From Montreux to Bellagio, Italy

Ok, ok, I know Bellagio is not in Switzerland! When it came to planning our trip to Switzerland, I did not want to take any chances on weather. So, I diligently checked Switzerland’s weather statistics to make sure we were visiting the Alps at the best possible time to see them in all their splendor. I was still concerned though. I had heard horror stories from folks that went to Switzerland in the summer only to see barely recognizable forms of the Alps in the distance due to bad weather. My insurance policy for good weather on the trip was a few days in Bellagio on Lake Como, Italy.

A sun drenched September day on Lake Como

On our way from Montreux to Lake Como, we stopped in Milan for lunch. Although our stop in Milan would only last three hours, we needed lunch anyway and I wanted to photograph the Milan Cathedral. Not wanting to tow our bags on the brief stop, it was convenient that there was a place to drop our luggage for a couple of hours at the train station. It was only four Euro per bag and, since the service is provided by the station itself, it seemed like a secure place to leave our bags. If you ever use the service, please know that there is a strict 18-kilogram weight limit.

A quick stop in Milan on our way to Lake Como

The square that the Cathedral sits on is enormous, was full of people, and had the classic laid-back ambiance that is wonderful about Italy. The day was also bright and sunny, making it the perfect setting to enjoy our panini sandwiches for lunch!

Milan's City Center

Now for the task at hand. I really wanted a set of photo brackets of the interior of the church. Being the rule follower that I am, I asked Donna to go check the sign to see if photos were allowed inside. From what she gathered the answer was no and there were armed police standing at the door checking bags. Not knowing what would happen in the end, I went ahead and applied the likely camera settings for interior shots and put the camera and tripod away before entering the Cathedral.

Once I got in, I was very pleasantly surprised to see all kinds of folks with their point and shoot cameras clicking away with security looking on like there were no rules at all. At that point I decided to pull out the tripod and shoot away without a flash of course. I figured that if I got spanked, I would point to everyone else and politely comply.

The awe-inspiring interior of Milan Cathedral

After lunch in Milan, we took a 35 minute train to the town of Como. Once in Como, you can walk or take a taxi from the Como San Giovanni train station to the boat depot for a ride to one of many towns that surround the lake. Lago di Como is huge and is shaped like the letter Y. Flip the Y over and picture Como at the bottom of the left leg and the town of Bellagio where all the lines meet in the center. There are many towns on the lake to pick from but the positive reviews and location led me to Bellagio for our few days of relaxing in Italian style before we headed back home. The best boat to take is the comparatively fast hydrofoil. A bus would take two hours to reach Bellagio from Como. The fast boat gets you there in about 40 minutes with a few stops thrown in for about $15.

A few steps from our hotel in Bellagio

We arrived in Como at about 4pm and made it to Bellagio by five. Just in time to check-in, have a beer on the terrace, and find a spot for dinner. The town is pretty quiet, not over run with tourists, and is host to great shopping along charming side streets and alleys. The shot above is from one of the best alleys in town. Just head down the path to the sun drenched road and make a right to reach our hotel.

The town of Bellagio, Italy

While in Bellagio, we walked down to the Gardens of Villa Melzi. For eight Euro, you can explore meticulously manicured gardens and walk around the impressive villa on the property. You can tell from the photo below that the weather was gorgeous. What a beautiful place!

Villa Melzi

The photo below is of the interior of the chapel near the villa. It had a lovely patina and the ambiance was very relaxing. I could not resist photographing the geometric shapes  that made up the ceiling.

A quaint chapel at Villa Melzi

Like all towns in Italy, Bellagio has a nice old church, charming architecture, and beauty that does not disappoint. Imagine sitting by the lake for dinner with a warm breeze passing over you as you look to the lake sparkling from the sun setting in the distance. I am not sure what about Italy keeps calling us back. Sure I could list a ton of great things to consider, but what is harder to define is the feeling that we have when we are there. It is really hard to describe. All I know is it makes me smile every time and plants itself firmly in my mind as a place to continue exploring.

Well, next we are on our way to our final destination of the trip, Luzern. I may not get that posted before we leave for France. If not, I will see you when we get back! See you then!

