, and tasted even better, just like a flower laid out in circles on a wooden cutting board.




Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. Cousins; Teresa Maccapani Missoni and Ottavio Missoni.





Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. Orchids are Rosita’s favorite flowers; a big seventy-seven composition adorns the center wall of the sitting room.
Note: the Frank Gehry cardboard chairs and the striped sideboards.




Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. We all gathered around the piano to sing the song after which Rosita was named, Chuidi Gli Occhi Rosita (Close Your Eyes Little Rose).

Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party – the song. Rosita gets her name from her grandmother Rosa, and also from this song, Chuidi Gli Occhi Rosita (Close Your Eyes Little Rose), which was in vogue when she was born.

Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. Rossana Orlandi.

Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party - crudite. It is always so nice to have fresh vegetables to munch on. Radiccio from Treviso, carrots and fennel looked great in these white glasses next to them is a big wooden bowl filled with more of these crudités.

Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. Rosita’s brother, Gianpiero and his son, Angelo Jelmini.



Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. Rosita’s right hand design assistant, Eva Gundersen.

Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. Among the presents, Rosita an AC Milan supporter, received this T-shirt from her grandchildren, inscribed with Nonna, the Italian for grandmother and her 77 years.

Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. Rosita’s brother, Giancarlo Jelmini and her son, Vittorio Missoni.





Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. Before – the coffee table looked great with all the gold leaf ashtrays and objects on it.
Note: the two polka dot 1960s inspired chairs in the background.






After - the coffee table after the deserts. Note the Missoni Home plates designed by Rosita, big bold flowers in black and white or colored with gold leaf and the striped carpet.





Entertaining: Rosita’s birthday party. Rosita and her grandchildren; Teresa, Giacomo, Ottavio, Francesco, Marco and Margherita.

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Design and Grappa - The Nonino Collection

Design and grappa – The Nonino Collection UE Grape Distillate Cru Monovitigno Picolit. Collected by the likes of Marcello Mastroianni, Claudio Abbado and V.S. Naipaul, is the Nonino UE Grape Distillate Cru Monovitigno Picolit which each year comes in a limited edition, in a specially designed decanter. This years grappa is stored in a bottle designed by Luca Cendali and crafted in hand-blown glass by Venini in Murano, using the balloton technique, incorporating gold leaf. Named the The Athanor, the cosmic furnace – from A-thanatos-Immortal – custodian of the immortal flame which burned forever within it. The grappa’s visual sensation is crystal clear, with an intense and enchanting allure. The olfactory sensation is mouth-filling and exceptionally elegant, on the nose it is reminiscent of a honeycomb full of wild flower honey, the scent of acacia blossom and recently picked figs. The taste sensation is aristocratic and without equal, the palate clearly confirms the olfactory impression. Persistent. The Nonino Collection counts today 26 creations some pieces, have been sold at auction at Christie's in London and Finarte in Milan for record sums. It can be found in famous restaurants and wine shops in Italy and around the world.

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Milan – Design: wallpapers and fabrics The Arjumand Collection.

The dolls house. Once upon a time there was a little girl called Idarica Gazzoni who liked to draw houses down to the last detail, complete with floor plans and furniture. Today, Idarica presented her collection of wallpapers and fabrics called Arjumand inspired by the Indian-Muslim Empress of the Mughal Dynasty in a specially designed dolls house at the Studio Giangaleazzo Visconti in Milan. Like Arjumand, who had fourteen children, Idarica created fourteen papier peints with the fifteenth, the most beautiful, named after the Indian beauty herself.


The computer. Idarica, at work in front of her computer. Idarica, who is better known as a pientre decorateur, has recently branched out into wallpaper and fabric designs. She started using a computer in the year 2000 and it was when she “discovered” Photo Shop that she started “playing around” with abstract designs and proportions “I have so much fun visualizing and transforming a design; for example when I take a Suzani, which represent how the Asians saw nature in a simplified mode, I reinvent the design, making it bigger or smaller.” she explains.

