Last April I had the most wonderful experience…… two weeks in the hills of Tuscany, Italy making pots and eating heavenly Italian food and enjoying a glass or two of great Italian wine. When Carol-Ann Michaelson (Clay Concepts Studio) thought about putting this trip together and asked her students at the time if anyone was interested I jumped at the opportunity and very happy that I did.
La Meridiana is an international school of ceramics. Check out their website. Carol-Ann put together her course ideas and La Meridiana sent it out on their site. A group of us – most of us only knew Carol-Ann – met at the airport to head off on our adventure. We met up with others who had signed up for the course in Florence to be transported by van to La Meridiana, about an hour south of Florence. How wonderful to meet potters from Brazil, Australia, Sweden, and the United States.
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- Our view on walk to studio
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- Back entrance to La Meridiana
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- Carol-Ann demonstrating
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- Our Studio
We were housed in nearby villas tucked in the hills surrounded by vineyards. Spring growth on the vines was just beginning so my 10 minute walk to the studio was a delight each morning and evening. The course Carol-Ann had developed was a perfect combination of studio work – trying out new techniques that were demonstrated – and site seeing outings to nearby villages.
The staff at La Meridiana were wonderful. The in-house chef provided exquisite four course lunches daily on site. We were on our own for dinner but with a such a great lunch we just got together with others at the villa and sat outside on the patio overlooking the Tuscan hills and the setting sun eating cheese, bread, olives…….. with a little wine of course, delighting in the good company of each other and the joy of being in Tuscany.
This September, many of the group are getting together again, even the Brazilian connection is coming to Canada for the reunion.
