Placing the Pieces and People Together 

Mia Boykin

December 17, 2024 — The students stepped into a world of Florentine mosaics, a craft as intricate as the city itself. Organized as an experiential learning activity by Villa Le Balze, this hands-on workshop brought the students to Il Conventino, a historic artisan hub in Florence. But this wasn’t just about following the old ways. 

Paul Pennacchia, an Academics and Activities Officer at the Villa, played a pivotal role in making the workshop a reality. “The original intention of this event was to familiarize the students with the modern forms of mosaic art, which we had planned purposefully in contrast to our previous trip to Mosaici Lastrucci, an ancient Florentine form of mosaic making,” he said. 

During the first visit, students learned about the traditional form of Florentine mosaics called commesso – an inlay technique that turns marble and semi-precious stones into gorgeous mosaics. While the city’s legacy is rooted in its Renaissance glory, modern innovators like Silvia Logi bring a fresh perspective, challenging the boundaries of what mosaics can be. 

Logi spent her childhood with a close friend whose father spent his time making traditional mosaics – and she cites this as where her love truly started. 

“I was lucky enough to spend most of my childhood with Catia, my best friend since I was little, in her father’s laboratory, breathing in the daily gestures of a job that at that time I didn’t know was something so precious and rare,” she said. 

This love and talent is what brought Pennachia to reach out to her, he said. “I had reached out personally to Silva Logi, an expert craftswoman who created this new style of mosaic art using recycled materials, to see if she would be interested in hosting a workshop for a group of our students.

The collaboration with Logi adds a contemporary spin to the student’s understanding of Florentine art and culture while maintaining a clear connection to the city’s history. “I think it [commesso] shaped me as an artistic expression that I then reinterpreted in my own way many years later. But the similarity with the approach of Florentine inlay is clear and visible, especially in the use of different materials,” Logi said.

Logi’s journey into mosaics began not in a workshop, but during a transformative trip to Barcelona, where Antoni Gaudi’s vibrant, organic designs lit a spark. “When I returned, I began to experiment naturally with a new form of language, combining natural and recycled materials,” she said. Her style is deeply personal, melding the whimsical creativity of her love of nature with a sophisticated understanding of the historical importance of a mosaic. 

Tucked away in Florence’s Oltrarno district, Il Conventino is a venue where history meets creativity. The longstanding center began as a monastery in the late 19th century, housing nuns of the Barefoot Carmelites. But over the decades, historical events transformed the purpose of Il Conventino – from a wartime hospital to an underground Partisan printing press during the Italian fascist regime, to a vibrant haven for artisans and artists. 

Reopened in 2009 as a cooperative, the building hosts workshops and exhibition spaces, as well as a cozy garden around the building. One can watch craftspeople at work forging metal, painting, or sculpting, all while soaking in the charm of a space that carries the echoes of Florence’s rich history. 

“So difficult nowadays to see artisans at work, to touch a product authentically made by a real craftsman,” Logi said. “ I hope that other places like the Conventino can be born to protect local artistic communities and encourage direct contact with the public.” In an age of art being consistently bought and sold – think decoration, posters, gift shop coasters – handmade artwork is hard to find. It’s even more rare to learn how to do it yourself. 

Students who attended the workshop were able to explore Il Conventino’s offerings, each getting the chance to make their own, unique mosaic that will go home with them at the end of the semester. For some, bringing a handmade gift back to their family was enough for them to get their hands dirty for a few hours. 

“The main reason why I did it is because my grandmother has a bunch of magnets on her fridge from different places,” Giuseppe Quatela (B‘26)  said, “People in my family have traveled, so my cousins, my parents, and my aunts and uncles are just on her fridge. So I thought it would be a great chance for me to make something from Florence and give it to her as a gift.” 

When Quatela brings the mosaic home to his grandmother, it is a sort of cultural exchange. He isn’t just bringing home a trinket from his study abroad, but handmade art, and he is carrying on a “little-known artistic language [that] has spanned for over 2000 years throughout the 1500 km connecting northern and southern Italy,” according to Magister Art, the cultural organization that is behind MOSAICO, an exhibit currently displayed in Washington, DC at Dupont Underground. 

MOSAICO: Italian Code of a Timeless Art, is an exhibit showcasing the importance of mosaic making to Italian culture and history. Held at Dupont Underground, the exhibit immerses viewers through “seven stations, acting as real-time machines, magical rooms whose walls are decked out with endless wonders.” 

Whether you’re in the heart of Florence learning how to make a modern twist on a longstanding tradition or in the heart of D.C. exploring a historic collection, you’re engaging with timeless art that connects people across distances. 

MOSAICO: Italian Code of a Timeless Art
November 1, 2024 –  January 26, 2025.

Friday, Saturday & Sunday 11 AM to 5 PM

Tickets

Tickets are available online or at the door.
Friday:  Free sponsored by the Embassy of Italy in the United States
Saturday & Sunday:  General public: $10
Military / Seniors / Students: $8
Children under 12:  Free

MOSAICO incorporates an audio guide to enhance the visitor experience.