Summer Art Restoration Workshops in Italy

Messors Workshops - Cultural Heritage Conservation and Restoration in Italy:
Messors Workshops offers summer Art Conservation Workshops on Fresco and Fine Arts, based in the rich cultural and historical setting of Altamura, Gravina in Puglia and Matera in the regions of Puglia and Basilicata in Southern Italy. We are located in the province of Bari, 45 km / 27 miles south-west of Bari. The Frescoes are part of the rupestrian settlements (underground habitations) based in the Alta Murgia area in the Puglia region of Italy. Private collections provide paintings on Canvas.

Art Restoration Summer Programs:

*Fine Art Conservation and Restoration:
Through discussion and guided tour, participants will be introduced to examples of 17th to 19th-century paintings that are unique to the history of the Alta Murgia region.

Participants will then be given hands-on opportunity to immerse themselves in the techniques and processes of their conservation under the guidance of instructors.

The research and the conservation work will take place within the lab set next to the residence. 

Program Contents:
- Introduction to the history and the art of the Alta Murgia region.
Iconography.
Traditional natural materials used in antique arts and decoration.
Technical analysis as they are applied during the scientific research and restoration processes. Pictorial pigments and structures.
Preliminary techniques in the conservation process.
Common types of degradation and alteration.
Planning restoration and conservation projects.
Studio and in-situ/onsite practical restoration work.

Course Field Trips:
- Walking tour in Altamura
- Park of the Rupestraian churches of Matera and the Museum of Art Palazzo Lanfranchi
- Pinacoteca della Provincia di Bari.
- Civic museum foundation "E Pomarici – Santomasi" at Gravina in Puglia
- 2-day trip to Napoli and Pompeii
- A day trip to the beach for a break and fun

* Fresco Preservation:
First, discussions will be held on the current state of frescoes conservation located in the underground caves in the Alta Murgia region. Secondly, students will participate in an ongoing program of conservation.

These frescoes are part of the rupestrian settlements which include the Carpentino and Fornello sites.

Participants will be involved in the process of the creation of their own fresco using traditional materials and techniques.

Participants will also review the completed and restored works by 'Sinergie': 17th-century wood statues, decorative paintings and stone reliefs, exterior and interior frescoes, and paintings in both private collections and that of the church. 

The courses provide a practical focus, allowing students ample opportunity for participation in restoration technique., and are complemented by seminars in Art History, Geomorphological Studies, Iconography and Technical Analysis.

Program Contents:
- Introduction of the geomorphologic and natural geographic conformation of the region.
- Overview of the historical eras (prehistoric, Roman, medieval, modern) and their artistic currents.
- General introduction to the history of Italian art and specifically, the arts in the Alta Murgia region.
- Iconography.
- The origins of the frescos.
- Physics and chemistry as they are applied during the scientific research and restoration processes.
- Practical application of the techniques used in creating the frescoes.
- Preliminary techniques in the conservation process.
- Common types of fresco degradation and alteration.
- Planning restoration and conservation projects.

Course Field Trips:
- Guided tour of the archailogical site of Botromagno, Gravina in Puglia.
- Matera (UNESCO Heritage Site) - Park of the rupestrian churches of Matera.
- Civic museum foundation "E Pomarici – Santomasi" at Gravina in Puglia.
-Trip to Pompeii and Naples
- Day trip to the beach for a break and fun



Cultural Landscape - Shepherds and Food Culture

September 2 -8, 2025


Harvesting Food through History. Cooking, eating and meeting its makers, the daily life of a shepherd.

Anthropology of Food and Life Style: The Rhythms and the Connections between Food, Culture and Landscape.

The venerated cuisine of the Mediterranean has been created and re-created through the course of history by geography, social customs, migration and the mythical and religious universe wrapped around "eating". The Mediterranean diet is inclusive of "lifestyle" which upholds traditional methods of farming and fishing and nurtures the practice of family meals, and celebration.

Through hands-on activities, cooking, excursions, discussions and lectures, our workshop celebrates and promotes the culture, ingredients, production, and cooking methods of the "diet" deeply rooted in its predominantly Greek and Roman origins.

The workshop is led by Tonio Creanza, the Founder and Director of Messors, a native of Puglia, along with his colleagues of local farmers, cheese makers, shepherds, historians, restauranteurs, etc.
Through talks and discussions on the Anthropology of Food and Lifestyle, the workshop will encompass the sustainability of the resources, the biodiversity and the societal changes, and the current debate on the need to implement a sustainable way of life.

Participants are involved in the “food journey” to learn and understand the rhythms and the connections expressed by food: the seasonality, the social tempo of a weekly structured diet; the pace dictated by yeast rising in bread dough, or the time it takes to make cheese from basic ingredients.