Venice... ah... venice...

After leaving Rome we headed on to Venice.  The first night we took an evening water taxi into the city followed by a gondola serenade down the canals, finished off with a water taxi out during sunset.  It was a beautiful introduction to the city.  The next morning we went back into the city and had a glass blowing demonstration, followed by meeting up with my friend Tracey from Capitignano who was touring the city at the same time with her mom.  We toured St. Marks Cathedral, including the Loggia.  At the top of St. Marks Todd proposed to me during what I can only call a perfect moment.  After a brief moment of joyously yelling off the top of a cathedral we went into the cathedral to ogle the pretty stuff inside.  We finished the night with some of the best pizza I've had in Italy.  Arrivederci Venice.....

Starting my trip with Todd...

Saturday morning I left Capitignano, in a hurry... I literally ran with my 150 pounds of luggage to the train.  I took the train to Rome where I transferred to the subway.  I went to the location given to me by my travel agency.  When I arrived at that location it was chained shut!  After a long debacle which includes me crying on a street corner, a nice priest on a vespa, a 30 euro taxi ride, and a frantic phone conversation I arrived at the new hotel... apparently no one thought to inform me of the switch.  We spent the evening in Rome wandering from one monument to the next.  The next morning we toured the Castel Sant Angelo, the former pope's residence and roman mausoleum.  After the Castel Sant Angelo we toured the inside of the Pantheon and the inside of the Colosseum, AWESOME!   The next morning we went back to the Vatican to go inside St. Peters, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums. Here are pictures here from those first two and half days in Rome. 

....end of Capitignano...

 pretty cyprus trees

 Last painting of Capitignano

 end of program art show

 My work at the end of program art show

 my drawing of the Ponte Vecchio... man it was hot that day... I only lasted 20 mins... but i sat on a bridge and painted!

 Laundry hanging on the line

 The Ponte Vecchio the day I drew it

MY last painting..... it was windy and raining but I stuck through it... long enough to painting something decent

So my last days at Capitignano have come and gone.  We ended the program with a big show/bbq.  I actually sold 3 paintings... my first 3 paintings... go fig... although technically I traded Mark, my teacher, a painting for a steak lunch.  Everything was wonderful.  I will really miss that place.  I was unbelievable wonderful.

Sunflowers

Castel Trebbio wine tasting and Villa I Tatti pictures