In Search of Charming Destinations

I just returned from a 6-week scouting trip across Europe. Five countries and twelve hotels. It was a great experience and I learned a lot. I discovered places so beautiful, so spectacular, so charming that I can’t wait to return with a group. I also spent time in places that I couldn’t get out of fast enough. It happens.   

While there are lots of quantitative measurements that could be used to rank the suitability of a destination for my sketching and painting groups, the softer quality of charm is the first thing I think about.

Does this place have charm? When I arrive at a place, how does it feel? What is the vibe? Are my eyes drinking it all in? Am I itching to pull out my sketchbook?

If I don’t have a good feeling about a place, I ask myself why not? First impressions are important. It’s hard to overcome a bad first impression. On my first trip to Europe in 1985 we were robbed in Rome. We reported it to the police who shrugged. We took the next train out of there without seeing anything. We were young and the place seemed unsafe. I was very biased against Rome. Can you imagine? Biased against Rome?

Of course, I have been back to Rome many times since then and I love it. I love sketching in the Forum. I love sketching the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the arches.

Your first impression of a place could be spoiled by something as unavoidable as bad weather. If it’s raining when you arrive and it never lets up during your visit you’re not going to think favourably of that place. Or maybe you didn’t like the one area you visited. I arrived in Naples a few weeks ago by train. The run-down neighbourhood surrounding the train station left me feeling unsafe. My Airbnb was fantastic but as a woman travelling alone, I didn’t feel safe in that neighbourhood. I explored Pompeii and didn’t see anything in Naples. Charm is not a word I would apply to Naples.

On the other hand, visitors cannot help but be charmed by Alberobello, Italy. It seems designed to charm with its adorable trulli houses and shops nestled shoulder-to-shoulder everywhere you look. I can’t wait to bring a group there next May 11-15 with Hazel Soan.

Venice I also find charming because of the aesthetic decay on its Gothic and Byzantine palazzos. It’s like no other place on Earth. Around every corner is a romantic balcony, cobbled footbridge, bobbing gondola. It’s also a place where the crowds of tourists make finding suitable workshop locations a challenge. It’s a challenge but not impossible. There are actually lots of lovely piazzas and leafy parks where groups can paint. You just have to know where to look. Finding a lovely hotel is also a challenge because “aesthetic decay” on the outside of the buildings is less than charming on the inside. But reasonably priced, clean and charming hotels are available and I’m excited to return to my favourite Venetian hotel next May 3-7 for a workshop with Sebastian Thommen.

Which location do you think would make an ideal art holiday? Click HERE to let us know your thoughts.

Happy sketching,

Brenda