This is my first chance to contribute to the blog and I must say that this trip has been a wonderful one for me so far due in large part to the cooperative spirit and enthusiasm of the students, thank you Kendy, Brittany, Melissa, Megan, Kavin, Will, Lindsay and Kelly.
We awoke this morning to a beautiful day in Genoa, blue sky’s, less wind and warmer. The students printed preliminary CAD drawings so that I could plot out the most advantageous paint sample locations. I took a few samples which have already reveled past finishes history in some locations. A small exposure in our main studio confirmed my earlier suspicion of an early ochre colored Venetian plaster in this room. All of the samples taken on this trip will be processed this summer and we will then have a more complete idea of the finishes history in the villa.
After another wonderful meal prepared by Cristina we all headed downtown to the Museo di Sant’ Agostino which is located in a restored monastery and displays works by famous artists from Genoa and the Liguria region. The highlights being sculpture by Giovanni Pisano and paintings and frescos from the 16th century. An added bonus was the interactive exhibit of models of machines designed by Leonardo di Vinci.
Afterwards we began our piazza presentations, first visiting Erbe and then Scuole Pie, very different spaces in use and feel both presented well by team Kaven and Kendy, and Megan and Will. To celebrate a successful afternoon, gelato was in order even though it was past 6:00 pm.
Dinner of pasta and caprese finished off the evening with much conversation around the dinner table. Now the anticipation grows for tomorrow’s adventure to The Cinque Terre. We anticipate the best weather day of our trip so far, clear sky’s, no chance of rain and temperatures in the low 70’s.
Ciao,
Frances