The Train to Varenna
The train pulled away from Milan just as the afternoon light began to soften the city’s hard edges. She sat by the window, fingers wrapped around a small paper cup of espresso gone cold, watching her reflection flicker over the blur of olive trees and ochre villas.
She was traveling alone. For the first time in years.
The choice had felt quiet but certain. A slow rising from within. Not a dramatic escape, not a reinvention—just a soft instinct to go somewhere beautiful and let the stillness catch up with her.
She had chosen Varenna on a whim, drawn by a photograph of a stone path winding down to the lake. Something about the light in that image had made her pause, then breathe a little deeper. A village by the water. A few quiet days with no plans except to notice.
The train curved along the edge of Lake Como, and when the mountains came into view—hazy and eternal—she felt something loosen in her chest. Not joy exactly. More like recognition.
She arrived just before dusk. The air smelled of stone and lemon. Geraniums spilled from window boxes. She wheeled her suitcase down cobbled streets to a small pensione by the harbor, where a woman with kind eyes handed her a key and said, “Rest well. Everything is here.”
That evening, she sat by the water with her sketchbook open, the sky melting into peach and silver. Her lines were uncertain at first, her hand out of practice. But soon, the rhythm returned—not skill, but presence. And that, she realized, was the real longing.
She stayed for ten days. Walked narrow footpaths through terraced gardens. Took a watercolor class in a stone cottage where the teacher said, “Don’t paint the thing. Paint how it feels.” She spoke broken Italian and was met with patience. She ate figs warm from the sun and let the days stretch without apology.
She didn’t come to be changed. But slowly, she began to feel more here. More herself. Like something luminous within her had been waiting, not to be discovered—but simply witnessed.
When she boarded the train home, her sketchbook was full. Not just with drawings, but with soft impressions and fragments of wonder—questions she no longer needed to answer, and a few forgotten dreams she had dusted off like old postcards.
She hadn’t come looking for clarity, but something had quietly shifted. She felt more rooted. More whole. As if a light within her—long dimmed—had quietly turned itself back on.
And that was more than enough.
There are places that don’t ask you to change.
They simply invite you to remember who you are.
Come trace the quiet paths of Lake Como.
Let beauty be your companion, stillness your guide, and presence your practice.
Join us for a week of creativity in Italy inspired by the beautiful Lake Como, back roads and serene lifestyle, creating a gorgeous travel diary that you’ll treasure always. I’ve partnered again with Jeannette and Suzy of The Blue Walk to create a fabulous week creating, sightseeing, and exploring the history, art, and culture of our home base at Lake Como at the base of the Italian Alps, plus Milan, Varenna, Bellagio, and other lovely areas.
We’ll collect found objects, papers, ephemera, and other treasures throughout the week that will become the layered pages of our vintage travel journals. I’ll show you my process for putting together my signature vintage travel journals. I’ll show you how I source materials and ephemera from these inspiring locales to use in a keepsake artist book that you’ll treasure long after you return home. We’ll create these bespoke art journals and fill them with found objects and collected memories from our time together in Italy.
Whether you’re an experienced artist or new to journaling, this workshop is designed to spark your creativity and bring the magic of Italy into every page. Throughout our time together, I will guide you through my favorite mixed media techniques utilizing vintage materials, gathered papers, paints, and ephemera. My teaching style is rooted in the belief that there are no mistakes in making art—only opportunities for discovery and growth. I offer gentle guidance, encouraging you to set aside expectations so your creativity can flow freely. Together, we’ll create an open, supportive space where experimentation is celebrated, and the magic of the process can truly unfold. My goal is to help you trust your instincts, embrace imperfection, and find joy in the unique beauty of your artistic journey. Leave with not only a beautiful journal, but also unforgettable memories and newfound artistic inspiration!
Your journey back to yourself begins here. Click here to join us or for more information.
