Daily Sketch No.13 Ville Franche Harbour, Cote D,Azur

One of my other favourite villages on the coast - Ville Franche. Restaurants and cafes line the harbour. Alleyways criss-cross the old village. A magical place especially on a hot summer evening with the restaurants full with people chatting and the street lamps reflecting in the water - I will be back to sketch this scene later in summer!

Daily Sketch No.12 Cafe Life, Menton, Cote D'Azur

Barga is only a 4.5 hour drive from France. Breakfast in Barga, lunch in France! I am on the Italian/French Riviera all this week and its a bit weird getting used to. People speaking in both French and Italian. The blue sea, exotic flowers, flash supercars, amazing pastries but the coffee is not the same as Italy! This little Piazza in Menton was full of life, people chatting over a coffee or a glass of wine in the late afternoon sun. Menton is our favourite town on the French Riviera. The buildings look Italian as the area used to be part of Italy years ago. Its relaxed and understated, not flash like Cannes and the apricot/peach coloured buildings are stunning. More sketches of Menton to follow this week!

Daily Sketch No.11 Castelnuovo Entrance, Tuscany

Whilst having my daily cappuccino sitting outside a bar in Castelnouvo, I did my daily sketch featuring one of the entrances into Castelnuovo, a town 20 minutes drive north of Barga. Castelnuovo is not as pretty as Barga, more of a normal working town but like lots of places in Tuscany, there is light industry which is good for employment. I will be on the Italian/French Riviera from tomorrow so expect something a bit different.

Daily Sketch No.10 Watermill near Barga, Tuscany

There are several old watermills dotted around the Barga area. This one is on the road to Sommocolonia. I liked the various outbuildings scattered around the main house.

Daily Sketch No.9 The Fornacetta, Barga, Tuscany

Just outside the walled city of Barga is The Fornacetta, a group of houses clustered around a narrow road that leads out to the surrounding hills.

Daily Sketch No.8 Hills around Lucca

The hills around Lucca offer wonderful wine and olive trails where you can drive around wine groves and terraces covered in ancient olive trees. The odd cyprus tree adds some vertical interest. The landscape is vastly diferent to the Garfagnana region where Barga is situated.

Daily Sketch No.7 Olive Trees in the Garden

Just down the road from us (35kms) is Lucca, a stunning walled city. The surrounding hills around Lucca are famous for the quality of its olive oil. We have a few young olive trees on our terraces which are famous for NOT producing any oil from the olives!, but the silvery green leaves provide some contrast on the terraces.