Of course, when in Florence, do as the Florentines do - so that means shop, and then a gelato... and then shop. Waiting for the rest of the shoppers in Piazza de la Signoria.
Earlier in the day, we had a brief lesson on leather working and how it's used to make clothing and leather items. After shopping, lunch, and a little shopping, we went to an art studio for a lesson and class in fresco painting. This is a technique, used my many painters like Da Vinci and Michaelangelo, in which the paint is applied to a damp plaster, as opposed to on a canvas. We were given the chance to paint our own versions of the family coat of arms of the Medici family. The fellow in the beret is an incredible artist; he was our art professor for the day and also the judge of the final products. Vanessa won as the most 'classic' rendition of the coat of arms (her 2nd major accomplishment in 2 days!) and Evelyn won as the best interpretive piece of art. Antonio did admit that the judging was most difficult as quite a few of the ladies did excellent art works. Perhaps Mrs. Bellissimo will put some on display at Madonna when we get back.
After the art class, we had some free time before dinner, and you'll never guess what most of the students wanted to do... time for a little shopping. No kidding!
Tomorrow, we have a tour of the Academia, the gallery that houses Michaelangelo's statue of David, then some free time to do.... whatever... then on the bus for our return to Rome. We likely won't be able to post photos from there, but we'll try to get at least one text post done each day. Ciao a tutti.
Beautiful pictures, Mr. Lio looks like one of the locals. He fits in so perfectly. The girls look like they're having so much fun and lots of shopping, I'm jealous!
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