Monday, first day at the Instituto

But before we head off to orientation, I should perhaps provide some idea of where my apartment is. As they say, a picture is worth 10,000 words...the view down the street from my front door...

Hello Duomo! Hard to get lost, which is so appreciated.

Orientation...well, they want everyone there at 9:00, and then they take the Italian language students and have them go to a classroom...they look at the Art students and tell us to come back at 2:30. So off I go exploring. 

After a cappuccino, I just started walking the opposite direction from the river...after all, I spent all day yesterday beside the Arno and across at the Pitti Palace and the Biboli Gardens.

After a few blocks, I stumble upon the Palazzo Medici Riccardi. Home to d'Medici family for 100 years, and built to a design by Michelangelo for Cosomo il Vecchio, the top floors are now used for municipal business...but the main floor is open to the public and houses some amazing fresco walls and ceilings. 

The ballroom, windows on one side and painted mirrors on the other. 

One corner of this amazing, dizzying ceiling

Love the Paints in this scene. 

A view of the inner courtyard from the balcony off the ballroom. 

And if they really wanted to intimidate, well, into the Grand Salon, the ceiling mouldings are all golf leaf and the chandeliers are all crystals from Murano. 

Another amazing room in this palace is the Cappella di Magi which is completely fresco'd with Benozzi Gozzoli's 'The Procession of the Magi' - the colours still vibrant and fresh and rather overwhelming...absolutely no pictures allowed...sigh. 

After a little more wandering, time for class...walk all the way to the school office, and then three of us walk all the way back and then past my apartment with the office secretario to the studio part of the institute. I'll post pix tomorrow.

Sonja is my instructor and I must say, the one on one instruction is wonderful...hopefully I'll do the attention justice. I spent the first bit of time picking the painting I will be doing, then the next hour prepping my 'cartoon' and another 2 hours blending, blending, blending egg medium with tempra pigment and storing my mixed colours in little seal tight paint pots. 

One last stop at an amazing art store to pick up a board and raw canvas for tomorrow's prep (I may be actually painting by Thursday) and it's home to a lovely glass of wine before anything else.