Painting My Way Through Europe: A Road Trip Through France, Switzerland & Italy

When wanderlust meets watercolour: capturing the soul of Europe one brushstroke at a time

This summer, I embarked on a European road trip with a twist – alongside my luggage, I packed my watercolour kit, determined to capture the essence of each destination through paint and paper. What unfolded was an artistic odyssey across France, Switzerland, and Italy that reminded me why life's most profound moments often happen in the quiet spaces between planned destinations.

French Beginnings: Roadside Reverie in Chablis

Our journey began in Burgundy's rolling hills, where endless vineyard rows create a living tapestry. After miles of driving through picture-perfect wine country, we pulled over at a roadside spot that demanded attention. The dappled shade of lime trees created a natural canopy, and with a glass of crisp, mineral-rich Chablis Chardonnay in hand, I set up my portable easel.

"Roadside Reverie in Chablis" became my first painting of the trip – a meditation on presence and the art of slowing down. As I mixed greens for those protective lime leaves and captured the golden afternoon light filtering through them, I realized this journey was already teaching me something valuable. Sometimes the best moments truly do happen between destinations.

The French countryside has inspired artists for centuries, and painting there, I understood why. There's a quality of light, a way the landscape arranges itself perfectly, that made me appreciate why the Impressionists found their calling in these fields and gardens.

Swiss Precision: Locarno's Renaissance Romance

Crossing into Switzerland brought dramatic scenery changes and new painting challenges. The gentle Burgundy hills gave way to Alpine drama – blue-tinged foothills creating layers of depth that seemed almost impossible to capture on paper.

Our Locarno hotel balcony became my morning studio, overlooking Renaissance architecture cascading down toward Lago Maggiore's teal waters. This view inspired "Balcony Views: Locarno Watercolour," where I spent hours trying to capture how sunlight and shadow brought every ornate architectural detail to life.

The lake's teal colour proved particularly challenging – not quite blue, not quite green, but something complex that changed with light and weather. I found myself constantly remixing that hue, trying to capture its inner glow, especially in early morning mist.

What struck me about painting in Switzerland was the precision required. Unlike France's impressionistic approach, the dramatic contrasts, sharp mountain lines, and architectural details demanded Swiss accuracy. The landscape itself was teaching me how it wanted to be painted.

Tuscan Dreams: Where Ancient Meets Timeless

Italy welcomed us with endless inspiration. Our Tuscany base was Borgo di Pietrafittia Regale, a converted hilltop village in Castellina in Chianti – complete with original church and stone buildings, surrounded by forests, terraced vineyards, and olive groves. This magical venue hosted a family wedding, adding celebration to our artistic journey.

The setting felt surreal: ancient stone buildings weathered to warm gold, cypress trees pointing like exclamation marks against rolling hills, geometric patterns of vineyard rows creating natural compositions. We'd found our corner of timeless Tuscany.

Here's where travel painting gets interesting – the summer haze that frustrated photography created beautiful, soft atmospheric effects perfect for watercolour. That gentle distance blur, colours melding across valleys, the dreamy quality making everything look like memory even as it happened – these were effects watercolour seemed designed to capture.

Painting at this wedding venue wasn't just about landscape; it was preserving feelings of celebration, family gathering, witnessing love in a setting that had seen countless such moments across centuries.

Bologna's Unexpected Beauty: The Ancient Olive

Bologna brought an unexpected discovery. Beyond the city's famous medieval towers and cuisine, I found my most compelling subject at a contemporary hotel on the outskirts: a magnificent ancient olive tree.

Standing proud in an old grove, this tree was natural architecture – dense canopy spreading wide, silvery-green leaves catching light, gnarled trunk telling stories of countless seasons. The nearby sprinkler system created an interesting dialogue between ancient and contemporary care that felt distinctly Italian.

I worked in watercolour and ink, letting watercolour capture organic forms while ink defined structure. The technique mirrored what I saw: natural growth enhanced by modern intervention, creating something more beautiful than either could achieve alone.

This painting reminded me why I travel with art supplies. Without them, I might have walked past with just a glance. But sitting for an hour, studying form and character, watching light move through branches, created a connection photography never could.

French Finale: Château du Bois Guibert

Our journey came full circle in France at Château du Bois Guibert in Eure-et-Loir. Returning to a familiar place with eyes trained by weeks of painting across three countries made the experience richer.

The château's 'Salle des Gardes' – an old guard room converted to a 19th-century reading room – provided the perfect late afternoon subject. The low tower, softened by rough vegetation and graced by a red rose still blooming against ancient stone, embodied everything I'd learned about the relationship between time, place, and artistic vision.

This final painting reflected not just the château but how travel changes perception. The red rose against stone wasn't just pretty scenery – it was a metaphor for resilience, beauty that persists and renews itself, the way places and people can grow while maintaining essential character.

Lessons from the Road

Looking through this watercolour collection, I see more than travel records. Each painting captures a moment when I stopped moving and started truly seeing – not just how places looked, but how they felt, what the light was doing, what emotions they evoked.

Travel painting taught me that the best experiences happen when you slow down to observe. That Chablis roadside moment wouldn't have occurred if we'd rushed to our next stop. Morning painting rituals in Locarno created deeper connections than any amount of sightseeing.

Every location has its artistic personality. France's impressionistic approach gave way to Swiss precision, then evolved into atmospheric Tuscan emotion. Each place taught me how it wanted to be painted.

Most importantly, traveling with watercolours reminded me that the goal isn't creating masterpieces. Sometimes value lies in seeing, sitting, slowing down. The paintings become true souvenirs – helping remember not just how places looked, but how they made you feel.

Snapshots of Roadtrip Watercolour Memories

The Road Continues

Back home, surrounded by these watercolour memories, I'm already planning the next artistic adventure, a commission to capture the romantic beauty of Borgo di Pietrafittia Regale as a wedding gift.

When the open road calls again, and my watercolour kit will definitely be coming along for the ride.