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Church in Tremezzo, Italy along the banks of Lake Como

I love churches, especially Italy’s. Like a gift, you rarely know what’s inside, and without exception they are beautifully unique. I spent some time on this image trying to focus on what I wanted to say. We all see things differently and this is how I see this place. It was a venerable feast for the eyes comprised of an ensemble of tantalizing visual elements that create an impressive whole. As I have said in prior posts, I never quite know the path to my destination. Sure I have a few tried and true methods that I often revisit – but in the end – the image speaks to me and sets its own direction. I admit that I often wonder if I am leaving something on the table when I am finished. What lurks beyond the the final touch? It’s a paranoia that plagues many artists I guess.

Tremezzo Treasure Shot Data

For those interested, I thought I would include a discussion on what I used to make this image. Above, you can see three shots that make up the data I used to create the final piece. Dark interiors with bright windows can rarely be exposed to their full potential in a single image without modified light. So, since I was shooting on a tripod, I had the camera take three auto-bracketed RAW images back-to-back.

Looking at the reference image above, you can see I have minus two stops (-2EV) on the left, a “normal” (0EV) exposure in the middle, and plus two stops (+2EV) on the right. Now look at the histograms, they tell us about the quality of each exposure. Lumps on the left mean darks and lumps on the right mean lights. In retrospect, I should have shot an additional minus three stop (-3EV) exposure on the left. That way I would have not have had the subtle blow-out in the clear windows. If you click the reference image you can see a bit of a spike at the far right of the first histogram. That spike says the highlights are blowing in the window. I was able to work around the problem in post processing but it would have been nice to have the full data set to work with when I got home. Live and learn! If you look at the histogram for the image on the far right, you can see that there is no spike on the left, meaning I was able to capture all the detail in the shadows at +2EV. It is really important to make sure you get the shadows right. You will never get them back if you don’t capture them. Even in a RAW image file.

The rest of the process is quite complicated but here is the basic workflow I followed once I downloaded the bracketed images.

1. DeNoise the three base images with Topaz DeNoise
2. Merge and process base images into a single high dynamic range image with Photomatix Pro
3. Open in Photoshop CS5
4. Sharpen overall image with Topaz InFocus
5. Apply OnOne Angel Glow to create window light glow effect
6. Create a duplicate layer of the Photomatix processed image on top of layer stack
7. Convert top layer to black and white with Nik Silver EFX Pro
8. Copy Silver EFX Pro layer and paste to Lightness Channel while in Lab Color Mode for enhanced contrast
9. Go back to the standard layer stack and adjust opacities as necessary
10. Create a “reveal all” layer mask on Silver EFX Pro layer
11. Using varying brush opacities, spend several hours hours revealing color back into final image using Wacom tablet
12. Create artificial light with two layers – one for sunlight color and one using additional color and Photoshop cloud rendering effect

Here is what the final Photoshop layer stack looked like.

Tremezzo Photoshop Layer Stack

If you look at the Silver EFX Pro layer, you can see the mask layer linked to the right that I used to reveal the color back into the black and white image. Below is what that mask painting looks like. Keep in mind that where you see black, Photoshop is allowing the color from the base layer to be seen. How much color gets through is determined by the darkness of the brush stroke. Darker means more color will come through. It is all a matter of personal taste at this point.

Tremezzo color painting with Wacom tablet on mask layer

For the cloudy sunlit atmosphere, I generated it in Photoshop with feathered selections filled with color. The effect was created with two layers. You can see them in the layer stack above called “Atmosphere” and “Sunlight”. I used a cloud render feature in Photoshop to create the misty look. Of course the opacity of each layer was adjusted to my liking to get the final look. Below is what the Sunlight and Atmosphere layers looked like together.

Tremezzo Sunlight and Atmosphere layers

I hope this helps you see how an image like this is created. A lot of it is trial and error but the whole process is fun and the results can be quite rewarding. Just email me me if I can make any part of this discussion more clear for you.

A charming side street in Bellagio, Italy

I am usually an eternal optimist. However, when it came to planning our Switzerland trip, I did not want to take any chances that all we would see was rain and heavy cloud cover. So, I diligently checked Switzerland’s weather statistics to make sure we were visiting the Alps at the best possible time to see them in all their splendor. I was still concerned though. I had heard horror stories from folks that went to Switzerland in the summer only to see barely recognizable forms of the Alps in the distance due to bad weather. Of course all worked out well for us in Switzerland in the end but my insurance policy for good weather on the trip was a few days in Bellagio on Lake Como, Italy.

