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On a quiet street in Serravalle that winds among medieval facades, a small group met to begin an ongoing project at the Monastery of San Giovanni Battista. Participants came from the Philippines and the U.S. to take on conservation of the monastery cloister. The group had a variety of skills to contribute, with an architect, a university professor, a conservation specialist, and a recent graduate in historic preservation in attendance. Alma Ortolan, a leading Italian fresco conservator and the workshop instructor, welcomed the group to her hometown. Ms. Ortolan and the group were to initiate a scientifically-based assessment of the cloister’s 17th century frescoes and columns.
Participants arrived at the Venice airport on Sunday and fought jet lag by stopping en route to Serravalle for a leisurely tour of the market in Treviso. This was followed by a most delicious dinner at Alma Ortolan’s historic palazzo and a briefing on plans for the week. After a tour of the medieval town of Serravalle on Monday, 
participants went to work. The primary task at hand was to assess and document the condition of twenty stone columns in the cloister. Gathering that type of information is one of the first steps in developing a conservation plan for any given structure. The group determined that the cloister contains four different types of columns, which vary in construction technique, carving technique, and in material – some limestone and some sandstone. A talk with the priest revealed that the bell tower is causing major stress on two of the columns; the others were in better condition.
A field trip to the sandstone quarry at the Grotte del Caglieron near town allowed participants to collect sand in preparation for conservation treatments to take place the second week of the workshop. The group then headed off to tour Alma’s Palazzo Galletti to learn how she had restored parts of the structure and the remarkable painted façade. Other tours in the community included visits to the recently restored Monastery chapel and an organic wool factory on the nearby river.
At the end of the first week, participants spent half a day learning how to create a fresco, and each person made his or her own fresco painting under the guidance of Alma and her assistant, Chiara. Participants gleaned vital knowledge during the process, knowledge they were able to apply the very next week when they began investigation of the cloister’s wall paintings.
Saturday was spent touring, beginning with a visit to the Church of San Nicolo (1352) in Treviso. This amazing structure had decorative painting virtually everywhere, with back rooms showing the medieval origins hidden under baroque additions. The group then headed to Venice to visit a sculptor who provided materials for the restoration of Teatro La Fenice after the devastating 1996 fire. Sunday was Easter with no planned activities, so participants spent the day absorbing the local culture on their own.
Work at the cloister resumed on Monday, with the group continuing their thorough documentation of the columns by making drawings and taking detailed photographs. As it was Angel’s Day, everyone in town along with workshop participants drove into the hills to picnic and watch the annual children’s egg rolling event. The group visited a nearby Roman cloister in Follina that was filled with twisted columns in all possible forms.
The remainder of the week was devoted to uncovering decay and identifying previous conservation treatments on the columns, performing cleaning tests on the stone, 
and documenting the various wall paintings located around the cloister. Participants learned first hand why so many studies are conducted before restoration work can actually begin: their investigations revealed that the wall paintings were not actually frescos, as previously believed. The paintings had been painted on a dry plaster surface rather than on wet plaster, and frescos by definition have to be painted on wet plaster. This discovery is important as it will affect the manner of restoration.
AiP’s voluntourists spent their final Saturday in Padua being pure tourists, seeing the amazing work of Giotto, one of the first great fresco painters. The opportunity to view some of Italy’s great works of art, guided personally – and personably - by Alma, was an experience not to be forgotten. Neither were the memories of all the fabulous food – from squid to pasta – the group shared with their community hosts.
