La Dolce Vita : Tuscany, Italy

Ciao from Tuscany!! I arrived in Rome on Monday and had a really pleasant flight thanks to #AmericanAirlines. Without a hitch, I took the #SITbus from FCO to Grosseto and was met by Borgo driver, Mauricio who welcomed me with double cheek kisses and drove me in style (he was quite proud of his new 2017 Mercedes S class) to what will be my home for the next month. I stay in a simple apartment on the top floor of a farmhouse. There's no air conditioning or tv, but it is clean and private, and just perfect. There, I took a quick rest then ventured the short walk to Palazzetto for a pizza margarita and aperol spritz. I bumped into some familiar faces there and at that moment I realized how happy I was to be back! In just these past few days I have done quite a few paintings; thankfully I got a few bad ones out of the way the first day. I have also been busy teaching, with 4 private lessons in just two days! I had the pleasure of instructing the most wonderful people: a screenplay teacher from LA who I hope to be like when I grow up;), an engineer from the U.K. who showed me photos of the FLYING CAR prototype he and his team are working on (they've logged over 50 hours of flight already!), a beautiful and talented mother of three from the Middle East who is reconnecting with her creative side, and the MAYOR of Beverly Hills - who absolutely loves Contemporary art and bright, happy color!! Needless to say, I am settling in quite easily here and am taking advantage of every second of daylight. Last night I painted until the sun fully set and the big bright moon took center stage over the Valle Serena. After, I met some wonderfully weird ladies for some almost-as-good-as-my-father-in-law's limoncello at Palazzetto and managed to get home without being charged by the cinghiale (super sized wild boar who roam around in packs and are seen here as public enemy numero uno - they sure do make a mighty tasty ragu!) If you've been to Firenze, you've probably rubbed the shiny snout of the cinghaiale for luck, just outside of the outdoor leather market. It was a great night. So, I am in heaven. I could not be happier (well, it would be pretty spectacular if my husband and crazy cat Mikey were with me) and really could see myself doing this painter thing everyday, for the rest of my life. I am recharging and reconnecting with nature, and myself. I need to remember to do that more often, not just in July at Borgo. I am humbled and beyond grateful for this amazing experience. Ciao for now. Jen