After seeing Montreaux on Lake Geneva, we took a train along the Alps to the town of Como. Once in Como, you can walk or take a taxi from the Como San Giovanni train station to the boat depot for a ride to one of many towns that surround the lake. Lago di Como is huge and is shaped like the letter Y. Flip the Y over and picture Como at the bottom of the left leg and the town of Bellagio where all the lines meet in the center. There are many towns on the lake to pick from but the positive reviews and location led me to Bellagio for our few days of relaxing in Italian style before we headed back home. The best boat to take is the comparatively fast hydrofoil. A bus would take two hours to reach Bellagio from Como. The fast boat gets you there in about 40 minutes with a few stops thrown in for about $15.

Following our quick stop in Milan for lunch, we arrived in Como at about 4pm and made it to Bellagio by five. Just in time to check-in, have a beer on the terrace, and find a spot for dinner. The town is pretty quiet, not over run with tourists, and is host to great shopping along charming side streets and alleys. Today’s shot is from one of the best alleys in town. Just head down the path to the sun drenched road and make a right to reach our hotel. This photo spoke to me in black and white for some reason and is the first shot I have posted in this style. I promise to post more photos of this leg of our trip in vivid color in the coming days and weeks. I am actually pretty excited to share them with you so you can get a true sense of this beautiful place.

Like all towns in Italy, Bellagio has a nice old church, charming architecture, and beauty that does not disappoint. Imagine sitting by the lake for dinner with a warm breeze passing over you as you look to the lake sparkling from the sun setting in the distance. I am not sure what about Italy keeps calling us back. Sure I could list a ton of great things to consider, but what is harder to define is the feeling that we have when we are there. It is really hard to describe. All I know is it makes me smile every time and plants itself firmly in my mind as a place to continue exploring.

The impressive interior of Milan Cathedral

After three nights in Montreux on Lake Geneva, we stopped in Milan for lunch on our way to Lake Como. Although our stop in Milan would only last three hours, we needed lunch anyway and it was hard to resist trying to photograph the Milan Cathedral when it was so close to the train station. Not wanting to tow our bags on the brief stop, it was convenient that there was a place to drop our luggage for a couple of hours at the train station. It was only four Euro per bag and, since the service is provided by the station itself, it seemed like a secure place to leave our bags. If you ever use the service, please know that there is a strict 18-kilogram weight limit.

We then hopped in a taxi and the driver dropped us at the Galleria, which a famous covered shopping mall that we walked through to see the big reveal of the Cathedral. The reveal did not disappoint! The Cathedral, which is located on the central square in Milan, is in amazingly good condition for being in such a busy city. I figured it would look a bit more road-worn Iike the Duomo in Florence but it was not. The marble facade, which is covered to a dazzling degree with decoration, was so clean it almost looked new. There where hints of green and pink in the almost randomly sized tiles that covered the Cathedral, but the colors were much more muted than what I saw on the Duomo and Tower in Florence. Not quite that “Cathedral in pajamas” look of some of Italy’s churches. The square that the Cathedral sits on is enormous, was full of people, and had the classic laid-back ambiance that is wonderful about Italy. The day was also bright and sunny, making it the perfect setting to enjoy our panini sandwiches for lunch!

Now for the task at hand. I really wanted a set of photo brackets of the interior of the church. I have a dream of gathering enough church photos to create a book of them. I must be at about ten or so by now and I definitely wanted Milan Cathedral in the collection. Being the rule follower that I am, I asked Donna to go check the sign to see if photos were allowed inside. From what she gathered the answer was no and there were police standing at the door checking bags. Not knowing what would happen in the end, I went ahead and applied the likely camera settings for interior shots and put the camera and tripod away before entering the Cathedral.

The intricate detail of Milan Cathedral's exterior

Once I got in, I was very pleasantly surprised to see all kinds of folks with their point and shoot cameras clicking away with security looking on like there were no rules at all. At that point I decided to pull out the tripod and shoot away without a flash of course. I figured that if I got spanked, I would point to everyone else and politely comply.

As I mentioned, I never use a flash for these types of photos because I don’t want to damage the works of art and the interiors are way too large to light anything effectively. So what I need is time. I had pretty good luck shooting the photo above at f18 and at an ISO of 400. Setting the f-stop at 18 keeps everything nice and sharp and the ISO at 400 keeps the shutter times reasonable. I shot a three-bracket set with my longest shot at 25 seconds. It is amazing how much light you can harvest if you have enough time. The trick is shooting without people walking into your shot. I usually find that if I am patient enough I can get the shot I want. In the times that I can’t, I have to apply a little Photoshop magic to clean things up.

