About a four and a half hour drive north from Tuscany is Trentino Alto Adige, one of our favorite regions to visit for many reasons other than just skiing and snowboarding in the Alps. The drive is great because halfway between us and the Alps is Bologna and Modena which is the perfect place to stop for lunch. A real treat. This year we stayed in a beautiful boutique hotel with a wonderful spa and indoor pools for the kids and spent all week skiing and snowboarding. The German influence in Alto Adige really shines through in the incredible organisation they had for the kid’s ski and snowboarding school which gave us parents time to hit the slopes by ourselves.

There is an old oak tree, over three hundred years old in the Val d’Orcia. It iis so big that a few of its heavy limbs have fallen down. If you didn’t know about it, you might just drive by it, but if you stop and spend some time with it, you can feel it’s energy wrap itself around you.

May is an amazing time in Tuscany, not only because Spring is in full effect, but because the weather, when not raining, is absolutely magical, and the wild red poppies light up the countryside in the most magical way. You can even eat the young leaves of poppy in a salad before the flowers bloom. I also use the petals to make art with my kids.

Every year the sunflower fields emerge, around the end of June through August, I take my daughter with me to sit down, hopefully under a large tree in the shade, to try and paint them. . . .which is not an easy task.

Never underestimate the healing power of nature and sharing a beer with a loved one. One of my favorite dates with my husband is go for a beautiful drive into the countryside to combine art, photography, nature walks, herbalism and romance. I study the surrounding plants, we go for a walk, share a beer in a favourite spot and take some photos.

I don’t know why it took me moving to Tuscany to organise such an incredible activity with friends and art lovers. Of course it has something to do with the inviting and spectacular landscapes with epic sunsets, but honestly this is such an impactful and poignant way to spend the late afternoon that I wish I had done this everywhere I have lived. The photos speak for themselves, but logistic wise, landscape painting always takes a bit of preparation, i.e., sourcing location, this place being one that has a good view of the sunset, with ample space for everyone to sit. Then there are the painting supplies, blankets and\or portable chairs, and the aperitivo and snacks. We brought Aperol Spritz, extra Prosecco and chips.

Sunset and sunrise landscape painting is more challenging that regular landscape painting because the epic or crucial moment that you might want to capture happens in about two to five minutes. Therefore I always recommend coming at least an hour before the actual setting or rising of the sun to prepare your canvas and set the base of your painting, that way you are prepared for the final touches once the sun drops. If you are out in the countryside like we were, once the sunsets everything becomes pitch black.