Siena, Italy

After a walking self-tour of the enchanting city of Siena, we are in awe of the depth of the history here. It’s eerie to walk among buildings hundreds of years old and imagine life before the Renaissance.

Back in Florence

Sadly, my friend Kathy left for home yesterday, and I will miss her! The only thing better than experiencing a new country is having a buddy along! As we were walking to the Ponte Vecchio one day, the light from this side street struck me, partly because there was a waiter momentarily leaning against the wall, hanging out before the lunch crowd appeared. I did a double take, and with Kathy for moral support, walked over and asked him (through gestures; I need to learn the Italian words for “Would you mind posing?”) if he would resume his stance for a photo. He seemed amused to help out, even refusing a tip for his trouble! I’ll post a picture of the painting in progress when I get a lay-in done.

Florence, Day Five

Here's a photo of my painting, a two-hour study of light in the garden.

Florence is such a beautiful historic city, it’s hard to condense any experience here into a few lines. So in this blog I’ll just relate some of the day’s sights and events, and try to include a photo or two from our experiences. A friend and fellow painter, Kathy Litwin, is joining me for a few days here, and I love getting to paint some of the sights together! Today we went to the Botanic Garden, just a few blocks from the apartment, and painted some of the spring foliage and a fountain.

Roma, Day Two

Dave and I have been exploring the Colosseum & surrounds, as well as the streets and food of Rome. So far, Dave has rediscovered a love of history, and we haven’t found a wine I don’t like!

Shown here are pictures taken from inside the Colosseum, and the Piazza Spagna filled with Holy Week visitors.