Lucca, A visit to a friends Tuscan Garden, and an artshow finale in Italy
This is part 4 of the adventures on my recent retreats in Italy and France...be sure to check out part 1 , part 2, and part 3!
Day 8
The villa we stay in for my retreats in Tuscany, is only about 20 minutes from the Renaissance walled in city of Lucca. It's on the Serchio River near the Ligurian Sea. You can actually walk or ride your bike on top of the walls, and look down at the city.
We spent the morning shopping, taking photos for future paintings, and then having lunch at a Michelin Restaurant inside the wall. As always, the food was top notch!
After stuffing ourselves, it was time to walk (or climb) some of it off! We made our way up 207 steps of the Bell tower in Lucca for some spectacular views.
Above: San Michele
Above: Guinigi Tower
(In the 14th C. the towers in Lucca were built to represent the wealth and influence of the family who built it. The Guinigi family had trees planted on top of this one to symbolize re-birth.
One of the many advantages of going on an artist retreat with me, is that we get to do things that you wouldn't typically get to do as a regular tourist. Our host topped the afternoon off by taking us to his friends beautiful private garden near Lucca.
Day 9
After another full day of painting, we invited some of the neighborhood friends over for an Art Show after all the hard work the students put in. We then had an impromptu dance party with Prosecco...it was a great way to let loose and celebrate everyone's accomplishments!
Meanwhile, Chef Fabrizio was in the kitchen cooking up another spectacular dinner. The skies continued our dance party and exploded with color!
We finished off the evening with a fierce game of snookers.
Day 10
Our final full day was spent painting a church that sits on the top of the hill down below the villa.
Here is the painting demo in progress:
Final painting:
"Beyond the Grove" (available)
After another great painting day, Fabrizio taught an Italian cooking lesson and had everyone making fresh pasta, delicious veggies, and revealed the secrets to his famous tiramisu.
Below: some of the tasty masterpieces
We spent the rest of the beautiful evening out chatting under the stars until it was time to say goodnight.
The next morning we all said our sad goodbyes to the wonderful new friendships, and headed off. Risa and I were off to teach the next retreat in France, but first, we took a couple days to explore Bordeaux. Stay tuned to read our next adventures!
Ciao!
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