Italy 2013 Day 9

Arrived in Bologna around 10:30. The walking tour guide, a very nice Swedish guy who spoke English well, was on hand for our excursion.  He was an expert on this city and its history both politically and architecturally but we had "whisper ears" with ear plugs and there was difficulty with them, lots of static and he went too deeply into the details for my taste since we wanted to cover a lot of ground and this tour was moving too slowly so we left after about 1 hour.  We walked to the national art museum at the oldest university in Europe, the outdoor markets, the main streets with all those fabulous porticoes, the side streets and alleys with ancient buildings at every turn.  People-watching here could be the best in Italy.  Local shops with great meats, cheeses, oils, vinegars, pastas--everyone liked this city.  Left at 4:30, buffet supper, my favorite so far.  Tomorrow to Firenza to the ceramic museum.

Wonderful porticos, great colors everywhere, crazy interesting architecture.

Quaint place near the oldest University in Europe where we had a beverage.

Check the wall color.

Breads at the market.

Deli, oh to have this market near me!

Carol at yet another wine stop, near the main square, good people watching.

The shopper.

Italy 2013 Day 8

After the morning walk and breakfast, Margaret did a 1-hr talk and demo on painting roads and correcting a painting, and then Arwed did a talk at 10 on how the eyes see color followed by discussion on how emotion and personality effects artists' paintings. Then we painted until lunch when Priscilla sat for a group portrait session.  At breakfast we discussed that about half the group has a rash on their lower legs which for most is not itchy.  By mid-morning I also got the rash.  It's supper time now and I also have it on the bottom of my left foot and it is itchy.  Some of the ladies were going to town and I asked them to bring back something to put on it.  In the meantime I took Benedryl.  The ladies returned with hydrocortisone with lanocaine, so we'll see.  We had a critique about the day's paintings and everyone was pretty industrious, lots of paintings and portraits.  Since we weren't expecting to do portraits on this trip, I admire those who worked in other mediums, even pencil.   Dinner was a buffet with tons of food.  Tomorrow is Bologna, leaving at 8:30.

Another day in paradise.  My morning walk at Modigliana, IT

Arwed's talk about the way eyes see color, at Borghetto di Brola, our hotel.

The portrait model.

My painting, she liked it and I gave it to her.  Pose was probably about 1 hour.

Margaret's portrait, look at the great color.

Critique by Margaret

Liz Peck's painting

The hotel kitty, always into mischief.

The watcher.

Sample of our buffet, in the upper section at 1 o'clock, there was this nice tuna paste.  The cheese at 9 o'clock with jam was to die for.  Everything is fresh and delicious.

from dessert buffet table, lots of fresh fruit, fig cake, panacotta.

Dining-room shot.

more dining room shots.

dining room

dining room

dining room

Carol Pike Webb

Sandy Beitzinger

Note the washing hose on the wall.

Italy 2013 Day 7

Up early, breakfast then bus to Florence at 7:30.  We drove along the spine of the Apennines, the scenery was breathtaking--our heads bobbing right and left.  We had a stop at a high overlook for coffee, etc. that had photos on the walls from the early years when the road was being built. Arrived at Florence at 11 where we met our walking guide. After a couple of stops with the guide, Carol, Sandy and I took off on our own.  We had been there before and thought our time could be better spent so we crossed the Pont Vecchio, visited The Pitti Palace, the gardens and the ceramic museum before going to the Zecchi Art Store to buy paint.   We shopped at the stalls along the x plaza before heading to the bus, passing the Santa Cruce where many famous people are Interned (Michalangelo) and stopping for a beer in the park by the bus stop.  We visited the Michelangelo Plaza overlook before heading back at 5, arriving late for supper at 8.  After supper we sat outside in the cool night air after the blazing heat of the day and traipsing around Florence for 6 hours.  It is such a wonderful city and we made it through without any of that "petty crime" happening to us.

Bus stop at the high spot along the Appeninnes on way to Florence.

Arwed, Sandy, ordering coffee at rest stop where I bought local dark green olive oil.

Margaret Egli Thomson at rest stop.

Photo of photo when they first built the road, this was our rest stop.

Scene along the road in Apennines.

Shot of typical trees in this area.

Giotto, artist we did some studying about.

By the Pitti Palace, Florence

Gardens at Pitti Palace

View across the Arno from Pitti Palace

And we thought we invented pretty mugs here in this century, these at Pitti Palace Ceramic Museum

Pitti Palace water feature.

Pont Vecchio tooking towards Uffizzi

The David at Michelangelo overlook.

Michaelangelo overlook view of Florience