Pages of Italy — Episode 3: Italian Cuisine — A Story of Regions

Buongiorno! Episode 3 of my Pages of Italy is now live! Pull up a chair. Pour something Italian. Turn the page. Pages of Italy is a reading podcast for anyone who loves Italy — or who has always wanted to. Each episode is a slow, warm journey through Italian history, cuisine, architecture, and culture, hosted by Italian landscape watercolour painter, former columnist, and writer-illustrator Denise Wong. In this third episode, we sit down at the Italian table and discover there is no such thing as "Italian food" — only Venetian, Neapolitan, Sicilian, Tuscan, a thousand regional kitchens sharing a language but not a plate. We trace the surprising Arab roots of dried pasta and Sicilian pastry, the late and reluctant arrival of the tomato, and journey from the butter and risotto of the north to the olive oil and dried pasta of the south — before asking what the slow, unhurried ritual of the Italian meal reveals about how Italy moves through time itself.

The Lake Como Collection Watercolour Art Prints

The Lake Como Collection

Four watercolour views of Lake Como, Italy — now available as fine art giclée prints, hand-selected for their soft, sun-warmed palette and quiet lakeside charm.

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Lake Como Art Print

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Lake Como Art Print

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Villa Balbianello, Lake Como Art Print

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Nesso, Lake Como Italy

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Each giclée print is produced on high-quality 189 g/m² paper sourced from Japan, preserving the fine detail and colour of the original watercolour.

A Quiet Canal in Venice (Fine Art Print)

This piece A Quiet Canal in Venice, Italy watercolour painting, is one of my favourites from the Venice series, today I wanted to walk you through a few different rooms this painting has found itself in — the light, the mood, the furniture around it — because I think the answer to "where does art belong" says a lot about how you actually want a room to feel.

A Quiet Canal in Venice, Italy, my watercolour painting, is available as lovely wall art, giclee fine art print in my Etsy shop DeniseWongArts. It's printed on 100% cotton Canson Arches Aquarelle Rag (310gsm) by my printer partner WhiteWall from Germany.

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In a sun-filled living room

There's something about hanging this painting where natural light actually reaches it — the warm ochres and terracottas of the buildings seem to pick up the daylight and hold onto it, almost like the canal is still catching afternoon sun. In a bright living room with sheer curtains and a leafy plant nearby, the painting doesn't compete with the space — it just adds another layer of warmth, like a window that happens to look out onto Venice instead of your street. A simple natural oak frame works beautifully here; it stays out of the way and lets the palette of the painting do the talking.

If your living room leans more contemporary — think a white leather sofa, warm wood coffee tables, a few burnt-orange accent pillows — a softer pewter or antique silver frame can add just enough formality without feeling stiff. It picks up the cooler stone tones in the buildings while still letting the warm canal water be the star of the piece.

In a gallery hallway or entryway

Hang this painting in a hallway with proper museum lighting and a deep charcoal or navy wall behind it, framed in gold with a dark mat, and it stops being "a nice painting" and becomes a moment — the kind of piece people pause in front of on their way through your home. This is where a more formal, gallery-style frame earns its keep. The dark mat creates breathing room between the artwork and the wall, the way you'd see in a proper exhibition space, and it makes the sun-drenched colours of the canal glow even more by contrast.

In a Home Office

Above a wooden writing desk, this painting does something quietly wonderful: it turns a workspace into somewhere you'd actually want to sit for a while. There's a reason people hang travel art near where they work — it's a small, constant reminder that there's a whole world outside the inbox. A black-and-gold frame here adds a touch of old-world elegance that suits a desk with brass lamps and leather accents, without feeling overly formal for a working room.

In a dining or kitchen nook

Near a farmhouse table and bar stools, especially in a space with big windows looking out onto the street, this painting acts almost like a second window — one that happens to open onto a Venetian side canal instead of the view outside. A slim black frame keeps things clean and modern here, letting the architecture and light in the painting take center stage rather than the frame itself.

In a reading corner

Tucked above a velvet armchair with a small side table and a stack of books, this piece changes character completely — it becomes intimate rather than grand. This is where a warm wood-toned frame, like a rich walnut or cherry, feels right; it echoes the wooden shutters and doorways in the painting itself and creates a cosy, layered look, especially next to greenery and soft textiles.

In a bedroom

Above a headboard, this painting brings a gentle, restful energy — the pale blue sky and warm stone tones read as calm rather than busy, which is exactly what you want in a room meant for slowing down. Whether the walls are a soft dove grey or a deeper blue, a light natural oak frame keeps the mood airy. This piece is the kind of scene you'd want to look at first thing in the morning.

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A quick note on choosing a frame 

• Natural oak or light wood — best for bright, airy rooms (living rooms, bedrooms) where you want the painting to feel like a window rather than a statement piece.
• Black or slim modern frames — best for contemporary spaces where you want clean lines and don't want the frame competing with existing decor.
• Gold or ornate frames — best for entryways, hallways, and more formal rooms where the art is meant to be the focal point, gallery-style.
• Warm wood tones (walnut, cherry) — best for cosy, layered rooms with mixed textures — reading nooks, snugs, spaces with lots of plants and soft furnishings.

There's no single "correct" way to frame a piece — it really comes down to whether you want the painting to blend into the room's mood or stand apart from it.

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Bring a piece of Venice home

A Quiet Canal in Venice, Italy is available now as a fine art giclee print, printed on 100% cotton Canson Arches Aquarelle Rag (310gsm) by my printer partner WhiteWall in Germany — you can find it as lovely wall art or as a fine art print in my Etsy shop, DeniseWongArts.

