Our stay in Lucca was much too short. I’d love to go back there some day and have more time to explore the town. It’s always a challenge choosing where to go and what to see when vacation time is limited. I want to go everywhere and see everything! But you have to pick and […]
Category: Italy
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 13 (Lovely Lucca)
The wide city walls surrounding the Tuscan city of Lucca date to Renaissance times and are one of best reasons to visit. They’re perfect for walking a dog, riding a bike, or strolling hand-in-hand. When Suzy and I arrived in Lucca, it was late afternoon, and as soon as we dropped our bags at our […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 13 (Tuscan Wildflowers)
Springtime in Tuscany…what could be prettier? 10″ x 7″, ink & watercolor in Stillman & Birn Beta series sketchbook As we drove through the countryside on our way from San Gimignano to Lucca, the scenes we passed were enough to keep a constant smile on my face. Olive groves, vineyards, villas, and bright green hillsides […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 13 (San Gimignano)
On Day 13, we said goodbye to Siena and headed north toward Lucca, meandering through the countryside on narrow, two-lane roads, enjoying a perfect spring day in Tuscany. 10″ x 7″, ink, watercolor pencil, and watercolor in Stillman & Birn Beta series sketchbook Our first stop was the medieval walled city of San Gimignano, famous […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 12 (Siena & Casale Virgili)
Casale Virgili was the perfect place to use as a home base to explore Tuscany. The B & B owner, Roberto, was a sweetheart. He spoke English, gave us great advice on restaurants and sites to see, and even fixed my hair dryer for me! The seventeenth-century farmhouse and outbuildings were beautifully maintained and made […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 11 (Yummy Tuscan Food)
Every time I paint a page that I really like, I get all excited and think, “Oooooh! This one is my favorite!” But then a few days later, I finish up another one that turns out better than I ever expected it to, and I think, “No, really, I think this one is my favorite!” […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 11 (Tuscany…finally!)
Warm sunshine, rolling hills, olive groves, and cypress trees – where else could we be but Tuscany? Everywhere I looked, it was prettier than a calendar picture! I started sketching as soon as we checked into our B&B near Siena. Our villa overlooked the idyllic scene that I sketched on the upper half of this […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 10 (Last Evening in Northern Italy)
On our last evening in northern Italy, we headed to our favorite restaurant for one more yummy dinner and were seated in a private alcove with a balcony, overlooking the outdoor patio. We felt so-o-o-o special! 10″ x 7″, ink & watercolor in Stillman & Birn Beta series sketchbook Even though I had done several […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 10 (A Dreamy Little Lupia Landscape)
It was an overcast day in early spring when I did this page in my travel journal. Driving through the countryside near Lupia, we had turned off the main road onto a dirt track which led across the fields to an old farmhouse surrounded by outbuildings. Suzie and I sat snug in our little Fiat […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 10 (Sketching in Lupia)
After spending the morning at the market in Vicenza, we decided to take it easy in the afternoon. It was our last day in Northern Italy – we’d be leaving the next morning for Tuscany – and we wanted to do a little sketching. 10″ x 7″, watercolor and brown Pigma Micron pen in Stillman […]
