A tour to get to know the city through the history of its tradeA journey to discover the production of natural colors in the Marches and the rich history of the city


PERIOD:
All year round
SUGGESTED OUTFIT:
Comfortable shoes and walking clothing.
LANGUAGES: Italian, English

YOUR SOUVENIR

a small work of art, an artifact made by you!

Duration

About 4 hours (from 09:00 to 13:00 or from 14:30 to 18:30)

your guide

The initial walk in the historic center is accompanied by one of our guides, while in the art gallery you will meet Sara, a degree in cultural heritage and a tireless commitment to art education!
In the shop you will be welcomed by Massimo, a true expert in dyeing plants and natural colors. A life dedicated to the connections between past and present, between history and manufacturing, between art, tourism and culture, that keeps on feeding with his enthusiasm.

THE EXPERIENCE - VISIT PROGRAM

A tour in the Marches county seat to discover the rich history of the city through the common thread of natural colors that played a very important role in this port city from ancient times to the glorious period of the Maritime Republic of Ancona and beyond.
The production and exchange of purple-red and woad blue at the center of the encounter with Massimo, the Titian red reproduced with Sara and the city in the background to be discovered while walking.
A complete tour to get to know Ancona from an unusual point of view.

The meeting place is at the fountain of the stem (or of the 13 spouts “le 13 cannelle” as it is known by the people of Ancona)

Fontana del calamo/Fountain of the calamus
At the fountain you will meet your guide who will accompany you to discover Ancona following the tracks of colors.

Piazza del Plebiscito/Plebiscito Square
After the discovery of the history of this fountain and of the water regulation in Ancona, the tour continues towards Piazza del Plebiscito known among the inhabitants of Ancona as “piazza del Papa”. Here you will discover the reason for this singular appellation.

Palazzo degli Anziani/Palace of the Elders
The walk continues towards this medieval Gothic-style palace which was the seat of the municipality when Ancona was a free municipality with a true city-state organization!

Cathedral of San Ciriaco
To conclude the walk, you reach the top of the Guasco hill where the wonderful cathedral of the city, built before the year 1000 in Romanesque style, stands right on the ruins of a temple of the acropolis of the ancient city.
From here the view opens onto the sea, the laborious shipyards and the city, offering a truly unique overview.

Francesco Podesti Picture Gallery
The civic art gallery houses some works of rare beauty that help telling the history of the city.
Sara awaits you here make you discover a natural color that has strongly characterized Tiziano Vecellio’s artistic expression: Titian red.
After a short visit, in the laboratory, you will be called to reproduce the color following the ancient recipe of the artist and once you have obtained the alchemy… hand to the brush!
With a sheet of paper and all the tools of the trade, you will be ready to paint a detail or emotion that reminds you of the city in pure Titian red!
Once you will be done, you will leave the work to dry and dedicate yourself to another visit!

IN THE COLOR SHOP

With Sara, you will return to the nearby Plebiscito Square, this time to meet Massimo who is waiting for you in his shop to lead you to the discovery of natural colors through a fascinating story about the red of purple and the blue of woad.
A journey through the history of the city and the region that surrounds it, following the common thread of the production and exchange of these natural colors.
During the visit you will dye a cotton canvas in woad blue in the vat of the shop.

At the end don’t forget to recover your masterpiece! At that point it will be dry and ready to take home!

PRICE: starting from € 31 per person

The fee includes:

• Tourist guide
• Entrance ticket to the art gallery
• Natural color creation and painting workshop
• Visit to the color shop and dyeing experience

The fee does not include:

• Transfers to and from the initial meeting point
• Extras and everything that is not described in the section "The fee includes"

The indicated price is calculated on the basis of 8 participants.
It is also possible to organize the tour for smaller groups.
At the end of the tour it is possible to book a tasting menu based entirely on “stoccafisso all’anconetana” (stockfish) and traditional cuisine in an ancient restaurant nearby at a price of € 36 per person.
Contact us for further information!

The tour is also available for 2 people.
Contact us for a personalized proposal.

Contact us if you need more information and have special needs.

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