"I participated in a month long apprenticeship where I learned everything to do with leaded glass - cutting glass, leading and soldering, restoration, measuring and planning the project, framing, painting, firing, and everything else in between. A heaven for someone who likes to make stained glass! I left with the confidence and knowledge to carry out a large project of my own when I get home. Thanks to Massimo for an invaluable experience.

~Liana M.

"Taking the tour of this shop is a must if you are in Siena! They will guide you through the entire design process, and show you some techniques that you can even try yourself, great for those creative minds who like getting involved in art projects." 

~Ben Livingston

A guided tour of our studio is perfect for groups of 2 persons or more. The tour lasts approx. 60 mins.

Subjects covered are as follows:

• A short history of glass and stained glass
• Siena's role in this art
• The making of a stained glass panel:
• • Design, cartoon, choosing the colours, cutting, painting, firing at high temperature, leading, soldering, cementing and cleaning.
• A comparison between the possibilities obtained with modern technology, allowing a better quality thanks to major control and methods used in the past.
• An Illustration of "fusing" and the objects it is possible to make with this technique.

For additional information for a Guided Tour please contact us: bracciali.massimo@gmail.com

I recently attended a 10 day stained glass painting course at VAT and cannot stress enough the caliber of instruction provided. Massimo, Mattia, and Gianni all taught me more in ten days about stained glass and painting on glass than I learned in any of my courses in college. I came away with two pieces, a wealth of information, and the confidence to continue independently That they can teach so much in such little time is a testament to their expertise and the course they have developed. Each one of them is incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and generous with their teaching. You get the benefit of their combined decades of experience and it’s all set in a working studio in the gorgeous city of Siena. I would definitely learn with them again and would recommend their courses for any artist that is looking to expand their glass painting skills or explore painting on glass for the first time.

~Caitlin F.

CLASSES FOR FALL & WINTER 2025 ARE OPEN FOR REGISTRATION!

Since 2 decades we have been educating students from all over the world. The program has been active for now, 36 years! This unique program is of particular benefit to beginner, intermediate, advanced and professional glass artists have found our classes to be useful to enhance their skills and exchange ideas building on their glass community.

Topics in this workshops are:

• techniques, materials, tools
• design of cartoons and patterns
• glass cutting
• experience in using and matching different types of glass
• basics of painting techniques (grisaille, media, tracing, matting)
• leading, soldering and cementing
• kiln operating
• glass fusing
• combining leaded, fused and painted glass
• frames
• installation discussion
• English is spoken in the studio. 

For additional information or how to register for a class or apprenticeship please contact us: edu@glasisland.com