A change of scene…
A view from our accommodation at Il Paretaio in the stunning hills of Tuscany
I am openly one to admit that I could quite happily be a hermit. In fact when asked what I wanted to be when I got old (I’m nearly there) I declared that I would be the mad cat woman that lived alone in the woods! So I was not sorry to enjoy the confines of my studio and garden all summer. In fact it has inspired my latest work which you will see if you come along to the next Northern Girls Exhibition!
That said there have been rumbles about running workshops in far flung places and I thought it pertinent to at least explore the possibilities by way of a whistle stop tour of Tuscany with my daughter, who happily provided the entertainment, navigation and reality checks as we pondered different locations.
The temperature was not my friend, and experiencing hot flushes on top of 34 degrees I had to warn my daughter that if she found a pair of shoes randomly abandoned it was not because I had forgotten them, but because I had literally spontaneously combusted! Not conducive to watercolours either which I quickly found out after attempting my first sketchbook entry!
That said we experienced the most wonderful hosts at Il Paretaio, a Bed and Breakfast that caters for the equestrianites with the most beautiful horses available for lessons under the expert tutelage of Pietro De Marchi and Natalie Schofield. The views are to die for and the accommodate is steeped in history which long time owners Giovanni De Marchi and Christina Libardi are happy to impart.
Located in Barberino Tavarnelle, it is only half an hour away from Siena and Florence respectively it was the perfect place to experience all that the area had to offer. With wineries, vineyards, and stunning landscapes to enjoy it is definitely something that I will be exploring for next year.
We hired a car from Pisa airport for four days which we used to explore as many places as we could while we had it. The villages were stunning and the fortified towns, such as Monteriggioni and the beautiful Siena were well worth the trip!
Our trip culminated in 3 days in Pisa which we used as a base to catch the train to Firenze (Florence) and Lucca and then of course to explore Pisa itself. I think I broke my daughter by the last day as she insisted that we take advantage of the Happy Hour in the local bar around the corner of our AirBnB which I was happy to oblige!
So what did I take away from our whistle stop tour of all that Tuscany had to offer?
The colours - you can’t come away from Tuscany without thinking of Burnt Siena, Yellow Ochres, the purple Wisterias and Bougainvillea and punchy pinks of the Oleander, Olive greens and smokey pinks.
I have no doubt this will infuse itself in future work and with five exhibitions coming up before the end of the year, hopefully an opportunity to show some of it off!
A change of scene, however short is a brilliant way to get perspective, be inspired, gather visual reference, refreshing your senses with new sights, smells, tastes, and sounds, and by the end of our week long trip we had both vowed to do it again next year!
If you have enjoyed a trip away this summer I would love to hear if it has inspired you to paint or sketch.
If you would be interested in joining me on a painting trip abroad please register your interest HERE. I will get back with some options when I have firmed up an itinerary and dates etc. There is no obligation at all but I would be interested to see if anyone would like to come with me next time.
