SketchTravel – A beautiful medieval town in Tuscany, Italy

Hilltop views of Volterra and the surrounding countryside

A sea of red tiled roofs

Volterra is one of a number of old city-states in the Tuscany region in Italy, west of Florence. In earlier times it was an Etruscan settlement, with signs of their walls and artifacts still visible. Volterra’s historical area is full of narrow winding streets. When we entered Volterra on foot, the narrow streets opened up to the main square – the imposing Palazzo dei Priori, dating back to the 13th century. We found many restaurants and shops selling the local goods – olive oil, grapes, wines and cheeses, cured meats and of course many kinds of bread.

The sketch was done just outside of the main gate, using a rapidograph pen with brown permanent ink in the cartridge. Later I added the color washes.