Junko Mukai Original Watercolor

Absolutely my favorite souvenir of all my Italy travels. I stumbled on this teeny little shop as I wended my way down the pedestrian route from piazza Michelangelo, after the obligatory sunset photos. Although I was in a big hurry to meet friends for dinner, I am glad I stopped. The artist Junko was inside working, and I enjoyed seeing her process almost as much as soaking up each miniature artwork. Within about three minutes I had picked out ten pieces and was on my way, thinking they would make great souvenirs. The price was so reasonable that my plan to buy three grew to five, grew to ten.
Now that I’m home, these pieces are by far my favorite souvenir of the trip and also the most admired when I gave friends a family my trip recap and handed out souvenirs. They were supposed to be gifts for others, but I can’t bring myself to part with a single one of Junko’s pieces. Wish I had bought more so I could share. I did chat with Junko briefly and wish we’d had more time to talk, as it would be great to learn more of her story. If I get back to Florence, I will go directly here and enjoy the art and choosing pieces to take home as a memory of the trip. Just charming and delightful and beautiful packed into a teeny closet of a space. Do stop in. I took photos of her shop but you can get the idea from looking at her Facebook page.

I walked by this adorable shop last night on the way to Piazzale de Michaelangelo to watch the sunset. The store was closed, but after seeing the beautiful watercolors including cats overlooking the city, poppies (my flower) and irises (my mom’s flower), I knew I would have to return to hopefully make a purchase of some bookmark-​sized art.
When I did return today, after finding the shop’s Facebook page, I was so happy to see that the artworks were extremely reasonably priced. I decided I would spend 50 euro or less, and was able to buy 8 bookmarks and a couple other little pieces. I know my Mom and sisters will love them, but that’s only *if* I decide to part with them!
When you arrive, the artist may be working on pieces as you shop/​look around. :) I am so glad I stumbled upon this gem, and had to share it with the Unilocal international community.