Tuesday 18 May - Gubbio

Last night I was fed up, so I went to bed early, finished the ‘difficult’ sudoku from last Sunday’s Independent, then slept for ten hours to 8 o’clock this morning (but for the usual call of nature in the dark; the sleeping hills all around look wonderful at night, twinkling lights on dark masses). So much for an early start, but straight out in the car, and into fog. Manage to struggle past Perugia on to the Gubbio road, and the day clears to arrive at fabulous medieval Gubbio in bright sunshine. Spirits soar; coffee with a view from the Piazza Quaranta Martiri the get stuck in. Photograph as much as possible whilst the sun shines. First draw the Porta Romana in sketchbook. Not in EH, but why not?

On to the Palazzo Publicco and do detailed pen and ink drawing on smooth watercolour pad. Now called the Palazzo dei Consoli. An unforgiving subject, but I’ve got it I think. Draw from a slightly different angle than EH as it suits me better, compositionally. It is much the same as in EH, but since restored with glass in the upper windows. Lunch, then on the S. Giovanni Battista, which has been completely restored since !905, with a new rose window. (The one in the book was half bricked up, with a wooden door in the middle). I find the whole city charming, quite captivating, and would return. Halfway through attempting watercolour of S.G.Battista, the sun has gone, and the rain comes. Run for cover; not a bad stab at a watercolour impression, but not good light and fighting the day, so ultimately spoiled. Pouring as writing this in café, having tea, and time to go home. (Now 5.30 where did the day go?). A good one though, considering.

Monday evening 6.30 at tourist café, Perugia Fontiveggio station

..and just finished a cheap bowl of lasagne at a cheap tourist café. I just can’t get the hang of Italy. The rain stopped, but had robbed me of half the afternoon. I returned to the view across to Assisi and did a pen and wash impression based on the pencil drawing from the previous page. That cheered me up, as that’s 3 items that are usable which is fine for the first day. The last two hours were the usual confusion for me trying to return to the station – Perugia is a maze! Go round in circles, cross ring roads, up and down the public escalators; eventually a local ‘granny’ starts talking to me, and pushes me on to a bus to the station. I had wanted to walk to find a meal on route, but I’ve ended up in this café, which is an oasis of peace, even if it is grotty, and the vegetables were stone cold. But it does have a toilet! (Lots don’t). Impressions of Perugia? Old city; scenic, chic; surrounding urban sprawl ugly, noisy, smelly and worse than Gloucester. I think I’m just tired. Go home.