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If you read my last blog post, “My 2^nd Taste of Italy”, you know that I left off with planning my first artist’s retreat in South France. (Another place I’m hooked on! But we’ll talk about that later!)

Once I experienced the connectivity with like-minded creatives who also love to travel, I was hooked. I felt like three of the things I’m most passionate about, (Art, travel, and teaching) had merged into one, and my purpose was confirmed and fulfilled. 

As soon as I returned from France, I began planning the next European artist retreat…Tuscany! I had originally planned two, back to back retreat sessions, but they filled so quickly (within a week!) that we added an additional third session. I wondered if it would be too much to handle, but as it turned out, it just energized me and I enjoyed every moment of every session, and each session was unique in its own right.

Lucca, 20 minutes from our hosts in Tuscany

We stayed in a 16^th Century Italian villa in the hills of remote Tuscany. Although it was quiet and peaceful, it was only a 20 minute drive into Lucca, with many other interesting villages scattered nearby. 

Each morning I was excited to wake up early, and watch the sunrise over the Tuscan valley below as the roosters announced a new day. 

All of the artists and their companions (who I now am blessed to call my friends!) would gather in the small traditional Tuscan kitchen for breakfast, and then the artists would head to the beautiful art studio on the property for a day of instruction and painting either “En Plein Air” (fancy French term for in the open air) or in studio, while the companions enjoyed walking mountain trails, getting in the WW2 jeep to see some of the war sites nearby, or relaxing and getting massages. 

Other days were spent on excursions, visiting vineyards with lunch and wine tasting, shopping & dining in quaint villages, or trying fresh cheese at a local sheep farm…and of course, spending some time painting and sketching while we were out. 

All the while during each of my journeys to Italy, I’d been gathering material to create my first online course, The Essence of Italy. Creating an artistic experience that I could share with other artists had been on my mind for a long time; and after several key factors fell into place, my team worked for over 9 months planning and filming, editing and building an entirely new website to host this artful journey…and it’s finally here! I don’t think it’s a mistake or coincidence that the timing of this course came when it did, with the world pandemic invading our lives. The Essence of Italy is the perfect anecdote for the lack of traveling that’s affected most of us, and it’s a great time to find renewed inspiration during these uncertain times.