On rare occasions something more perfect than reality is created by artists.
Anyone who leafs through “The Italian Dream – Wine, Heritage, Soul” with the pictures of Aline Coquelle and the stories of Count Gelasio Gaetani D’Aragona Lovatelli and is not envious of everyone in the book must be without a heart and unfulfilled dreams, which means they cannot be human.
The pictures made for this book are the epitome of casualness, nonchalance and effortless beauty.
I bought the book for its title and cover pictures and did not read it for a long time. When I picked it up finally, I was completely enthralled by its wonderful images.
The pictures grab you and take you with them into a sunny landscape with happy people, big families, great houses, art, history, wine, food and no worries.
It is a world seemingly without stress, without money problems, without competition. Everyone in this book is happy to be where he/she is and does not compare. The Italy that Count Gelasio takes us to is that of vineyard owners, often descending from families with a long, aristocratic tradition of living well. Of course, they must have their everyday fights and troubles like everyone else, but in the book they are shown from their very best side.
No exaggeration, much more than any influencer’s Instagram account this book radiates the perfect life. One cannot come much closer to paradise. The authors of the book, Count Gelasio and photographer Aline Coquelle are as handsome as 1950’s Hollywood actors. Those in the book who are not pretty have character. Wonderful.
Contrary to Slim Aarons photographs, that I found sometimes a bit too artificial and cold, the pictures of Aline Coquelle sparkle with life. This goes for pictures of people, things, and landscapes. Everything is lively and radiates a zest for life.
You can see a perfect selection of Aline Coquelle’s photographs at the front cover of the book. It is basically impossible to fathom how much work it was to make everything look so effortless. The car in the alley, the bottle of wine in the sun, the ripe grapes, Count Gelasio Gaetano D’Aragona Lovatelli dancing, the sea…. The Italian dream come true.
The back cover shows the Count in a very formal suit, sitting on a surf board, legs in the water, happily smiling in the camera with a bottle of wine in his hands. Very cool!
Some of the photographs are black and white, some in colour. In addition to the pictures, there is text and explanations written in a beautiful, artistic handwriting, like the on the front cover. It captures the spirit of the book beautifully.
Flipping through those pages in a time when you feel low, lower than normal, has hopefully the result to bring you back to appreciate life and not drowning in self-pity due to other people’s happiness. The Italian concept of “La Bella Figura” should be taken into account – life is what you make of it and there is no excuse for looking sloppy.
For sure a lot can be learned about wine when one reads the book like a guide. The authors travelled Italy and it’s vineyards and wineries from North to South, starting in Piedmont and ending in Sicily. There are also “tasting notes” at the end of the book of all the vineyards Count Gelasio Gaetani D’Aragona Lovatelli and Aline Coquelle visited in the course of their 3-year travels.
It is the reader’s choice how to use the book, solely as a dreamlike journey through Italy or as a guide to very good wines. The biographical note about the Count explains that he is the author of various books about wine – he studied oenology and owns, together with his brothers, a winery in Tuscany. His “Tenuta di Argiano” is described and pictured in the book. The uninspired way is to say they make a very good Brunello wine – the inspired one is to look at the pictures and get a feeling of the place.
Googling the authors produces less news than expected about Count Gelasio Gaetani D’Aragona Lovatelli. I thought he would be turning up in the yellow press regularly, after seeing the wonderful photographs. This is not the case, the Count created an image for the book, but seems to stay more private in real life.
Aline Coquelle can be found as a professional photographer a bit more often through the books she published.
Are they a couple? The pictures show a breathtaking closeness. If yes, or no – it is not important. Together they produced the perfect anti-blues book and captured the spirit of Italy in its purest essence.
Thank you!
All rights to the book belong to:
Gaetani D’Aragona Lovatelli, Gelasio and Coquelle, Aline, 2016: The Italian Dream – Wine, Heritage, Soul, botanical illustrations by Domitilla Bertusi, all photographs by Aline Coquelle, art director: Camille Dubois, published by Assouline Publishing, 3 Park Avenue, 27th Floor, New York, NY10016 USA, printed in China, ISBN: 9781614285199