Home Again
Last night I returned from an amazing month in Italy. The first 2 1/2 weeks were spent with fellow students of Italian. We spent 3 or 4 days, easy to lose track, in Bolsena, Italy at a beautiful hotel on Lake Bolsena. While visiting Bolsena we also traveled to other beautiful and interesting communities in the area including Viterbo. Google the celebration of “Macchina di Santa Rosa” and you will witness as amazing sight. We were there and it was quite a spectacle. After several days we moved on to Orvieto, where we attended Italian language classes for two weeks. We had possibly the best teachers I have experienced in my Italian travels. We also traveled to some amazing cities and ate an abundant amount of incredible Italian food and drank a fine selection of Italian wines. It goes without saying that we also sampled many flavors of gelato.
While I was in Italy, I was also taking a second Jane LaFazio on-line watercolor class. Above is a photo of Trisha and Sally, two of my watercolor companions, along with one of my watercolors. While we were painting at this location, a little old Italian man came and watched a bit before he started critiquing our work. Most entertaining. Check out my “On Location Watercolors” page to see what I painted while in Italy.
After the 2 1/2 week study group, Tom joined me for a week in Rome. We walked everywhere and saw so many amazing sights. We and some friends hired a private guide for the Vatican Museums and all agreed it was well worth it. What an amazing experience. Tom and I also made several stops of Giolitti, hands down the best gelato I have ever had. As my washing machine and dryer are running, I’m unpacking my bags, catching up on email and snail mail and though it was a wonderful vacation, there really is “no place like home.”
