In And Around Varenna

I really loved the look of Varenna so I decided to stay there and sketch a bit instead of traveling.

This is the steeple of the local church.

I went back for a second visit to Villa Monastero. It is such a pretty place. I loved the fountain.

So I painted it.

I loved this odd little building at the end of the point.

So I painted it.

A new friend joined me while he was resting in my palette.

Every place I passed was a possible painting or sketch.

The colors are so great on the buildings. I sat on a bench down by the water to paint this, and talked to just about everyone who sat nearby.

And the contradas always called to me. The man at the bottom was taking a photo looking up. I wonder if I ended up in his photo.

Still more posts to come.

Varenna & Menaggio

In my last post I had several photos of the contradas in Varenna. The were so interesting with the balconies and terraces giving the residents a glimpse of the lake.

To sketch this one I sat up by the main road looking down toward the lake...and hoped none of my supplies would go rolling down the steps. LOL I really didn't want to climb down and then back up.

I took a walk to a wonderful place along the main road. Villa Monastero is open to the public and has extensive gardens along the lake in a very narrow area that probably extends about 1/2 mile along the lake. The views are beautiful. There are all kinds of trees, flowers, and architectural details.

I did one sketch in my sketchbook at Villa Monastero that day, but went back for a return visit at another time. This is what I sketched the first day. I was looking at the scene in of the archway in one of the photos above.

The next morning Jerry and I decided to explore the lake a little by ferry. We got a mid-lake ferry pass and headed across the lake to Menaggio. The town had a pretty waterfront, but none of the steep, scenic alleyways and stairs like in Varenna. I was glad that we were staying in Varenna because I thought it was a much prettier town. Menaggio did have a vegetable and fruit market as well as a butcher, so I was glad to find that.

More to come.