Fresco is a way of painting pictures. A fresco is a kind of mural, a painting that is done on a wall. A wall painting is sometimes called a fresco by mistake. A true fresco is painted onto plaster that is fresh. The plaster has been laid on the wall that day and is still damp. Frescoes last a long time because the paint mixes into the plaster. The word fresco comes from the Italian for "fresh".