It is available in 6 sizes: 13.6x14.6in, 17.6x18.9in, 21.6x23.3in, 25.6x27.6in, 29.6x32in, 33.6x36.3in

If you're an interior designer sourcing art for a client, or simply someone who's fallen in love with Venice from afar, I'd love for this little canal to find a wall in your home too.

Wall Art: A Quiet Corner of Nesso, Lake Como, Italy (Fine Art Print)

 

There's a bend in Lake Como, just past Bellagio, where a little stone bridge arcs over a stream running down from the mountains into the lake — and the water there turns the most impossible shade of turquoise you've ever seen, almost too vivid to be real. That's Nesso, and it's the moment I wanted to capture in A Quiet Corner of Nesso, Lake Como, Italy: sun-yellow buildings wrapped in ivy and red shutters, a weathered stone footbridge, dense green hillside pressing in from behind, and that impossibly bright water below.

Today I wanted to walk you through a few different rooms this painting has found itself in — the light, the mood, the furniture around it — because I think the answer to "where does art belong" says a lot about how you actually want a room to feel.

A Quiet Corner of Nesso, Lake Como, Italy, my watercolour painting, is available as lovely wall art, giclee fine art print in my Etsy shop DeniseWongArts. It's printed on 100% cotton Canson Arches Aquarelle Rag (310gsm) by my printer partner WhiteWall from Germany.

This artwork is suitable to be framed using different types of frames such as wooden frame, and this one, a classic frame, with or without matt is fine. My fine art prints on Canson Arches Aquarelle Rag   include a 0.79" white border on all sides — ideal for framing or matting. Different types of frames and colours will suit different interior settings even the furniture and decors in different room.

Hang this piece somewhere with proper gallery lighting and a deep charcoal-blue wall behind it, framed in gold with a dark mat, and the colours genuinely glow — that's the effect of putting a saturated, sunlit painting against a cool, dark backdrop. This is where a more formal, museum-style frame really earns its place. It's the kind of painting people stop in front of, phone half-raised, the way you'd pause in an actual gallery.

This fine art print is available in 6 sizes:

12.6 x 8.8in

19.4×13.6in

25.3×17.6in

31.2×21.6in

37.1×25.6in

43.1×29.6in

Tucked above a velvet armchair, next to a leafy plant and a stack of books, this painting becomes something closer to a window than wall art — that dense greenery in the painting practically continues the plant beside it into the frame. A natural wood-toned frame suits this setting perfectly; it lets the painting's own colour and texture carry the room without adding competing tones.

The artwork on the wall during a special event, perhaps a wedding, a special gathering with family and friends or this is a corner to display your beloved painting, a quiet moment to cherish.

Because this painting is already so rich in colour — that saturated turquoise water against acid-green foliage — it works best in a room that gives it space to breathe rather than competing for attention. In a bright, neutral living room with a white sofa and warm wood tones, the painting becomes the clear focal point without any effort; the eye goes straight to that band of green water. A simple natural oak frame keeps things calm here, letting the painting's own colour do all the talking rather than adding another visual layer.

On the wall and above your old or newly bought cabinet.

Above a headboard, this piece brings genuine energy into a room — more vivid and alive than a muted palette, which some people love for a bedroom and others find a touch much. If you love colour and want your bedroom to feel a little more like a holiday than a retreat, this is the piece for that. Against a soft lavender or dusty blue wall, the greens and turquoise in the painting pick up and echo the room's own cooler tones, while a light oak frame keeps everything feeling airy rather than heavy.

And a good night sleep with the serenity of the artwork on the wall of a lovely bedroom.

This Nesso Italian village artwork creates a moment of peace and calmness and also refreshing to the mind when you are at work or studying. Above a wooden writing desk, this painting brings a real hit of green, almost like having a window onto a hillside rather than a cityscape. It's the kind of piece that makes a desk feel less like a desk and more like a spot you'd actually choose to sit at. A natural oak frame keeps the look warm and grounded, especially paired with brass desk accessories and leather details.

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A quick note on choosing a frame

If you're trying to decide how to frame a piece this colour-rich for your own space, here's my tips:

• Natural oak or light wood — best for most rooms with this painting; because the colours are already so saturated, a light, simple frame keeps the whole thing from feeling overwhelming.
• Gold or ornate frames with a dark mat — best for entryways, hallways, and gallery-style walls, where you want the contrast between a dark backdrop and the painting's brightness to do the work.
• Avoid heavily patterned or busy walls behind this piece — because the painting itself carries so much colour and detail, it tends to look best against a clean, fairly neutral wall.

There's no single "correct" way to frame a piece — it really comes down to whether you want the painting to blend into the room's mood or stand apart from it. With a painting this vivid, though, I'd lean toward letting it stand apart.

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Bring a piece of Lake Como home

A Quiet Corner of Nesso, Lake Como, Italy is available now as a fine art giclee print, printed on 100% cotton Canson Arches Aquarelle Rag (310gsm) by my printer partner WhiteWall in Germany — you can find this fine art print in my Etsy shop, DeniseWongArts.

If you're an interior designer sourcing art for a client, or simply someone who's fallen in love with Lake Como from afar, I'd love for this little corner of Nesso to find a wall in your home too.

Medieval Italian Hilltop Castle Beneath a Full Moon, Watercolour Painting (Completed)

 

Buongiorno! The 31cm x 16.5cm watercolour painting is done! This painting will be available to purchase soon in my Etsy shop DeniseWongArts.

I have took videos of the painting process. I'll do my best to share the video in my Youtube channel, and then post the video here.