A few days in a villa outside San Gimignano exploring the countryside and villages is a great prelude to a painting workshop.
Amanda and Gordon, our tour guides for the workshop, chauffeured us through the vineyards and olive groves of Tuscany, exploring the countryside to discover the best painting destinations, vineyards and restaurants.
Early morning in the vineyards surrounding San Gimignano.
Cinque Terre Coastline from Montorosso
Painting in Riomaggiore
Regular critique sessions were a lot of fun in the Hotel Courtyard.
Dry flowers on a San Gimignano window sill.
Washing Day – San Gimignano
San Gimignano as the sun rises
Old lady carries flowers to one of the Saints in San Gimignano
Early morning mist in the valleys
Two Cats – San Gimignano
San Gimignano before bus loads of visitors arrive.
A rare event – these little things run for years on a tank of fuel.
A window in Castellina in Chianti.
Religious ceremony in Montorosso.
Spectacular mountains between Pisa and Cinque Terre.
Castello Di Meleto in Chianti – our home for the second week of the workshop.
Castello Di Meleto
Great views of the Chianti countryside from Castello Di Meleto.
Our one shower of rain for the entire workshop as we head to the castle cellars for a wine tasting and tour of the castle.
Strange leftovers from the 12th century still dangle from walls in the bowels of Castello Di Meleto
A happy man with a nice bottle of Chianti Classico from the castle vineyards.
Fine Dining at Castello Di Meleto
In Florence, a small yellow car the width of a refrigerator.
Leonardo da Vinci’s attempt to breathe under water.
Descendants of Michelangelo and Leonardo still decorate the walls of Florence.
Large flocks of Vespers gather in the back streets of Florence.
In Florence you can hold up your trousers with a Real Python for just 25 Euro
Pigeons fight for crumbs outside the Uffizi
Botticelli clouds drift over Florence
Two streets meet in the small town of Greve in Chianti
Castello Di Meleto vineyards
Castellina in Chianti
Castello Di Meleto’s pool disappears into the Chianti hills.
Souvenirs – Florence
Markets – Florence
Splashing Paint 
thats it. i’m going there next year.
lovely photos
i admire your restraint in posting only a few. i’m unable to make those kinds of hard decisions.
I am so envious ,it looks just great. Glad you got these great painting shots
Your photos are fabulous. Thank you for bringing back such wonderful memories of the Chianti!
So inspiring – I can’t wait to see some of your paintings from this incredible (and enviable) trip!
Delicious and so inspiring. Proving that simplicity is always the best inspiration. Sorry I wasn’t there.
If you head for Liguria and Cinque Terre again, head down the little peninsula a little more to Tollado, the coastline is equally beautiful, but far less crowds and tourists and a superb place to paint. Highly recommend this area in the Ligurian national park.
Hi John, You make me just want to drop everything and paint from your gorgeous photos! You really captured a wonderful mood throughout them all! What a trip – I am so envious!!
AMAZING pictures of Cinque Terre and Tuscany. Italy is just unique and you captured it very well. Congratulations!
What a great time was had by all. Thanks John, Diane, Amanda and Gordon. Wonderful memories, and paintings in process!
John…thanks for sharing your awe- inspiring photos…I went to Cinque Terre a few years ago and it was heaven..Did you shoot these yourself? I am guessing yes…can’t wait to see them painted!