Being a Visitor in Pisa

I will never forget how excited I was when I went out for the first walk down into the town.  The smell of jasmine was so strong.  It was a clear cool day but warm in the sun.  I found a gelato store and sat on a bench in the town square of Calci Provincia di Pisa to eat it.

Across from me was a sort of typical Italian looking apartment building which I started to draw after only dripping chocolate on me once.  I started just with the black fountain pen.  The proportions are all wrong and the forms are not accurate but it was the first time in about 20 years that I sat and drew.  I was there for quite some time and when people walked by it felt like I may have been the only person to have ever sat on a bench in that little town square.

It was a breezy day and the pages of my sketchbook often blew up.  I was also getting eager to walk around more.  I finished the sketch, took a few photos and then went to explore.  I knew I needed to be back by 7 for dinner.

Seeing this drawing along with the photo is depressing but I remember that once I began drawing the first window too large, I could not turn back without starting over.  So it was a nice exercise.

Perhaps I should try again from the photo.  It is nice that the bench I mentioned above is mirrored in a second that was placed opposite the one I sat on.