Siena Experience Italian Hub offers a selection of short courses to discover the identity of Italian culture and Sienese tradition. Through a teaching method based on experiential learning, students can practice Italian language while participating in hands-on activities connected to Siena and its territory. Each masterclass lasts 10 hours and is led by local tour guides, professionals, artists and artisans.
Medieval Painting
- Introduction to Sienese Medieval art
- Visit to the Opera del Duomo Museum, focus on Sienese fourteenth century artworks
- Visit to a Medieval art workshop
- Gold ground painting workshop, create your own Medieval painting
DETAILS
Duration: 10 hours
Led by a tour guide and a local artist
Participants: 5 – 10
WHAT IS INCLUDED
Guided visit to Museo Opera del Duomo
Meet a local artist in his workshop
Create your Medieval painting
Location overlooking Piazza del Campo
Teaching material
Tutoring
Ceramics
- Introduction to Sienese ceramic tradition
- Visit to the collections of ceramics on display at Santa Maria della Scala Museum
- Visit to the Arte dei Vasai ceramic lab
- Traditional pottery making workshop, create your own artistic artefact
DETAILS
Duration: 10 hours
Led by a tour guide and a local ceramist
Participants: 5 – 10
WHAT IS INCLUDED
Guided visit to Santa Maria della Scala Museum
Visit a traditional ceramic lab
Meet a local ceramist
Create your ceramic artefact
Location overlooking Piazza del Campo
Teaching material
Tutoring
Wine Culture
- Introduction to the world of Italian wine: tradition, how it is produced, tastings
- Classification, conservation, tastings
- Visual, olfactory and taste analysis, tastings
- Tips for pairing wine & food, tastings
DETAILS
Duration: 10 hours
Led by a local sommelier
Participants: 5 – 10
WHAT IS INCLUDED
Tasting of Italian wines with focus on local wines
Tasting of finger food for wine pairing
Wine tasting skills: exercises for developing your palate
Tips for understanding wine labels
Location overlooking Piazza del Campo
Teaching material
Tutoring
Flavours of Siena
- Introduction to Sienese best wines, tasting
- Visit to a local wine cellar, tasting
- Meet an oil sommelier, extra virgin olive oil tasting
- Meet a saffron producer, tasting of products made with pure saffron
- Sienese typical sweets, tasting and visit to a local bakery
- Visit to savory shops in Siena
DETAILS
Duration: 10 hours
Led by a tour guide, a local wine and oil sommelier, a local saffron producer
Participants: 5 – 10
WHAT IS INCLUDED
Tasting of local wines
Visit to a local wine cellar and wine tasting
Extra virgin olive oil tasting
Saffron products tasting
Sienese sweet tasting
Visit to a local bakery shop
Location overlooking Piazza del Campo
Teaching material
Tutoring
Palio di Siena
- Introduction to the Palio horse race, Siena main event
- The 17 neighborhoods called “Contrade”: history, culture and everyday life
- Meet a Palio expert
- Visit to a Contrada
- Meet a local artist who painted the “drappellone” (painting on silk, prize for the winner of the race)
- Workshop of contemporary art based on Palio colours and symbols
DETAILS
Duration: 10 hours
Led by a tour guide and a local artist
Participants: 5 – 10
WHAT IS INCLUDED
Meet a Palio expert to discover its secrets and anectodes
Visit the most significant places of a Contrada
Meet a Sienese artist who painted a Palio (“drappellone”)
Workshop of contemporary art led by a Sienese artist
Location overlooking Piazza del Campo
Teaching material
Tutoring
Hidden Siena
- Tour: the hidden treasures of Siena Cathedral and visit to a marble workshop
- Tour: Siena along the Via Francigena, the ancient pilgrimage way to Rome
- Tour: Siena and its water, the network of underground aqueducts, the fountains
- Urban trekking: an unusual urban trail trough Siena
DETAILS
Duration: 10 hours
Led by a tour guide
Participants: 5 – 10
WHAT IS INCLUDED
Visit the hidden places of Siena city center, discover its stories and anecdotes, touch the real soul of Siena
Meet a marble artist in his workshop
Location overlooking Piazza del Campo
Teaching material
Tutoring