On arrival, the Tuscan mountain village of Cotto looked as picturesque as ever and I could hardly wait to unpack my paints and brushes. The sunny weather brought out vibrant green colours on hills and mountains and nurtured an unusual amount of colourful flowers and butterflies. The village itself with its Burnt Sienna roof tiles and Yellow Ochre stone walls was positively glowing in the evening sun. Naturally, this was irresistible to painters and walkers alike. The swimming pool was also used frequently for a refreshing dip after the days creative splashes.

The second week produced some low clouds obscuring the view of the highest peaks and a rainy day at the beginning. But it soon cleared up and we were able to enjoy painting around Cotto, the nearby old market town and the medieval castle Verrucola on the following days.

Our outing to Lucca - always a special day- where we mixed the pleasure of sketching or painting with some light shopping, sight-seeing and the delight of trying regional ice creams. The visit on our last nights to the Il Gardinetto hotel in Fivizzano is a wonderful way to finish the week's painting with a fabulous meal surrounded by an extraordinary collection of modern paintings and old master pieces lovingly collected by Peppino, the owner of the hotel.

Needless to say, I am eagerly awaiting my return to Tuscany next year and hope you can join me again or for the first time.

Have a lovely time painting in June, Bettina