2009 Tuscany Itinerary

DAILY ITINERARY - TUSCANY

MAY 24 - JUNE 5, 2009

Our itinerary is designed to present you with a blend of teaching/painting time and time dedicated to visiting nearby towns and cities to view and study the artworks, spending time absorbing the local culture. We strive to strike a balance between teaching/painting time and time to explore Italy. Teaching sessions will center on egg tempera and watercolor techniques, with the plein-air painting sessions being taught in watercolor. However, we also welcome artists to work in the medium of their own choice and both Fred & Jeremiah can offer guidance in areas of pictorial composition, drawing and painting.
A typical full day of painting has two three-hour teaching sessions, the first session follows our group breakfast and runs from 9:30am - 12:30pm. We break for a relaxed lunch, and commence our teaching again at 3:00pm until 6:00pm. This amounts to six hours of hands-on instruction time for a full day of painting, allowing ample opportunity to learn these exciting mediums. During our full day excursions, we meet our private bus after breakfast for a full day trip exploring a variety of art-rich sites.

DAY 1 (Sunday, May 24th) ARRIVAL

At 1:00 PM our private bus will meet the group at the airport in Florence for transfer to Fattoria Vagli. Flights should be booked to arrive before 12:00 noon on May 24th; the workshop begins at the Fattoria. After check-in at the farm, Fred and Jeremiah will have an orientation and introduction to the workshop, facilities and the wonderful family who will treat us like long lost relatives for the next six days. We will meet for an aperitivo by the pool before showing slides of your work as a form of introducing yourself and your work to the group. This is optional: if you wish to participate please bring 3-5 slides of your work. After slides we will join in the dining room for a dinner of Mamma Emilia's Tuscan specialties. You may want to turn in early, but we recommend staying up until at least nine to get over jet lag quickly.

DAY 2 (Monday, May 25th) AM: EGG TEMPERA DEMO WITH FRED WESSEL. AFTERNOON: JEREMIAH PATTERSON WATERCOLOR.

Continental breakfast served in the dining room. After breakfast, Fred will meet in the studio to offer his demonstration on the classical methods of egg tempera painting. These methods were utilized in the paintings of the Early Renaissance. Fred will talk about his work in egg tempera as part of his studio talk and demonstration. At 1:00 PM we will gather in the dining room for a buffet lunch. After lunch, Jeremiah will meet in the studio to lecture and demonstrate his watercolor techniques. Activities are not over yet! Later, refreshments will be served by the pool, where we can discuss the Renaissance and our own work. Another of Mamma Emilia's country dinners will be served in the dining room. To cap off the day we can take a starlight stroll down Vagli’s country road.

DAY 3 (Tuesday, May 26th) FULL PAINTING DAY CAPPED OFF WITH A MAMMA EMILIA DINNER!
Continental breakfast. After breakfast, once again you can select the event that most interests you:

1. Jeremiah continues plein-air watercolor at Fattoria Vagli.
2. Fred will work with those interested in creating an egg tempera painting.

At 1:00 we’ll break for lunch, then continue our painting sessions, with Fred’s egg tempera painters meeting in the studio, and Jeremiah’s group will work on watercolor techniques. After a full painting day we will meet poolside for another of Maurizio’s aperitivos followed by another fabulous Mamma Emilia dinner. As is our tradition, all who would like to can join us for another after-dinner walk through the countryside.

DAY 4 (Wednesday, May 27th) FULL PAINTING DAY. LATE AFTERNOON EXCURSION & CHEESE TASTING THEN RETURN FOR A MAMMA EMILIA DINNER!

Continental breakfast. After breakfast, once again you can select the event that most interests you:

1. Jeremiah's group takes bus to paint en plein air in the Tuscan Landscape.
2. Fred will work in the studio with egg tempera painting.

At 1:00 we’ll break for lunch then continue our painting sessions, with Fred’s egg tempera painters meeting in the studio, and Jeremiah’s group taking our private bus to another nearby plein-air location. After our painting day, we will all take our private mini-bus for a late-afternoon exploration and photo excursion, visiting a local cheese-maker for a sampling of his excellent products. We will return to have another fabulous Mamma Emilia dinner back at the Fattoria and, perhaps, another after dinner walk through the countryside.

DAY 5 (Thursday, May 28th) FULL PAINTING DAY CAPPED OFF WITH A MAMMA EMILIA DINNER!

Continental breakfast. After breakfast, once again you can select the event that most interests you:

1. Jeremiah continues plein-air watercolor at Fattoria Vagli.
2. Fred will work with those interested in creating an egg tempera painting.

DAY 6 (Friday, May 29th) MORNING PAINTING TIME-AFTERNOON FREE! FINAL COUNTRY-STYLE DINNER AT VAGLI!!!

Continental breakfast. Sessions will continue after breakfast:1. Jeremiah continues watercolor at the fattoria,
2. Fred will work with those interested in creating an egg tempera painting. At 1:00 we will again meet for another lovely buffet lunch. This afternoon, is free time for you to use as you choose. You may continue to work on your painting, pack and prepare for our transfer tomorrow morning to Certaldo Alto. We'll meet before dinner for a final aperitivo with our hosts and good friends, Carla, Maurizio and maybe Mamma (if she's not too busy with our final dinner). Perhaps we can coax Mamma into making her famous deep fried sage leaves to have with our Vernaccia wine! Tonight’s dinner will be a special “farewell” feast.

DAY 7 (Saturday, May 30th) TRIP TO SIENA!!-TRANSFER TO CERTALDO ALTO! DINNER AT OSTERIA DEL VICARIO!!

