At a roadway hotel near Lake Garda, ornamentation overflowed and statues of dogs sat in the corners and outdoors in the sun. The place had nothing immediately around it except fields of grapes and a pool. Closeup, the ornaments and dogs and classic- or Eastern-inspired objects come from different times and décor sensibilities, but, taken as a group, cohered into a certain feeling that lands slightly short of comfort—though I was so exhausted from the heat, it hardly mattered.

These dog statues are part of a rare, valuable collection, warned a placard in the room. If you damage one, you will be billed an amount dependent on the dog in question.