Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Milano: Lifestyle – Lunch with Miro Silvera



“Books, books, books…”
Miro Silvera

Milano: Lifestyle – Lunch with Miro Silvera. Miro Silvera loves to entertain chez soi. The intellectual, sophisticated and refined cosmopolitan writer considers himself an outsider in the literary world. He has written poems, essays and novels, which have won literary prizes and he is also a film buff, and has written film scripts and is also a curious connoisseur of the arts.  The Syrian born author has lived most of his life in Milan and is predominantly known for his best selling book Libroterapia, (Book Therapy) published by Salani, where he describes how books can cure all ills,  where he takes the reader through bookshelves telling original stories and pointing to the right book to cure every ill. 

 
 At Home
Lunch is served in a corner of the sunny sitting room. Obviously the room is full of books and art works all perfectly and elegantly placed.  One could spend days just browsing around and enjoying them all.

 
The Table
Like most creative people Miro is also a good cook and has always been interested in food. When he entertains he fuses his Middle Eastern heritage with his Italian upbringing, thereby creating an unusual and delicious menu - an interesting mix of tastes. On a bright blue Paola Navone designed table, the only modern note in the room, the table is laid with his grandfather’s gold-rimmed dinner plates, bought in Prague in the 1950s, and hand-blown Murano glasses.  Crudities: of fennel and carrots are on hand to munch on. The Black bust on the left of the table is an African sculpture, whilst the white stucco head on a marble pedestal on the right, is an early nineteenth century piece. As on every wall of the apartment more books are stored in the Napoleonic Empire style bookcase.

 
Piero Fornasetti - Lemons  - 1972
Colored pencil drawing

 
Tabbouleh
Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern vegetarian dish traditionally made of tomatoes, finely chopped parsley, mint, bulgur, and onion, and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.

 
Aubergine and Chickpea Syrian Stew

 
The white marble round table serves as a side table to place the Piero Fornasetti faux marble dessert plates and serving silver utensils. In the foreground of the group of sculptures, the double terracotta bust by sculptor Igor Mitoraj.


Sweet and Sour Fruit Salad

 

Antonio Marinoni – Miro Silvera in Via Lanzone
Watercolor
One of the many portraits of Miro portrayed by artists, in various mediums, scattered around the apartment. The Antonio Marinoni architectural watercolor, above is a perspective of Miro’s former beautiful apartment in Via Lanzone.
 
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