Are you considering a mosaic class for kids in Rome and wondering if it is worth it? Read our full experience with Arte al Sole and get all the info. Spoiler: we loved every minute of this activity!
My daughter is a maker: she loves ‘arts and crafts’, inventing and creating and so, on our last trip to Rome, I concocted a plan: what if I could find a kids creative activity in Rome that would allow her to have fun while learning an actual craft?
I took to the web for ideas and quickly found something that seemed to tick all the boxes: a children mosaic class organised by Arte al Sole in Rome.
Finding the class and deciding to book happened at one: with the help if Lisa and Bess from the Arte al sole team, we got our class booked and last week we had our mosaic adventure.
Heading to Rome with kids? Don’t miss our full family guide to Rome with children here
Isn’t this the most beautiful workshop?
Kids mosaic class in Rome with Arte al Sole: when and where
I booked our private mosaic class for kids in a Monday afternoon after lunch. The class takes place in an artisan workshop in Trastevere, which is lovely and historical part of Rome, and in an exceptionally beautiful road, Via Corsini.
This street is a ‘no through road’ that leads into Rome’s botanical gardens (a true Rome hidden gem themselves!) and it is itself quite a sight: cobbles, palms trees and that mix of crumbling decadence and splendor that Rome does so well all happen here, making it a fantastic location for such as artistic endeavor.
The workshop is a on your left and you quickly spot it thanks to the mosaics on show outside. With excited hearts, we pushed the wooden door open and we entered this artist’s den.
Even from the outside we could tell this lab workshops for kids would be amazing
The kids class
As we entered the lab we were greeted by three people: Bess and Nadia, our teacher, and a small and excited puppy called Pietro. Everyone was super friendly and we quickly felt at home: Pietro left Little Ms E a little worried but he was so cute, tiny and enthusiastic he ended up being a lovely presence.
The workshop is itself a place of beauty. It is hosted in an ancient building with exquisitely painted ceilings and has walls covered in shelves with mosaics and artists tools.
The room is big yet cozy and has desks to allow several people to work at once, if needed. The class was just for Little Ms E and myself and we got our seats at one of the desks: each of us got a station, a chair, tools and the class began.
Each of us had a work station with the tools of the mosaic maker
What we learned about mosaic making
Mosaic making is an ancient technique that requires several steps.
The first one is deciding on a pattern. Nadia had several patterns to choose from, some simple some very complex, and left Little Ms E in charge of deciding the one we liked most. Her expertise helped us deciding on two that we loved and were reasonable for our (lack of) experience and then we moved onto the next task: picking colors!
A mosaic is a composition of stones of different natural colors and Nadia brought out a chart with options to choose from.
The process is not different from choosing paint from a paint chart but with a much more interesting twist: the stones of a mosaic are not painted but naturally occurring and each color comes from a different part of the world and tells us about the composition of the stone!
Little Ms E and I chose our favorite and Nadia explained the journey each of had made: the reds from Iran, the blues from South America, the whites from Sicily are just those who stuck to my memory but the choice is vast!
There are several steps in mosaic making: this is when we created the base
Something as simple as picking colors had already turned into an incredible learning opportunity for Little Ms E and myself. I was quickly clear that this mosaic class for kids wasn’t just for kids after all!
Patterns and stones chosen, the making began!
Over the course of a little less than 2 hours, Nadia show us how to cut (I did the cutting as it is a grown up job), composing, sticking and finishing and by evening we had our mosaics ready!
Our mosaic creations! Still to be polished
Is a mosaic class in Rome worth it?
I knew Little Ms E would love such a a hands on creative class and indeed, she did.
We had a great time together, made something beautiful and most of all we felt we has a taste of a real art: this is not a gimmicky, kids class to keep your child entertained with whatever but a real experience with a real artisan that spares her time to share with love and ancient art.
Mosaic making dates back to very ancient times and made its way to Rome via Greek masters. Making mosaics was the work of slaves but the master was usually Greek as they had the expertise to make them not just technically impeccable but exquisitely beautiful thanks to their refined taste and aesthetics.
Nadia kept telling us that this was a real art and we felt it through and through. The whole experience was fun and enriching, a real art class for kids that sparks creativity and knowledge, delivered with love, expertise and constant support.
Based on this experience, if you have a maker child my answer is YES: a mosaic class in Rome with Nadia is worth every minute of your time and one of our all time favorite things to do in Rome with kids
How to book a mosaic class for kids with Arte al Sole
I booked our kid mosaic class in Rome via Facebook but the best way to do it is to contact Arte al Sole directly from their website. They have several classes you can choose from and they are English speakers so communication is easy.
You can check their website here
I hope you enjoyed our review of the kids mosaic class in Rome organised by Arte al Sole. Safe family travels!
Disclaimer: we were guests of Arte al Sole in this occasion in exchange for an unbiased review. The enthusiasm of this review reflects our genuine experience of this class