Friday the 24th of June was the feast day of Saint John the Baptist and on that day I went to Grottaferrata for a retreat with the prayer group that I have been following for the past three years. The trip was short; only about forty-five minutes, but the distance from Rome to the nearby ‘Roman Hills’ was enough to breath fresh air and hear nothing more than birdsong in the morning.
I had enough time to do a few quick sketches and more elaborate watercolours between prayer sessions. The group is lead by Father Giorgio Zevini (S.D.B.) and my first sketch was done in meeting room on a page of the text book that we use.
Then I painted outdoors working on the front gate of the complex where we stayed (Pallottine Fathers).
I was able to do quite a few paintings of the surrounding gardens in the early morning and late afternoon.
We came back to Rome on Sunday evening after 2 nights spiritually refreshed and delightfully surprised by the warm hospitality of the place.