This interior was almost too big to shoot. The scale of the place is mind blowing. The paintings hanging on the left and right are huge and it was almost impossible to focus on the ceiling because it was so high! My new wide angle lens does a pretty good job of capturing the scale of a subject like this without excessive distortion.

In addition to this classic down-the-isle shot that I always take, I decided to capture something a little more contained off to one side of the Cathedral as well.

In all it was well worth while to take this quick side trip, even if it was only for a short time. Italy is amazing and its charm keeps calling us back. What’s more, I now have the Cathedral in my collection and a fond memory of our lunch in Milan!

High Noon at Milan Station

How convenient that the clock was wrong when I took this shot in Milan’s central train station last week. It was actually about 2:30pm. In Switzerland this would never happen but in Italy you never know! Donna and I were waiting for our train to Lake Como when I decided to get the camera out and take a few shots in the station. I wanted to capture the grittiness of the station and of course the fantastic colors and concentric lines in the glass roof. It is pretty tough to get a shot like this in the middle of the day in Milan. I stood there with the camera and tripod set up for about 15 minutes and got a few interesting looks as people walked by.  Fortunately, at the right moment, the train on the left was all ready to go with passengers on board and the one on the right was waiting for new passengers but had not been assigned to the board yet. The only person in the shot actually helped my idea for this photo because she has a nice edge to her that works well with the theme of the photograph. Also, the idea of the two fast trains getting ready to duke it out at high noon seemed appropriate for the shot as well. I love it when all the elements come together!

"Portovenere View" - 8x10, Oil on Linen

In Italy last summer, to escape the Cinque Terre tourist crush, we stayed just south of the five famous fishing villages in a town called Portovenere. It’s about a 20 minute cab ride on a twisty hillside road from La Spezia. The town was home to mostly Italian tourists, had a laid back atmosphere, and all we were had to do to visit the Cinque Terre villages was take a convenient ferry from the city center for about 30 Euro each. The painting above is of a location on one of our hikes in Portovenere. These churches are perched above the city center overlooking absolutely stunning scenery. I posted on twitter while I was there and could only come up with, “jaw dropping.” See the map below to get oriented so you can start booking your trip.

Map of Portovenere and the Cinque Terre

The photo below gives you an idea of where the churches were and how high we were above the city center. They are up and to the right. I have to say that the town and the many things to see exceeded out wildest expectations.

Portovenere's City Center

As you walk south past the multicolored buildings in the city center, you come across the Church of San Pietro that looks to be carved out of the rocky shoreline. If you look to the bottom near the white umbrellas, you can see the entrance to a swanky and insanely expensive restaurant. We ate there one night. It was a cool experience being in the basement of the fortress but way overpriced. A good meal can be found on the main street for a much better price. I must admit watching yachts go by as we were eating was a pretty cool experience though.

Church of San Pietro in Portovenere

To get to the Cinque Terre, the ferry takes you around this church and up to the North. The cliffs leading up to the villages drop almost vertically into the ocean and they are enormous! The first village is quaint, and if you go first thing in the morning, you will pretty much have it to yourself. Wait a few hours and you will be amazed how many people are there!

Cinque Terre fishing village

Once you reach Riomaggiore, you can easily walk to the next town on a very nicely kept trail. The section between Riomaggiore and Manarola has been called the Via dell’Amore since the thirties – lovers love the view! It’s pretty level and pretty much anyone in reasonable condition can enjoy the views from the trail. Note that the trail becomes more rugged as you go past Manarola. Some may not be comfortable doing it. If not, just hop back on the ferry or grab the train that goes all the way to the last town called Montorosso. Below, you can see the first trail. You won’t want to miss this!

The trail connecting the Cinque Terre

You can do all of the Cinque Terre in one day. It’s a long one but worth every minute. Keep in mind that the crowds get very large as the day goes on. Take a deep breath and count your blessings to be in such a wonderful place! If this does not wet your appetite to go, I don’t know what will. You only need to go once – but you must go!

