My review of recent painting workshops in Italy concludes an exceptional experience painting and exploring was enjoyed and embraced by all!

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The first workshop took place in the beautiful and most well preserved Tuscan hill town of San Gimignano. We enjoyed our hotel as our Italian home away from home and were treated so well. We felt like family and loved returning there after all our painting excursions and explorations.

Evening at Our Hotel

While in San Gimignano we painted from our private terrace at the hotel and at the intimate abbazia down the hill from San Gimignano. We ventured out one day to Fattoria San Donato where we spent the entire day painting at this converted midieval village, breaking for a delicious lunch.

Sara and Her Original Painting

Kati’s Painting at the Abbazia

Carlos Who is the Kind Caretaker at the Abbazia, and Me

Another day we traveled to Greve-in-Chianti and spent the day painting at Castello di Colognole and also enjoyed an incredible lunch in the home of my dear friend Rita.

Rita Welcomed Us All

Kati, Ginny, and Milo at the Castle

Harmony with Her Painting

We braved some incredible windy weather to paint at Monteriggioni. Kati ingeniously taped down her entire painting set-up in order to make it through the day without losing her artwork!

The group was so congenial and inclusive and I was so proud and pleased for each of them as they all made really unique and beautiful paintings.

Paint Florentine Gardens was the second workshop and we were a small and mighty group of three. We made the most of every day and walked many thousands of steps in between all our painting sessions. We experienced so much of Florence by combining walks to dinner and a few painting locations and we also had a bit of free time to explore and a planned touring day with my professional guide friend, Antonio Bencista.

Day Out in Florence Guided by Antonio Bencista

Our garden painting locations included Villa Bardini

Leslie Painting at Bardini Garden

Leslie and Her Painting at Bardini Garden

Boboli Garden

My View in the Boboli Garden

Villa Medici

Italian Icons

In the Painting Zone

Lemons at Villa Medici

Villa Gamberaia

Dog Sculpture at Villa Gamberaia

and Torrigiani Garden.

Torrigiani Icon

All were superb and were a way to enjoy essential Florentine views and atmosphere in peaceful  settings. The paintings made were all beautiful!

As the planner, leader, and workshop teacher, I was thrilled and extremely pleased and gratified by the success enjoyed by each of my participants. Some were novice painters, some intermediate, and some very experienced. Everyone was very invested in the painting opportunities they enjoyed and I think more complete and lovely paintings were made during these workshops than any other in the past. Bravo to all the students who pushed themselves forward, braved the new and unknown, and let their unique visions become through their paintings.

An exceptional experience painting and exploring was enjoyed and embraced by all!

I will be announcing my Workshop Opportunities for 2027 by September. Please get in touch if you are interested in participating. You will be so glad you did!

PS Paint The Cotswolds 2026 in coming up last last week of July. If you want to follow along please follow on my Facebook and Instagram pages under V. S. Fergus. Links are found on my website.

Virginia Fergus leads small group Plein Air Painting Workshops in Italy and France that are unique opportunities for creative immersion and personal transformation. Each workshop includes plein air painting experiences in curated locations, sensitive and personal instruction, experienced and empathetic guidance, artistic immersion, beautiful accommodations and delicious meals in authentic and particular locations, and new friends for the journey. Ginny's personal motto is “Authentic, Intimate, Beautiful” and is the creative and experiential goal of each workshop. To learn more, visit www.vsfergus.com Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.