In Town

My first visit to the town of Assisi was right after a rain, when all the tourists were walking around still in their plastic ponchos. For a draught starved Californian the rain was enough for celebration in itself.  I just wanted to wander the streets, mainly medieval in architecture, and gaze through the openings and arches to the fertile Umbrian plain unfurled below.

When the feet get weary there is always a gelato shop or espresso cafe with outdoor tables. Anticipating stone textures I had prepared some pages in my sketchbook with a stencil.

Always on the lookout for interesting “types” I immediately forgot about my drink and grabbed my pen when the gentleman above sat down right opposite me and was talking with several people in the cafe.  Clearly he was a “personality”, an artist no doubt.  Later Marina identified him from my sketch and gave me his knickname.  Indeed he’s a well known artist in the community.

The fountain in the central Piazza del Comune became our meet up point and a spot where I would have a few minutes to sketch while waiting.

Voyeur that I have become, in the interests of Art of course, I particularly enjoyed watching this young couple engaged in a public show of affection, Italian style. Pretty juicy stuff!