Art students from San Anton School, in Mġarr, were exposed to the skills of gilding, retouching, patching and fresco painting at the Studio Art Centres International of Florence.

The group, led by Alison Zammit Endrich, spent a week in the Italian city visiting all the major museums, galleries and churches there. The day they spent at the art centre was considered as the highlight of the trip. At the centre they were welcomed and briefed by Roberta Lapucci, head of the conservation department, and her team.

A group of American art restoration students from the Florence centre have just spent a two week internship in Gozo, in the church of St John the Baptist in Xewkija, to be precise, under the supervision of Prof. Lapucci and assistants Jaime Dobbertin, Riccardo Mibelli and Maurizio Spatafora.

The internship was promoted by Jovan Mizzi from the Caravaggio Foundation and Mary Ann Beckinsale, president of the art centre, with the assistance of parish priest Mgr. Carmel Mercieca and vice parish priest Fr George Mercieca.

The aim of the project was to restore the altarpieces located in the old church.

The students worked on a large oil painting on canvas on the main altar, depicting St John the Baptist preaching in the desert, attributed to Mattia Preti or his workshop. They also restoration work on an oil painting on canvas on one of the side altars, depicting the Madonna in Glory with St Ignatius and St Paul, attributed to Buhajar from the mid 18th century.

This is the second group of students from the arts centre to undergo an internship in Malta. The first took place in 2007 in the nunnery of St Ursula in Valetta. Students spent two weeks restoring an oil painting on canvas depicting the Baptism of Christ by Minniti. The restored painting was displayed in St John the Cavalier Bastion in Valletta in an exhibition titled Projects.