Look for an announcement in coming days on a piece that Raphael Sassi is presenting that is quite remarkable (we of course get sneak peeks in advance of the public). Painting! One of the best reasons to visit Italy with us. In the meantime, consider the exquisite rendering of hands he did here–drawn with ballpoint (yes, really) pen, in this you see muscle, adipose tissue, skin, hair, sweat…the hands of baker hard at work.
Quite a bit later than most of the 21st Century, but here we are. Please share and comment!
In case you haven’t seen the new page we added, check out Drawing From The Masters. If you’re an arts enthusiast who appreciates Italy’s contribution to the Renaissance and the modern art world alike, this is the experience for you. You’ll have an extremely talented professional portrait artist and his art historian father guiding you through a series of drawing classes and art experiences in the perfect Italian setting. And don’t worry, all the good food and wine experiences that are a must in Italy are par for the course! Imagine seeing the classics by Raphael, Michelangelo, Titian, Tintoretto, Donatello, Bernini, etc and then learning the historical and intellectual backdrops for them…and then getting professional instruction on how to incorporate the classics into your own artistic expression. If you’re an educator at the secondary or collegiate level, this might well be something your school should offer, and we’d be happy to help you arrange it.
We Sassi folk are multi-talented, I dare say. In addition to having forgotten more about Italy than most tour guides have ever learned, Doug Sassi is also a career professional potter with an MFA from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. His functional pottery has influenced an entire generation of ceramicists far and wide.
While there’s certainly more to Italy tours than museums and architecture and historical sites, you really do get a deeper understanding of what you’re seeing thanks to Doug’s art and art history background.
Portrait of local baker Doug Rae by Raphael Sassi. One of the special things Sassi Italy Tours can do that I don’t think anyone else can offer as well as we can: a chance to study the masters of the Renaissance under the tutelage of a modern master. Raphael Sassi is a career professional portrait artist and the winner of more awards than I can begin to mention here. His attention to light and emotionally accurate rendering of his subjects is hard to beat, and Sassi Italy Tours can naturally book him to accompany you on an artist’s tour of Rome and Florence, where you’ll study the works of the masters with his help and oversight, and learn two dimensional rendering of various subjects with a classical touch.
I remember my first trip to Italy with Dad. I was 14. I’d never been out of the country. I couldn’t sleep with excitement on the plane, and I landed beat, bleary eyed, and amazed at everything. We hopped on a shuttle bus to the hotel and even though my mind was racing with “wow, so this is Rome!”..I fell asleep.
I spent the next three weeks amazed at all the things my Dad knew and had my worldview forever changed by seeing an amazing culture up close.
Sassi Italy Tours is all about sharing the amazement that 14 year old boy experienced with the rest of the world. We’re here to share culture, art, food, wine, history, architecture, and the dolce vita in a private, intimate setting that offers a deep immersion in all that is wonderful about Italy. I’m biased for obvious reasons, but I really do think people who travel to Italy without Doug Sassi’s perspective are missing out.
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Sassi Italy Tours 