I’m going to miss Montepulciano so much. I’m already getting nostalgic and I still have a whole week of lessons left. Right now in my class it’s only me and an Irish university student. This week is mostly conversation, but also a review of all the grammar I need to still polish. This drawing is of a typical alley here. There’s a convenient park and bench at the top, so I had a comfortable place to sit and draw. First I did an ink painting, then outlined in pen, then shaded with colored pencils.
Today I had lunch at a cute cafe with friends from school. “handmade gnocchi with pesto” was handwritten at the bottom of the menu. So irresistible, 3 out of 4 of us got it. It was perfect, pillowy gnocchi with lots of basil pesto. After lunch I did a quick ink painting at the Piazza Grande. I think I may temporarily have artist’s block – it’s starting to get tiring to sketch. It’s currently frustrating because I’m trying to find a style I want to stick with.
After drawing I walked to a friend’s apartment for wine and sitting in the garden. Hard life. It eventually started to look stormy, so I headed out. On the way, I talked to the owner of the apartments, Signora Stuart. She’s very Italian for sure, I’m not sure of the story behind the name. As far as I could tell, the Palazzo Stuart was built by a Scot who fell in love with Montepulciano. Anyway, she was on her way to the bookstore, and gave me a lift in her car as far as the main traffic circle. This cut my 20 minute walk down to 5. This was especially good for me after the 2 glasses of white wine I’d just finished.