Italy Tour, September 2018
Alex led a ten-day art tour to Tuscany and Le Marche in September 2018 with The Create Escape Tours.
Participants enjoyed en plein air sketching in a custom-made travel sketchbook in many locations in Florence and Le Marche, a district north east of Tuscany in the foothills. They stayed in a charming old convent in a great location close to the Duomo in Florence, and a gorgeous 16th Century family palazzo in Mercatello sul Metauro, a picturesque old market town in Le Marche.
Activities included sketching the Duomo, sculpture at the Bargello museum, courtyards and monasteries, Medieval streets and squares, and visiting Urbino, Urbania, Fiesole, a sculpture garden, art galleries and artists’ studios, a Franciscan friary, a potters studio, a printmaker, and of course many excellent restaurants.
A highlight of the tour was a dinner cooked by a group of eight friends, known as ‘Padlot ‘, who prepared a wonderful feast of local dishes using traditional recipes. Of particular note was Saint Veronica’s soup, made from a secret recipe taken from her diary in the 15th century and a local speciality.
