The roses have been spectacular this year blooming from May until now in September. This picture was taken in June; the pink roses contrasting with the blue geraniums. Our guests at Art Toscana Art Courses in Italy commented on how lovely the roses are this year and how much they have enjoyed walking through the
This time next month we will be in Venice for our first 2024, Art Toscana art vacations in Italy. At Art Toscana painting holidays in Italy, our guests will go to the 2024 Venice Biennale and will paint on the Island of Burano.
This is one of my favourite salads and although it comes from a Persian cookery book, all of the ingredients are Italian; baby tomatoes, olives, red onions, pistachio nuts and pomegranate seeds. Even the pomegranate seeds, although not considered Italian, are from my two pomegranate trees in the garden. That sounds exotic, doesn’t it. The
Now that our first week in Sicily is fully booked we will be organising our October boat trip from Livorno to Palermo. What an exciting trip that is. We arrive in Livorno early evening and as we sail along the Mediterranean coastline in twilight we can watch the enormous sunset on the horizon. We arrive
This is one of the many moods portrayed by the mountain viewed from the bedroom windows at Art Toscana, art holidays in Italy. It’s twilight when the falling sun illuminates the red sky leaving the mountain in darkness.
I took this photo on New Years Day in the square of Saint Michael in Lucca (La Piazza di San Michele), a blue projection of stars and giant snowflakes falling on the Church of San Michele. On the free day of our Art Toscana painting holidays in Italy, most of our guests go to Lucca
On the Apennine side of the Garfagnana and Mid-Serchio Valley, at an altitude of 1,525 metres, lies the village of San Pellegrino Alpe, the highest village in the Aapennine mountains, once a stronghold for the territories defence system. It’s there, in Il Santaurio di San Pellegrino, a sanctuary for pilgrims who came to pay homage
Our dog Teddy had his first wash and brush up. Well, it took three hours for Manuela to comb through every part of him, shower, shampoo and condition him, and then dry him with the hair dryer before a final comb through. Teddy can look forward to another grooming in May before our guests at
I often stand on the little bridge at the end of our lane mesmerised by the Corsonna river. In summer, it is nothing more than a rivulet, where the sunlight peeping between the branches of the overhanging trees, sends silver darts into the water dancing among the rocks. Our guests at Art Toscana, painting holidays
This spectacular persimmon tree is so Christmassy; the leafless branches with orange fruits like baubles on a Christmas tree. At Art Toscana painting vacations our guests would love to paint this scene but when they are here in summer the tree is verdant green with no baubles.