Meet Amber Guinness, Chef and co-founder of Arniano painting school, Tuscany

What is a typical day at Arniano?

The day on a painting course begins with a hearty breakfast, involving various courses – home-made granola with local honey and yogurt, boiled eggs and toast with lashings of butter, and large cups of coffee and freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. Once their appetites have been sated, the painters head out to their easels, at around 10 (it used to be 9, but William had a rebellion years ago about the early start and it has been 10 ever since). Often the guests warm up with a charcoal drawing all together, before William walks with them each individually around the garden to see what corner inspires them. He then helps them set up and mix their colours. By this time, I have headed to the local town to visit the fruit and veg market; on our spring courses I will be asking the frutti vendolo for kilos of broad beans, fresh peas and artichokes. In autumn this shifts to locally sourced porcini, figs and pears.  At midday, the church bells chime from the nearby monastery, alerting the painters of the hour and they usually demand a glass of crisp white Vermentino to accompany them at the easels (it is a holiday). I get home and start preparing lunch, which will be a smorgasbord based on what is in season: artichoke and béchamel pie with a green salad and new potatoes; asparagus and ricotta galette; or vitello tonnato with green beans. After lunch the painters head straight back to their easels for the afternoon, before going on a walk or siesta at 5pm. We all reconvene at seven for cocktails, and dinner. These evenings are always full of laughter, fun, and occasionally lead to hours of dancing.

Do you have tips for creating the most beautiful table setting?

I think it depends on the mood you want to create. Sometimes I want the evening to be fun and colourful, and so I will choose a tablecloth accordingly – my favourites are from the Milanese designer Lisa Corti; she mixes gorgeous patterns with lovely colour combinations. If I am going all-out, I will pair this with ‘Palio’ plates bought from nearby Siena which are decorated in the gorgeous colours of the various contrade of Siena, which race in the city’s famous horse race. If I want a meal to feel more serene, a crisp white linen table cloth with foraged greenery as centre pieces works well (I cut branches from the olive tree and put them in small silver cups), and lots of candles. Candles look beautiful when they are at various heights, some tall and some low, giving a sense of movement to your table.  

An object that you particularly love?

I love my bed at our flat in Florence. It is designed by my mother and is a replica of the bed in my favourite room at Arniano. It’s a four poster with a huge, comfortable mattress, and beautiful old Indian saris turned into curtains. It’s so big that it takes up most of the room, but it feels like a decadent comfort, and reminds me of home when I’m in the city. One of my favourite objects when it comes to hosting is a gorgeous round wooden tray made by my friend Beata Heuman. It’s very big, so great for serving drinks to guests on our courses, and is printed with one of Beata’s signature marble wallpapers, a beautiful backdrop when serving cocktails. 

What is your favourite address for interior design in Florence and London?

In Florence, the Mercato dei Pulci in San Ambrogio. Which is the covered flea market, there are usually some beautiful pieces of furniture to be picked up. Same with the Santo Spirito flea market on the third Sunday of every month. 

In London Wilson Stephens & Jones on Westbourne Park Road, for quirky and beautiful painted pottery by the ceramicist Claudia Rankin, and lino prints by my cousin Hugo Guinness which are fabulous to hang in any space. 

How do you think the crisis will impact the way we travel?

I think we will see travel become much more considered than it has been in the past twenty years, which will ultimately be a good thing for the environment and everyone’s general mental health. Gone will be the days of getting on two aeroplanes to go and visit a friend in another country for a weekend. If I open my diary from last year to a random page, it might say – ‘Friday – christening in Edinburgh’, ‘book flights for weekend with Bea and John in Majorca’, 8.30am flight to London for lunch with Kirsten. That sort of travel seems unfeasible now, which I think will be a positive. We will go to fewer places for longer periods. It’s interesting that we are currently seeing a lot of people booking onto our painting courses in Tuscany in October, and at Pylewell Park in August, perhaps because they are for a good amount of time and provide space and time to get away from all the craziness of the world.