My perfect brush with Tuscany: Join a painting class at a luxury hotel amid some of Italy’s finest rolling countryside

You could be forgiven for crumbling when handed a paintbrush by an award-winning artist from the Royal Drawing School — while in the gardens of a fine villa overlooking Tuscan hills that inspired some of the world’s greatest artists.

Fortunately, Fraser Scarfe is a patient, encouraging tutor.

When he takes us on a quick tour of nearly 500 original artworks lining the walls of the grand Borgo Pignano hotel, he’s so self-effacing I have to ask which is his work.

All were created by artists and alumni from the Royal School, founded by the King and artist Catherine Goodman in 2000 to keep life drawing flourishing. A group of postgraduates stay for a few weeks each summer to paint under the eye of a tutor, and maybe leave a work behind.

Fraser gives us tips — don’t hold your palette out like a pizza as they do in films, rest it on your forearm, choose a small area of the canvas to focus on, draw big and bold outlines in pencil — and sets us up with paints and easel.

He gives us the confidence to start — and crucially finish — our paintings, checks on us regularly, and helps where necessary.

His simple dabs and brushstrokes transform my canvas and three hours breeze past. A lesson like this can be arranged individually or in a group with a visiting artist from the Royal School. 

It’s just one of the courses at the 18th-century Borgo Pignano.

The luxury hotel, an organic estate with its own vineyard, is set in 750 wooded acres on a hilltop and has exceptionally glamorous neighbours.

Volterra is half an hour’s drive to the west, San Gimignano the same to the east, Siena is an hour to the south, Florence a bit more to the north. The Borgo, meaning village, has been restored by its British entrepreneur owner over 20 years.

The Borgo Pignano hotel is located on an organic hilltop estate with its own vineyard, amid 750 wooded acres. Kate writes: ‘There are horses to ride, fields of play for sports fans, a heated infinity pool [above], yoga, soap making with the herbalist, wine tasting, e-biking, cookery courses plus spectacular grounds’

For all the traditional splendour; elegant dining rooms, exceptional menus, delicate frescos, grand libraries, and billiards room, it’s not stuffy. No one eyeballs a guest or whispers that they might be more comfortable if they removed their baseball cap at breakfast.

There are horses to ride, fields of play for sports fans, a heated infinity pool, yoga, soap making with the herbalist, wine tasting, e-biking, cookery courses plus spectacular grounds.

I take a good hour’s morning walk; not a soul around and all of nature bursting with life.

We’re enveloped by countryside so beautiful, you just can’t stop staring at it. It’s no wonder there are no televisions in the rooms and that no one has ever complained about this. Nothing on screen could ever compare to the views. My artwork certainly doesn’t do it justice — but it’s been a joy giving it a try.