David You have been working in Italy for half the year in Italy for a large part of your life. What drew you to Italy in the first place?

You always return to La Serenissima. What is it about Venice that you love the most?

Is Venice your favourite place in Italy to paint and why?

What do you call your style of art?

You also do portraits – Is there certain features of a person or the pose that makes an interesting portrait do you think?

You lead educational tours to Italy and Europe and have been allowed into some magnificent villas and museums. Tell us about the most interesting places or institutions that you have seen in Italy? 

You always have an exhibition in Brisbane of your paintings? When is this exhibition normally.

You can contact David here

Home | David Henderson

View video of David’s painting in Venice

David Henderson | visualartist.info

Produced by Gemma Green Close, Passion For Italy Travel.  pfitravel.com.  [email protected]

Welcome to the Passion for Italy Podcast. Gemma from Passion for Italy Travel is interviewing Stephen Copeland and Meredith Brice – both amazing Australian artists, who have renovated and restored a beautiful apartment La Bella Casa in Conzano, situated in the wine region of Monferato, in the region Piemonte in Italy. They also off Heritage Collage Workshops and have created a Migration Art Musuem in Conzano. The couple are currently departing for Italy to also renovate an old barn to become more workspace for the project.

1. A Creative Residency in Conzano 993 · Passion For Italy Travel

The couple have opened up their lovely apartment to become the Quentin Bryce Creative residency for certain months of the year.

The Creative in-Residence Program is intended to be diverse and be offered to all individuals involved in the arts, literature and all areas that has at its heart - "to make and create more humane society". 

Successful applicants can also use the time to write a memory, a heritage story or research their family migratory history, any from of creative research and development is encouraged. Become part of the Migration as Art Museum alumni. 

The discussion focuses on the residency program in Conzano, Italy, where participants can engage in research or reflection in a supportive environment. Stephen Copland explained that the program is open to anyone who aligns with the goal of serving others, regardless of their background or field of research, and emphasized that the location offers a traditional and authentic Italian experience. 

He describes Conzano's proximity to larger towns, its accessibility by public transport, and the cultural activities available in the area, including music and art events. Gemma inquired about the logistics and amenities, and Stephen provided details about the village's facilities and the program's cost, which covers the expenses of running the apartment for a month.

2. Art Workshops for Heritage and Ancestry Stories

International Heritage Book Workshop Piemonte · Passion For Italy Travel

Stephen Copland discussed his Landscape of Heritage Workshop, which grew out of his personal art practice and interest in tracing his grandmother's family history from Cuba to Lebanon. He explaines how he transformed his grandmother's diary and postcard album into visual art, using collage techniques and simple shadow printing methods. The workshop, which includes an educational component, encourages participants to explore their own heritage through visual storytelling, using methods like lifelines and abstraction to create personal visual objects.

Stephen and Meredith describe the art workshops, that help participants explore their family histories and migration stories through visual art, noting that the workshops are particularly powerful for those, who lack family connections. He explains that while the workshops began in Austria and have been adapted for different languages and cultures, the universal language of art allows participants to express complex emotions and stories through visual means. 

3. Migration Art Museum in Conzano. 

https://migrationasartmuseum.au/

Stephen and Meredith discussed the establishment of a migration art museum in Italy, which was supported by the mayor Emmanuel de Maria. The museum, located in a restored apartment, focuses on themes of heritage, migration, and cultural exchange. Copland highlighted the importance of empathy and soft diplomacy through art, referencing works like "The Raft of the Medusa" and a transit show in Dubai. The Museum has attracted interest from a lot of people and the couple are taking over more art work from the workshops to put in their Art Museum

You can see the art works and workshops of Stephen Copeland and Meredith Brice here.

https://migrationasartmuseum.au/

Produced by Gemma Green Close, Passion For Italy Travel.  pfitravel.com.  [email protected]

 Our podcast is information about Italy based on my experiences on travelling to Italy for over 30 years. I am passionate about Italy and wish to share it with all.

Did you know that this year 2025 is the Jubilee year for the Roman Catholic Church and the Vatican in Rome. I know Rome very well, having visited every year for over 30 years. We only book hotels in the center where you can walk to all the famous sites. My most favourite area is the Spanish Steps.

