The Rome Art Program began the 1st of June and it got off to a terrific start. Our participants coming to Rome are from Australia, London, USA and they were joined by Italian participants living in Rome.

They began their week by having a big Roman feast in a local restaurant and the following day, painting in the greatest Piazza in Rome, Piazza Navona, where chariot races were held during Roman times. They've also painted at the Pantheon and made drawings at the Trevi Fountain and Bernini's Tritone fountain. All the participants have metro & bus passes and they're using them to get around the city fast, from site to site. On Thursday evening, their bus was stopped by thousands of carabinieri getting ready for a big parade, including horses. They had to get off the bus and walk through these immaculately dressed men, many on horseback. So they ended their journey on foot, to the British School at Rome to hear a young scholar giving a lecture on Pope Sextus V. The BSR is one of the Academies in Rome, where Prix de Rome artists live & work for 1-2 years. Carole Robb, the RAP artistic director is staying at the British School and she gave our participants a tour of the Academy. When the Australians saw the tennis court and the rose garden they said 'Very Raj '.

Peter Miller the RAP art historian, gave our participants a tour of the Philip Guston 'Roma' show that he curated at Museo Carlo Biliotti -38 paintings all based on Guston's experience of living in Rome in the 70's and never been seen as a group before.