Continental breakfast. This morning we'll board our bus for our next home location, Certaldo Alto. After a quick check in at Osteria del Vicario, we’ll take our bus to Siena to visit its great wealth of art. Upon arrival, we will visit the Pinacoteca which houses a major collection of Sienese egg tempera panels with their beautiful jeweled, gilded and tooled surfaces. We will then make our way over to Siena's famous Duomo cathedral where we will have a chance to visit the Piccolomini Library, a stunning example of Pinturricchio's masterpiece frescoes on the life of Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini (Pope Pius II). We will break for lunch on your own in Siena, then have the early afternoon free to explore, shop or visit more great art such as Siena's Museum dell'Opera Metropolitana which houses Duccio's Maesta, and the Palazzo Pubblico with its most famous Effects of Good and Bad Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti. After a full day in Siena we return to our new home for the remainder of the workshop, the picturesque medieval town of Certaldo Alto. Certaldo Alto is perched above the newer city of Certaldo and is accessed by cable car (Funicula). The brick architecture of Certaldo Alto is reminiscent of its neighbor, San Gimignano, whose romantic towers can be seen from various points around the town. Certaldo Alto was the hometown of the great Italian writer, Boccaccio. This will be our home and inspiration for the next six nights. After a brief orientation to the town, we will meet for a lovely dinner at the Vicario's renowned restaurant. For the past five years we have enjoyed shared conversation over these dinners, lasting well into the evening - a typical authentic Italian dining experience.

Day 8 (Sunday, May 31st) FULL PAINTING DAY

Continental breakfast. After breakfast, once again you can select the workshop offering that most interests you: 1. Jeremiah's group will paint en plein air in Certaldo Alto.
2. Fred will work with those interested in egg tempera painting. At 1:00 we’ll take for lunch at a favorite pizzeria that serves authentic, wood-fired pizzas, then at 3:00pm we will continue with our afternoon painting session. Dinner is on your own in Certaldo.

Day 9 (Monday, June 1st) FULL DAY TRIP TO THE HILLTOWNS OF VOLTERRA & SAN GIMIGNANO & SPECIAL DINNER AT OUR FAVORITE TRATTORIA!

After breakfast, we ill board our private bus and set off to Volterra. While in Volterra we will visit the Pinacoteca (Art Museum) and it's beautiful Ghirlandaio and Rosso di Fiorentino altarpieces. You may also wish to venture off on your own to visit other wonderful sights including the Etruscan Museum, the Museum of Sacred Art, the Piazza dei Priori, and the Duomo with its Baptistery. We will have time to walk around the town, including a walk on the Viale dei Ponti with its stunning panoramic views of the surrounding hills and admire the work of the many alabaster carvers that reside in the city. The town is also famous for its beautifully preserved Roman amphitheater.We will also allow time so everyone can get lunch on their own in Volterra. After lunch we'll head toward the picturesque medieval city of towers, San Gimignano. While in San Gimignano, we'll take you to see the beautifully frescoed Collegiata (Cathedral), which includes work by Gozzoli, Tadeo di Bartolo, and Ghirlandaio's precious chapel of Santa Fina! We'll also take you to Sant’Agostino, which is frescoed with more paintings by Benozzo Gozzoli. We'll give you time to explore this magical hill town then take you to dinner at one of our favorite Trattorias where you can dine on Tuscan wild boar stew, pasta with porcini mushrooms, an incredible Tuscan rabbit, or something less adventuresome if you prefer. We will cap off our visit of San Gimignano with a short walk to enjoy one of the best 'gelatos' in Italy! We will return to Certaldo Alto late this evening.

DAY 10 (Tuesday, June 2nd) FULL PAINTING DAY

Continental breakfast. After breakfast, once again you can select the event that most interests you: 1. Jeremiah's group will paint en plein air in Certaldo Alto.
2. Fred will work with those interested in creating an egg tempera painting. At 1:00 we’ll take you to a lovely, nearby terrace-restaurant for an al fresco lunch. At 3:00pm we will continue with our afternoon painting session. Dinner is on your own in Certaldo.

DAY 11 (Wednesday, June 3rd) FULL DAY TRIP TO FLORENCE!

A high point of the trip, will certainly be for many, today’s day trip to Italy's Renaissance City, Florence!! After continental breakfast at the Osteria, we will meet our private bus for a fabulous day in Florence. Our visits will include the Baptistery with its Gates of Paradise, the Piazza della Signoria and Santa Maria Novella with its Ghirlandaio and Masaccio frescoes. We will break for you to get lunch and take some free time for your own exploration of this magnificent art rich and cosmopolitan city. After lunch, we will meet in front of the Palazzo Vecchio and make our way to the Uffizi Museum, a world-renowned collection absolutely filled with some of the most famous masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance. We will return to Certaldo for dinner at the Osteria.

DAY 12 (Thursday, June 4th) FREE DAY! (OPTIONAL AM: FINISH PAINTINGS)

Continental breakfast at the Osteria. Today is a free day. You may choose to use the morning to finish up the paintings in progress before the pigments and other supplies are packed away, or you may save the day to arrange your own travel. For example, in years past, a few used the day to take the train for another day in Siena, while others spent the day taking the train for a return visit to Florence. Certaldo's convenient location is on a direct rail line, a 1-hour ride from Florence, Pisa and Siena, so taking the train from Certaldo is quite an easy way to add a bit of personal travel today. Fred & Jeremiah will gladly help you to plan your own travel, and explain how to purchase and validate train tickets. Tonight, we will meet in the Osteria one hour before dinner to show the work we made during our workshop. The evening will culminate in our grand finale dinner, a wonderful way to celebrate the experiences we’ve shared and friendships we’ve made.

DAY 13 (Friday, June 5th) DEPARTURE

Continental breakfast at the Osteria. Our private bus will pick us up and transport us to the Florence Airport. Relax and enjoy your flight. We hope you will take with you some of the wonderful, lasting memories of Italy and the workshop of 2009!