Art in the Renaissance City
Florence Kids: An Adventure into the Heart of the Renaissance
Palazzo San Niccolò, Florence • Tuscany • June 22-26 • July 6-10, 2020 •
Min 8 kids
Students will gain an up-close look at how the city burst with genius and inspiration as the literary, fine arts, architectural, and scientific breakthroughs of the high Middle Ages transformed Florence into the awe-inspiring Renaissance city we still see today. Our inquiry-based program includes a master project with a local artist or artisan, just as apprentices were trained by Florentine maestri in days of yore! We will visit Florentine palazzi and piazzas looking for inspiration, venture into prized museums, and make a group project uncovering Renaissance mysteries. Your kids will find wholly engaging, integrated fine arts projects encompassing the theme of Florence itself as the canvas for the creative pulse of this period in history, and a perfect backdrop for their own creative expression. We dive into all of Italian culture – and that means a cooking class and gelato along the way! For travel information on Florence with kids, our exclusive lodging and workshop grounds, please click here.
Medieval Exploration within the Walls of Lucca
Hidden Treasures of a Medieval Fortified City at the crossroads of the Renaissance
Lucca, Tuscany – July 13-17 • July 27-31, 2020 (near Porta Elisa – gardens of Museo Nazionale Villa Guinigi) • Min 8 kids
Set on the Via Francigena, the ancient road which carried pilgrims from across Europe through Tuscany, past Assisi and on to Rome’s St Peter’s Basilica, Medieval & Renaissance Lucca was an important stopping point. As such, it attracted wealthy merchants and church officials who commissioned great works. Today, it still preserves indescribable treasures that contributed to the city’s sophistication and beauty. Children will discover how such treasures played a role in the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance as they explore both artistic and natural wonders as well as political and scientific breakthroughs that inspired innovation in painting, drawing, and civic life. Projects include studying the architecture, patterns and ornamentation of a fortress town, and learning about the traveler who passed through it, and who left their marks. Our summer camp session also includes a cooking class and visits to historical sites throughout this magnificent walled city. For travel information on Lucca, please click here.
EARLY BIRD SPECIALS! • RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY!
Art & History of Ancient Rome
Rome for Kids: Talking Statues • Aqua Vitae – River Nymphs & River Gods of Ancient Rome | Summer Day Camps in the heart of Rome • Hotel Kolbe grounds • Circus Maximus – June 15-19 • July 6-10, 2020 • Min 8 kids
From our base camp near the Circus Maximus, Arte al Sole kids will venture back through time to bring the wonders of the ancient world to life, while taking in the history, stories, legends and food rites of its rich past. Kids will get to discover the voices of the past through the Talking Statues of Ancient Rome. We’ll craft our own manifestos in cartoons and dive into daily life & times of the Ancient Romans as we hunt the statues and look into their importance in ancient times while uncovering the myths & legends surrounding them. Return Campers will experience a different program, focusing on ancient myths & legends and the River Nymphs & Gods of ancient times.
Kids will create their own visions of ancient life, and discover the richness of Rome, through art & exploration.
Art or Soccer in the Countryside
Exploring Italian Cultura, Cucina & Calcio (Culture-Cooking & Soccer)!
I Casali di Colle San Paolo**, Panicale • Umbria – June 29-July 3, 2020 •
Min. 8 kids
Staying in the area? Join us for single days or all week long!
Families get to enjoy a dual-track program – Soccer or Art Inquiry, through our specially crafted art curriculum that families have grown to love. Our young artists will immerse themselves in Etruscan culture, art and understanding while our soccer players will be trained by an Italian professional coach [from beginners to advanced players] – promising fun and new skills for everyone! Together, all of the kids will explore Etruscan culture – learn to cook some typical Umbrian delights & follow a truffle hunter & his dogs thru the countryside! During this week of adventure, each morning all of our campers will set out on art exploration — as protagonists of ancient history: they’ll take inspiration from the surrounding nature, examine the archaeological record, make their own urns, and learning about country life in the Umbrian countryside. Each afternoon, our soccer stars will get lessons from an Italian professional coach! Our critical inquiry approach to visual arts and culture encourages children to draw their own conclusions about the function of these patterns as expressions of the societies that produced them during a week of hands-on fun and wonderment.
Return Campers will find a very different program from last year, even though the Etruscans remain our focus.
** Families stay Saturday to Saturday • For travel information click here.
All of our Umbria programs will feature art, cooking, adventure, town exploration, nature walks and a host of activities for families to partake in together each afternoon. Want your child to learn some Italian? Ask us about special evening sessions!
Sicily: Of Puppets, Pottery & Ancient Papyrus
Summer Day Camp in Syracuse, Sicily • Agriturismo Papyrus & Farmstead in the Natural Reserve – August 3-8, 2020 • Min 8 kids
Sicily has been conquered by foreign powers for millennia, and kids will get to peel back, layer upon layer, the pages of its resulting rich cultural heritage in a week-long arts & exploration program conceived to astonish kids of all ages. Our unique activities feature artisans and outings so kids can begin to work on the legacy they wish to leave for future archeologists to discover in 1000 years or more. Our base camp is in a sumptuous setting with animals, artefacts, antique Sicilian horse cart museum, and rooms filled with Sicilian art & folk handcrafts! It’s a picture perfect setting to live Sicilian life as a family! Sign up for a single day (9AM to 3PM) or all week long!