"Drying on the Line" - 8x8, Oil on Gessobord

I couldn’t stop thinking about starting a new painting so I thought I would try to fit one in before another this weekend. When Donna and I visited Italy last summer, we made a side trip from Florence to San Gimignano and Sienna. Not wanting to rent a car and try to navigate our way out of Florence, we decided to take a bus tour to the walled mediaeval towns in the Tuscan countryside. I’m not a huge fan of bus tours but it seemed to be the most practical solution for the task at hand.

On our way, we passed some of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen. The day was bright and sunny, which was the norm for the entire trip. Once we arrived in San Gimignano, we escaped the clutches of the bus group and made our way into the side streets that feed the quiet neighborhoods of the city. I snapped pictures of everything that grabbed my eye and for some reason, the laundry drying in a line outside a wonderfully aged building looked interesting. I think the crisp shadows cast by the laundry on the sunlit worn stone surface was the motivation. The earth tones on the building make for an inspiring palette of colors that I hope I captured as a visually stimulating backdrop for the colors of the clothing and their stark cast shadows.

I feel that my confidence in painting is improving and I think it has everything to do with carefully planning the paintings and making sure the drawing is right before I wet the brushes. I sketched this in about 45 minutes on Wednesday night. I did not have the energy to start painting that night due to the fact that Donna and I got about five and a half hours sleep the night before.

The John Mayer concert on Tuesday was perhaps the best we have ever been to but as we listened to some amazing guitar playing at the Pepsi Center, the snow was raging outside. We left the concert at 11:45pm and rapidly found out that the highway was closed between Denver and Monument. Not wanting to risk our lives on some of the older highways, we took up residence at the Hyatt and spent the night. A short six hours later, we were back on the road to let poor Zoe the dog out for some much needed relief. So, after some rest, I finished this in one sitting in about three hours last night. I loved painting the shadows and trying to capture the light in what is a pretty high key painting overall.

I want to extend a huge thank you to all that have submitted paintings for the painting challenge. I find it incredibly inspiring to see all of your work and am really pleased with how the gallery page is looking! The apron drawing will happen promptly on the first of April, just before I leave for Arizona. Have a great weekend!

Lake Garda Hotel Sketch, Northern Italy

This is a sketch of a really sweet looking hotel we saw while visiting Lake Garda in Italy last summer. It was a beautiful clear day and the harsh light on the building caught my eye. I am trying to focus on values and edges at the moment and sketching seems like the best way to cover some ground.

Hotel at Lake Garda, Italy

Lake Garda is a very nice place to visit. It is the largest lake in Italy and is located about half-way between Venice and Milan. According to Wikipedia, glaciers formed the surrounding alpine region at the end of the last ice age. The scenery is breathtaking with huge mountains and cliffs directly adjacent to the enormous lake lined with abundant Italian architecture. Being easily accessible from the north via the Brenner pass, the lake is a major tourist destination, including a number of exclusive hotels and resorts along its shore. For the James Bond buffs out there, the chase scene at the beginning of Quantum of Solace was filmed there. They accidently crashed an Aston Martin into the lake during the filming of the movie.

There is a nifty castle in Sirmione that resides on a connected land mass that is essentially surrounded by the lake. You can easily walk there from local parking and visit the upscale shops and take a tour of the castle. Lake Garda seemed very ritzy. Note the half-million dollar drop-top Rolls in the lower right of the photo below.

Sirmione at Lake Garda, Italy

A sampling of grapes at Palazzo Rosso

While in Italy, we had the good fortune of staying at the Palazzo Rosso Farm, which is a sprawling 400 property 15 kilometers south of the historic city of Vicenza and 1 kilometer from the beautiful Colli Berici Hills. We were the guest of one of Donna’s long-time friends from high shool who recently decided to pack up and work from Italy for three months. The farmhouse is a 400 year old building that has just been completely restored while retaining all its original features like beams, stone walls, and fireplaces. The quality of the restoration was top notch and exceeded all of our expectations. I thought this was definitely a place that I could come back to.

The vineyard and farmhouse at Palazzo Rosso

The grapes on the vine were free for the sampling and tasted great. As you can see from the photo above, the scenery was quite beautiful with vineyards and farmland on one side and rocky cliffs on the other. In the distance we could see church steeples and Palladio’s Villa Capra “La Rotonda” glistening on the sunlit hillside. The light was great when we arrived at the farm so I did not waste any time getting my camera out to take a few shots around the property.

