Recently, while in Victoria I visited the Bendigo Art Gallery and it was wonderful to see their collection of 19th century Australian art (inspiration for the next book!)
It seems Italy is never too far away however as I couldn’t help noticing this circa 1879 painting of women carrying their copper conche to collect water, such a common sight in Abruzzo especially.
Titled, ‘Peasant Water Carriers’, it was painted by Pietro Barucci {1845-1917} who was mainly known for his paintings of landscapes in the rural areas surrounding Rome.
Zoë Boccabella 
Great stuff. In 1993 I was involved in an exhibition of Italian artists in 19th century Australia. It was called ‘The Italian Connection’ and curated by the National Trust of Aust and we exhibited over 20 artists and 120 works (paintings and sculpture). Great memories!
Thanks Ambra. That sounds like a fantastic project to have been a part of. I would love to see something similar happen again!
I saw this pic and couldn’t help wondering if it gave Salvador Dali the idea for his bust of Voltaire
Perhaps, considering some parallels are there. It would be interesting to learn if Dali ever went to Abruzzo.
Thanks for the reply. I wouldn’t know the answer. I think he did a lot of travelling during the civil war