The ancient Abbey of Sesto al Reghena

Santa Maria in Sylvis, the Abbey of the Forest

The ancient Abbey of Sesto al Reghena during the #italiagrandsketchingtour.

Once outside I took my time to sketch and paint the outside of the abbey. It was complicated to choose what to draw because in front of the entrance the square is a 360° collection of beautiful views and interesting buildings. I decided to go for the bell tower and the entrance to the pilgrim dorms.

The Bell Tower is from the 11th Century, in the typical Venetian style and it overlooks the square. The loggia and the entrance are all decorated with frescoes, doors and stairs that lead on the different floors of the vestibule. In between, there is the portal that leads to the garden on the back fo the abbey. Enriched by the arch with columns is a beautiful enrichment of the area. The garden is part of the forest that surrounded the abbey and that gives it the name. In Silvis in fact means in the woods. At the time of its foundation the area was in fact a forest and the abbey was the only building in the area, a place of passage and stop for pilgrims and travelers. 

While drawing another moment of serendipity happened. Two of the tourists stopped to talk and we discovered that they are passionate about urban sketching and they follow a lot of the groups that I am part of. So they stayed a bit there to watch while i was sketching the square, trying to fit all this beauty in one page. Fortunately perspective is something you can play with. 

Title of the painting ‘The ancient Abbey of Sesto al Reghena’

This is a painting from the Italia Grand Sketching Tour Collection, a series of original ink and watercolor paintings done on location during my tour to discovery the  marvelous Italian heritage. All paintings are also available as numbered and originally signed prints.

The painting is also featured in the book about my motorbike Italian tour. By acquiring this work you will get to know better Italy also thanks to a personalized story about this place that I will include in the package.

Painting information:

• Watercolor and ink on white paper
• Size 19 x 28.5 cm (7.5 x 11.2 inches)
• Shipped in a box
• Certificate of authenticity will be sent with the painting

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It is available for sale. Please let me know which subject you are interested in.