COSANTI

Making a visit to Cosanti was a huge highlight of our Arizona trip.  Located in Paradise Valley, amidst expensive houses and boring urban sprawl, Cosanti is the gallery, studio, and residence of the legendary Italian-American architect, Paolo Soleri.  Mr. Soleri is probably best known for designing the other-worldly Arcosanti; an "experimental town" built in the Arizona desert in the 1970s to showcase his concept of arcology (combining ecology and architecture).  The town is still there and is open for tours year-round (hopefully we will go next time we're down. I really want to see it!) The smaller Cosanti, however, was a great introduction to the work of Soleri.  We loved exploring the outdoor studios, seeing examples of the "earthcasting" method of architecture, and studying the handmade ceramics and famous Soleri windbells.  We liked the look and feel of everything so much we ended up buying a beautiful hanging ceramic planter that I LOVE.  I can't wait to find a plant and hang it up; it will be a great memory of a really fun afternoon with Erik and my awesome sister-in-law, Brittany.