When I go Urban...

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I was in Pisa a few days ago and I took some time for a very small sketch!! I use the old cover of my mobile phone to keep the drawings and the marker to draw.. Easily fit in my waist bag!!

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Early morning walk...and a little sketch

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A day in Fondo (Trentino Alto Adige- Italy) se had sun and rain in the same day😅

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drawing en plein air. Due to the sun, I avoided white paper which was dazzling in the sun!! And I used black paper and acrylic markers and gel pens. So fun!! Cedrus Atlantica

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In #Venice...I got a bit carried away by the colors :D #markers

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Chiesa di San Simenon piccolo. Sitting in front of the train station in Venice.

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Lat day in Rome... at least for this year.

Stazione Termini!

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Acquario Romano, an example of an Art Nouveau building

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The Auditorium Parco della Musica, designed by Renzo Piano. Here I was in the open-air area between the three concert halls. In summer, the outdoor area is also used for concerts. The day I went, it was a bit empty, but I think the acoustics are really good. I had perched myself up on the stands, while down below there were a couple of little girls playing. And I clearly heard one of them say to the other: “Look, there’s a lady drawing!” After that, they went back to playing, and the more curious one came up and, like a shark, started strolling around me as if nothing was happening… On her last round of reconnaissance, she stopped for a second and said, “What a beautiful drawing!” and then ran off at full speed!

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From Via del Corso – the ancient Via Flaminia – I stepped into Piazza del Popolo, where one of the obelisks that once adorned the spina of the Circus Maximus now stands. I perched on the low wall by the Pincio staircase, waiting for the doors of Santa Maria del Popolo to open and there I did this sketch

Later inside the church, I admired Caravaggio's paintings – works I consider his finest, precisely because they fit so perfectly into the volumes and spaces of the Cerasi Chapel.

The church’s interior won me over: sober, well-proportioned, welcoming – it doesn’t overwhelm the visitor, but embraces them with balance and serenity.

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I was in Rome and I saw the Pantheon. Beautiful. I went inside to see the play of light from the oculus at the top of the dome. I read somewhere that the monument was designed so that, on the day of the city’s founding (April 21st—because yes, Rome has an official foundation day!), the light coming through the oculus would shine directly onto the main entrance of the monument. So, standing inside the Pantheon, if the emperor had walked into the temple at that very moment, he would have been greeted by a beam of sunlight symbolizing the divine presence. If I had been standing outside the Pantheon, I should have seen the light spilling out from the entrance. You have to admit, the ancient Romans had a real sense of drama!

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Sketch made near the Vittoriano, while a group of Spanish students was playing music and dancing beautifully right next to me in the shade of the pine trees. But I have to say, my favorite view of the Vittoriano is the one you get from inside the Museo dei Fori Imperiali. Unfortunately, I had taken shelter there after a sudden downpour, and my whole sketchbook was soaked, so I couldn’t do any more drawings. In fact, I was worried even the ones I’d already done were ruined! Looking at the Vittoriano surrounded by construction sites for a new metro line, I couldn’t help thinking that Rome is so beautiful it can even get away with looking shabby—and still makes an amazing impression!

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I'm thrilled to share that my sketch of the Colosseum and the arch of Constantine—along with seven other drawings I made in Rome—has been selected for an urban sketching exhibition this fall in Mestre, near Venice. The show is called Matite in Viaggio 2025, and I couldn’t be more excited to be part of it!

During my trip, I really enjoyed visiting the Roman Forum, but I was even more fascinated by the Imperial Fora, especially Trajan’s Market. The Trajan Column tells the story of the Roman victory over the Dacians and was originally placed in a courtyard of the Ulpian Basilica. As people ascended the levels of the basilica, they could follow the narrative spiraling up the column more easily.

It still amazes me to think that these ancient monuments were once vividly painted.

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This is my drawings of the Temple of Castor and Pollux in the Roman Forum. Only three tall columns are left today, but long ago it was a big and important temple. The story says the twin gods helped the Romans win a battle in 495 BC, then appeared in the Forum with their horses. The temple was built to thank them. Later, it was rebuilt by Emperor Tiberius. It was also used as a place for meetings and money storage. I love how the ruins still feel elegant. The dome behind the columns belongs to the church of Saints Luca and Martina and you can see it more clearly in one of the photos I have uploaded.

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There’s a beautiful view of the Circus Maximus from the Municipal Rose Garden — one of those quiet corners of Rome that feels almost hidden. From up there, the ruins stretch out below, with roses all around and the city moving gently in the background.

The Rose Garden was created in 1950 on a site that used to be a Jewish cemetery. As a tribute to that past, the paths in the garden were laid out to form the shape of a menorah, the traditional seven-branched candelabrum. It's a simple gesture, but it gives the place a quiet depth, especially when walking among the hundreds of rose varieties, each one carrying its own story. One of the domes in my sketch is the sinagoga's.

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San Giovanni in Laterano is Rome's cathedral. The obelisk behind the basilica once adorned the Circus Maximus. Porta Asinaria (top view panel) near San Giovanni is an ancient Roman gate built around 270–275 AD as part of the Aurelian Walls and one of the best preserved so far.

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The Church of Santi Quattro Coronati is located halfway between the Colosseum and the Basilica of St. John Lateran. Built in the 4th century and later fortified in the 9th century, it played a strategic role in medieval Rome. During times of danger, the pope could take refuge here — a tunnel is believed to have connected the Lateran Palace to the church. Today, Santi Quattro Coronati is a quiet, secluded place, managed by a small community of cloistered nuns. I had the rare chance to attend an hour of their chant, sung in the soft golden light of the apse — a peaceful and unexpected moment in the middle of the city.