I spent a wonderful month in Italy!

I stayed with my friend and fellow artist, Jean Wells-Smith, at her home on the grounds of the Villa Francazan-Piovene in the Veneto.

It was an amazing experience to actually stay in a villa - I felt I was living in history! Jean and I spent a lot of time just painting the courtyard. A tower with battlements, a granary, stables and an old pigsty - what more could any artist ask for!

View from my bedroom window
Villa Francazan-Piovene

The Villa Francazan-Piovene is one of the most beautifully proportioned villas in Italy, with the tallest grand salon. The Villa's kitchen is the best example of a 17th - 18th century kitchen in a villa. Rows of gleaming copper pots, ranging in size from practically a bathtub to tiny sauciers, line the walls. The tractor collection gives a terrific idea of the history of tractors, with everything from a Lamborghini tractor to a unique one actually built by the Villa's craftsmen. The Villa shows typical daily life through the centuries on the grounds.

I spent over half my time in Venice, since it was only an hour away. It was a fantastic luxury to have days just to wander the back alleys and hidden campos of the city.

I can't say enough about Venice. Or paint enough, which is more what I do!
I went there expecting it to be tourist filled and trashy. And, of course, I'd been warned about the smell.

Most of the streets hardly had a person on them. Whole campos were deserted, with just the water fountains splashing in the center. It smelled and felt like the sea, with salt air drifting down the narrowest alleys.

Tourists seem to clump around San Marco, which I went to see - how could I miss that? But across the Grand Canal from there was my favorite. Hidden alleys and laundry drying in the breeze (by the way, if anyone's wondered about that picturesque laundry and why they don't use a dryer - it takes 8 hours or so to dry one tiny load. I'd go for the picturesque and actually dry laundry too.)

It's not that Venice isn't touristy. It is. Its whole purpose was to attract and awe merchants who would attract and awe more merchants bringing more money through the city. So it is a tourist and a merchant city still. But...

It's a very old tourist city. I mean, these little hole in the corner shops selling glass - they've been there for centuries. Some may be Slovakian glass now (not that they'll mention that) but the same sort of things since those very old buildings were built. And then built on top of.

And remember, the whole magnificently solidly ancient stones of Venice are resting on a bunch of logs pounded into the mud centuries ago.

It's a glorious extravagant living ruin of a city.

I can't wait to go back!

Soave Vineyard

The Veneto is full of beautiful vineyards, up and down the mountains.
I particularly enjoyed the Soave vineyards, winding around the old castle.
At the end of each row, the farmers often plant a rosebush. The scarlet red or pure whites contrasting against the bright green vines.

Lake Como was gorgeous, wedged between the mountains. Jean and I stayed high up the mountain, with a wonderful view looking down at the long lake.

I really loved Lake Garda, with Sirmione and castle perched on a finger out into the lake. I spent 2 days there painting the ancient olive groves on the hills overlooking the lake. One day painting with Jean which I enjoyed so much that I brought Roger to see the groves and the Roman villa at the edge of the lake. That was a particularly bright sun, blue sky lake. The view of the lake through the 1st century ruined arches of the villa was spectacular.