The view from our balcony is always interesting. Views of olive trees, mountains, houses, gardens and people going about their daily lives.
The
old town of Ventimiglia (Ventimiglia Alta) is incredible - with old,
crumbling walls, telephone and electric cables running everywhere,
typical of Italy but a real place, no airs and graces, just a place
where time has stood still, stuck in some kind of time warp. Most of the
steep streets are narrow, with access only by foot. A complete contrast
to affluent Menton in France just 10 minutes away, with its peach
coloured, well-kept buildings.
Biot is a charming village near to Antibes. There are many artisans specialising in working with glass. Today was warm, not a cloud in sight, the sea a lovely cobalt blue. The pale pinky yellow sandstone buildings and orange roofs are typical of this area and on a sunny day like today look stunning against the blue sea.
The village of Airole where we have our little holiday apartment is just 10 minutes inland from Ventimiglia, the bustling Italian coastal town on the border with France. Only 200 metres above sea level, Airole is surrounded by steep wooded terraces. Olive trees and lemon trees thrive in this micro-climate. I liked the warm colours of the buildings set against the cool greens of the wooded slopes.
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!
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!
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.
