Charvin Watercolour Review

   My accordian sketchbook is already full of pencil sketches on one side and I am still working on the agroturismo. I spent the evening starting to do some inking after visiting a nearby art store and spending the day in Mantova.
   Mantova, one of the less touristy cities in the region, was for a while home to the king of Italy due to a certain discomfort between himself and the Pope in Rome. It is also the ducal seat of the famous Gonzaga family who where extremely wealthy, crazy about art and also very influential in the Catholic church. One branch of the family became priests and a certain Luigi Valenti Gonzaga was heavily involved in founding seminaries and public schools. It was his life's passion. Many schools and universities still bear his name including Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. The Gonzagas owned various palazzi which have been turned into wonderful museums. It was to one of these that we went today. A Palazzo Del Te.  An amazing building just outside the city center painted, literally, from floor to ceiling by Guilio Romano a student of Raphael. It is said to be his masterpiece.