A detail. Idarica’s color palette; a close up of a wallpaper design called Turkish Moon being created.

A detail. The wallpaper, Turkish Moon from the Arjumand Collection designed by Idarica Gazzoni is papered on the walls of ground floor of a dolls house.

The dinning room. The dinning room in the dolls house is papered with the Pomegranate design from the Arjumand Collection.

photograph courtesy Idarica Gazzoni

A detail. A detail of the Pomegranate wallpaper design “It’s interesting to re-interpret decorative elements from other cultures, because they are expressions of thought and knowledge between peoples.”



The sitting room. The sitting room of the dolls house is papered with the most beautiful design of all, called Arjumand, after the Empress herself. The tall skirting is decorated with flowers from the Lilium family.
Contessanally tip: Click on any photograph to enlarge it.

photograph courtesy Idarica Gazzoni

The dolls house. The ground floor of a specially designed dolls house was the vessel for Idarica Gazzoni’s Arjumand wallpaper collection. Each room was papered with a miniature wallpaper design from the collection. The wallpapers and fabrics where launched in the Studio Giangaleazzo Visconti and are available through Idarica Gazzoni herself.


A detail of a frescoed room. Idarica, is better known as a pientre decoratrice. Here is a detail of a room that Idarica painted. The room is homage to Italian painter, Antonio Basoli and it is a tribute to Napoleon’s visit to Italy, the room is appropriately called Stanza Tenda, the tent room. “When I was a child my mother took me all over Italy and I saw the frescoes, I was fascinated and inspired by them. At twenty I went to the Van Der Kelen School for decorative painting in Brussels where I learnt all the decorative painting techniques.” She concludes.

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Venice Rental: Wintertime – Credit Crunch special offer.

Why not? Go to Venice in the wintertime and escape all the summer tourists. Wrap up warm and enjoy the cold and grey foggy days in one of the most beautiful and romantic cities of the world. Wonder through the calle, go to the museums, enjoy delicious food and live Venice like a Venetian.


The Location. The studio apartment accommodates two people and is situated in the very central San Polo district on the fourth floor, with lift, of an eighteenth century “palazzo”. It is located just a five minutes walk from the Rialto Bridge and two minutes from Campo San Polo. It is also very close to all the main tourist attractions, museums, restaurants and shopping. The apartment is available for a minimum of four nights at a special wintertime credit crunch special offer of Euros 99.90 per night. email: nally@bellati.com





A room at the top: the studio apartment. The cozy and warm studio apartment is located on the top floor (with lift) of an eighteenth century “palazzo”. To the right is the shower bathroom and directly in front is the small basically equipped separate kitchenette, ideal for whipping up a basic meal. In the living/bedroom room the red “Chinese” lacquer cube holds a big cupboard, ideal for storing suitcases and with plenty of room for clothes. The Queen size bed doubles up as a sofa. The studio is equipped with everything you could possibly need to make your stay comfortable, including air conditioning in the summer.

The corner table and TV. The table is covered in an antique ethnic cloth. It is ideal for quick meals, breakfast and tea. The Chinese black lacquer cabinet holds a very big satellite TV set. The ethnic touches in the décor, as well as the color of the walls were inspired by the famous Venetian trader and explorer, Marco Polo who was one of the first Westerners to travel the Silk Road to China.

The view. One of the two rooftop views from the cozy studio apartment. Just beyond the buildings is the Grand Canal. The apartment is full of daylight and very quiet.

Piazza San Marco. Piazza San Marco and Palazzo Ducale look so much better when they are “naked of tourists” in the wintertime.

Breakfast. After a brisk early morning walk enjoy a “classic” Italian breakfast, of cappuccino and brioche in the frescoed rooms of the Caffe Florian.

The gondolas. In stormy weather the gondola’s are parked in the Bacino di San Marco.

Note: In the background the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore designed by Andrea Palladio. 2008 marks the 500th anniversary of the famous architect's birth.

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