From
The Sunday Times Travel Magazine
Did you really leave your heart in San Francisco?
That’s become my signature song – I sang it for six American presidents. It
really comes from the heart. When you arrive in San Francisco, you have a
feeling that this is it. I think it is one of the most civilised cities in
America. It’s beautiful.
Does that mean it’s your number one city?
No, that would have to be Rio. It has a great spirit. The people there really
live life and know how to enjoy themselves. Even though it’s a very corrupt
place, that 30km stretch of beach seems to have the potential to wash away
troubles.
So, how do you like to see new cities?
I paint wherever I go and that gives me a different way of looking at the
world. I carry a set of watercolours in my hand luggage and, even in the
most remote backwater, I’ll always find something that catches my eye. It
could be anything, from a woman waiting at a bus stop, to a shadow on the
side of a building. Little things like this reflect the real life of big
cities.
And where do you most love to paint?
My father was Italian and I first went to Italy about 15 years ago and fell in
love with the country. Now I try to go every summer and stay in a villa in
Tuscany. It’s an inspirational place.
Do you feel at home in Italy?
I love Calabria, where my father was born. It’s gorgeous, with little fishing
villages looking out towards Sicily. But I feel more at home in the Italian
cities. I was dining in Rome once, when four waiters came in singing Happy
Birthday. They sounded like four Pavarottis. I felt embarrassed to call
myself a singer.
Anything else you do to relax on holiday?
Apart from painting? Tennis. I was staying in London, when the jazz pianist
Gentleman John Bunch persuaded me to have a go, and I was hooked. I thought
we went to his local park for a knock up, but later discovered we’d been
playing on the Centre Court at Wimbledon.
Think you’ll ever tire of seeing the world?
I’m lucky – I’m still doing what I love doing for a living and get to do it in
some of the world’s greatest playgrounds. I get to spend the day painting in
the sun and then sing in the evening. What could be better?
Tony Bennett’s latest album, Duets: An American Classic, is out on Sony BMG
