Others have already said so many times, but for good reason ... it's true. The beautiful region of Arcana Nuevo is very reminiscent of the game of MYST. It has a strong Jules Verne and steampunk atmosphere accentuated by the many levels and corridors, rotating devices, extremely precise and clean building style and gorgeous texturing.



Arcana Nuevo is not a museum, or a library, or a laboratory, or a random build just for the pleasure of creation -- although all those things can be attributed to it. Rather it is a private home and the occupant and architect of that home is Angelica Zuma. It is also one of the oldest builds in Second Life, having been started in 2004 on the Mainland in
the Wave region.



As Angelica tells it, back then she and her partner, Arkanys Hadlee, began to build a home
together. At one point it had to be moved to a new region, Bragg, and then, after more than a year and a half of building it was moved to its own private island, Arcana Nuevo, at the beginning of 2006. Both being artistic and talented builders with exquisite taste, Angelica and Arkanys constantly enlarged and improved their home with care and precision. Arkanys in particular liked the Jules Vernian style and was responsible for the telescopes, gyroscopes, and other mechanical devices in the upper regions of the estate. Angelica has musical talents and was the one who designed the music room on the upper level, a lovely area with sunken floor at one end of the library where recitals can be held.



Everywhere that metal is incorporated into the build is covered with a patina of
orange-red rust. Very much a steampunk style, the rusty metal on vast ancient-seeming instruments of science which appear both out-of-use and fully functional at the same time, give the entire estate that awe-inspiring expectancy of scientific discovery, both past and about to take place. Every turn of a corner provides a new perspective, and one can't help but want to hurry and see it all while at the same time wishing to slow down and enjoy the exploration. If you can make the time, I urge you to explore the grounds slowly and savor the atmosphere and tremendous care that has gone into building it. It is truly a major work of art in Second Life.



On the north side of the region, on an open pier-like structure, is Angelica's store, ArkAngel. There you can find some examples of the fine furniture, lamps, and draperies found within the residence



To add even more thrilling sights to the beauty of Arcana Nuevo, off in the distance across a wide bay the spectacular castle of RUSTICA can be seen. In fact, Maxwell Graf, the creator of Rustica, and Angelica are collaborating on an intervening region to build up a collection of gorgeous pre-fab structures for sale. Taking into account the considerable talent between them I have no doubt that the lucky purchasers of said builds will live in truly enviable homes.



Oh, and be sure to sit in the flower field just over the bridge to the east of Arcana Nuevo. As you sit in the large field of flowers they slowly grow all around you and the entire field is in constant motion. In this writer's opinion, taken together Arcana Nuevo and Rustica comprise the most beautiful and luxurious environment to be found anywhere in Second Life. Enjoy your visit!

For the full set of jawdropping photos please visit my Flickr set.