Tempting colors and textures of the grapes at Palazzo Rosso

There were a few abandoned buildings on the property that had obviously seen better days, although the patina of their surfaces blended seamlessly into the surrounding landscape adding to the charm and atmosphere of the farm. We walked the entire farm that night and watched the sunset before retiring to the poolside for a few glasses of local wine and a night at the local pizzeria.

An abandoned structure at Palazzo Rosso Farm

The next morning I got up early to try and capture the the quite calm and thick atmosphere of what was sure to be a misty morning sunrise. Cindy’s daughter and I walked the property again to take pictures and discuss the merits of composition in photography. After an hour, our shoes were thick with mud, which we promptly cleaned off before walking to the local cafe for a very good cup of one Euro cappuccino with Donna and Cindy.

Vicenza Sunrise at Palazzo Rosso Farm

I encourage everyone to stay at a place like this while in Italy. Getting away from the tourist crush to sample some of the true local flavors of Italy is a very rewarding experience. There is plenty to do here beyond relaxation with a great selection of local sites and miles of beautiful countryside. We were less than a hour from Lago Garda of James Bond fame, which will be the subject of a post in the near future. Ciao for now!

While in Florence, Italy, we took a day trip to the Tuscan hill towns of Siena and San Gimignano. Not wanting to rent a car and attempt to get out of Florence in one piece, we elected to take a tour bus to both destinations. We stopped in Siena first after a 90-minute bus ride, passing San Gimignano along the way. Once we arrived in each of the towns, Donna and I broke off off the tour to explore the areas on our own. The shot above, which I decided to have some fun with in Photoshop, is of a quiet side street in San Gimignano. To sound remotely Italian, you pronounce the town’s name “San JiminYAno” with an emphasis on the “YA”. I had a hard time looking at the name and saying it right until I thought of the “GN” as a “Y” as in lasaGNa. I envisioned myself stepping out of the door above, walking down the street for my morning cappuccino, and then meandering the streets for one of a thousand perfect plein air locations. After visiting San Gimignano, Donna and I agreed that we would look for a quiet town like this, possibly in the south of France, to visit for a minimum of four days on our next vacation. She will read and I will paint.

The Italian countryside near San Gimignano

The towns are charming and quiet but the 180 degree views from the hilltops are breathtaking. The shot above is off a high terrace in San Gimignano. The thing I find most fascinating about the Tuscan landscape is the how the natural areas and manicured farms harmoniously coexist and blend into an amazing quilt of beauty. I could have stared at it for days. You can find hidden treasures in just about every frame, all with their own beauty that contribute to the whole.

A grove of trees outside Siena, Italy

I edited the image above considerably to try and capture my state of mind upon stepping off of the bus in Siena. It was mid morning and glow from above through the trees and leaves created an amazing visual impression. The intertwined silhouette of the trunks and branches caught my eye first, followed by the light effect of the sun reflecting off of the leaves. The reflected light on the trunks is wonderful and I especially like how the trees become warmer as they move toward the back of the grove. I think there is a painting to be made in there somewhere!

180 degrees of beauty in Tuscany, Italy

Trying to find a spot to take a picture of the surrounding landscape can be tricky from inside a walled town. Donna and I walked our pants off in Siena trying to find a good spot to shoot the Tuscan landscape in the right light. During our pursuit, we enjoyed walking through neighborhood streets away from the more touristy areas. For lunch, we stopped in a deserted cafe on a quiet street for a couple of pieces of truly unique pizza on flatbreads. We eventually found the location above, which accentuates the breadth of the view blanketed in a rich but unobtrusive atmosphere. The Duomo in Siena, pictured below, is very well preserved and sparkling clean unlike the Duomo in Florence, which is burdened with the pollution of everyday city life. The cathedral is a beautifully articulate and large structure. I had to put my ultrawide lens on my camera to get the church in the frame.

Siena's Duomo

Below is another take on the photo at the top of the post. All the laundry hanging out of the window happened to be pink so I though I would pop the color through the sepia to see what happens. I also warmed up the light at the end of the street. Endless possibilities!

So, the moral if this post? Make sure while visiting Florence, you take some time to visit these small hilltop towns. You will experience a different side of Italy, free from dodging mopeds and city noise. Siena and San Gimignano made me want to go back to Italy. The thought of relaxing and pursuing creative interests for several days atop the Tuscan landscape seemed like a natural combination full of potential.