The Sistine Chapel is the place where all the Cardinals meet to form the conclave to elect a new pope. By the way there is a new movie out The Conclave about this staring Stanley Tucci and Ralphn Fiennes.

I had the privilege of having a private tour at night many years ago, after the museum had closed. and I was the only one there just me and my private guide. I was the only person in the Sistine Chapel. I had Michelangelo all to myself and it was so incredible I wanted to fall on the floor and stay there to spend the night gazing up at that magnificent ceiling. There was no one else and it was one of the highlights of my life indeed.

You can see the beautiful video of the Vatican Museum here. 

Vatican Museums – Official Website

If 2025 is the only time you will be in Rome  - There are group tours available in the morning and afternoon and private tours of course and a night private tour.

But there is also so many other great things to do and see in Rome. please book early, in fact very early otherwise you will miss out on the incredible Vatican Museum.

Produced by Gemma Green Close, Passion For Italy Travel.  pfitravel.com.  [email protected]

The idea for this novel came about when I happened across two papyri found at the end of the Nineteenth century in the Oasis of Fayyum, in Egypt. These were two letters written by a sailor named Apion, who enrolled in the second century AD in the Roman Imperial Fleet stationed at Misenum in Campi Flegrei. 

The novel also bring together Apion’s personal story with the wider history of the period and the regions he lived in, namely the rise of Emperor Hadrian, and the so-called Conspiracy of the Four Consuls. One of these was Publilius Celsus, who was really murdered in Baiae. 

Produced by Gemma Green Close, Passion For Italy Travel.  pfitravel.com.  [email protected]

This is the third part of the recent Joe and Lori trip to Italy.

Naples Train Station

An adventure with a private transfer

An abbreviated Pompeii trip

Positano: Buca di Bacco, L'Incanto, Le Tre Sorrelle, La Pergola, Cafe Positano, the beach, the stairs, plenty of food, wine, shopping, and gelato.

Capri: the day trip there was worth the trip!

The best experience with a private transfer we have ever had...

Produced by Gemma Green Close, Passion For Italy Travel.  pfitravel.com.  [email protected]

In this episode of Passion for Italy, Joe and Lori visit beautiful Firenze.

Follow along as we leave Roma and travel via train from Roma Termini Station to Santa Maria Novella station in Firenze.

We walk the streets and visit  Accademia and see the statue of David. Joe walks to the top of the Duomo.

In the show we discuss: Palazzo Vecchio  and Piazza della Signoria. 

Crossing the Ponte Vecchio to  see Pitti Palace and  Boboli Gardens.

We visit Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce, and San Lorenzo.

Mercato Centrale, Mercato Nuovo. 

We loved the food, wine and gelato of this beautiful city.

Try the Gelato at Perche No, Grom, My Sugar and so many more locations.

Trattoria Za Za is fantastic.

This was our slow down time after Rome and before Positano and Capri.

Produced by Gemma Green Close, Passion For Italy Travel.  pfitravel.com.  [email protected]

Joe Mulinaro joins the Passion for Italy Travel crew. He will be having a number of guests join him to discuss their trips to Italy.

In this episode of the Podcast, Joe invites his wife, Lori, to discuss her recent trip to Italy where they visited Rome, Florence, Positano, and Capri. 

In this first show, they discuss the Rome portion of the vacation. They start with their planning and flight. 

The episode continues with five days of filling their agenda with all the major points of Rome.

Monti District, Santa Maria Maggiore, Spanish Steps, Piazza Republica, Altar of the Fatherland

Villa Borghese, Laghetto, Piazza del Popolo, Via Del Corso, Trevi Fountain

Vatican Musuem tour, Castel Sant Angelo, Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Campo di Fiore, 

St Agnes Church, Piazza Venezia, St Peter's Basilica

Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Teatro Marcello, Jewish Ghetto, Capitoline Museum, Tiber Island

So much, pizza, pasta, wine, gelato and cornetti.

Produced by Gemma Green Close, Passion For Italy Travel.  pfitravel.com.  [email protected]

https://pfitravel.com/blog/

Produced by Gemma Green Close, Passion For Italy Travel.  pfitravel.com.  [email protected]

https://pfitravel.com/italy-connect-with-the-locals/

Produced by Gemma Green Close, Passion For Italy Travel.  pfitravel.com.  [email protected]