During my vacation in Sorrento, Italy, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to explore this charming town with my sketchbook. Sorrento is full of beautiful streets, historic architecture, and picturesque corners perfect for urban sketching. This time, I wanted to challenge myself with different perspectives and compositions. I brought my small watercolor kit to keep my sketches quick and easy. Let me share five beautiful spots I captured during my sketch walk.
If like my Italian sketch trips this post is for you.
Corso Italia
I started my sketch walk on Corso Italian, one of the lively streets in Sorrento. I loved the colorful buildings, elegant street lamps, and mountains in the distance. It was a great opportunity to practice perspective, with the street leading the eye toward the background. I started by blocking in large areas with watercolor and then added architectural details and people with my pen. I tried to keep the sketch loose and expressive while capturing the atmosphere of this busy Italian street.
Cathedral of St. Philip & James
My next stop was the beautiful Cathedral of St. Philip & James. A small plant in the foreground with the cathedral behind it formed an interesting composition I observed. To create more depth, I included the plant to make my sketch visually interesting. I used soft watercolor washes and loose pen lines to capture the architecture and greenery. I like how the plant partially covers the building, giving the composition a natural feeling and a stronger sense of depth.
Sedil Dominova
Sedil Dominova was another interesting stop during my sketch walk in Sorrento. This time, I challenged myself with a complicated perspective, looking upward at the beautiful clock tower. I focused mainly on the architecture, simplifying the shapes and adding watercolor to establish colors and shadows. Then I used my pen to define the windows, balcony, and architectural details. I sketched the people loosely to bring life into the scene without distracting attention from the building.
St. Francis Church
My next sketching spot was St. Francis Church, another beautiful example of Sorrento’s architecture. Once again, I challenged myself with an interesting perspective and decided to include a palm tree in the foreground. The tree helped frame the church and created a more balanced composition with additional depth. I also focused on capturing the contrast between bright sunlight and dark shadows on the building. Using soft watercolor washes and expressive pen lines, I tried to keep the sketch lively while highlighting the architectural shapes.
Hotel Imperial Tramontano
My last stop was near Hotel Imperial Tramontano, where I discovered a charming street with an elegant bridge connecting the buildings. As soon as I saw the bridge and the beautiful street lamp, I knew I couldn’t skip this view. I loved the composition, colors and interesting perspective of the narrow street. I used watercolor to capture the atmosphere and shadows, then added pen details to define the bridge and architecture. I’m really happy with the result, and I think this is one of my most successful sketches from the walk.
Plan your stay at Hotel Imperial Tramontano in advance here.
My urban sketching walk in Sorrento was such an enjoyable experience. Using my small watercolor kit made sketching quick and easy, allowing me to explore more places during my vacation. I love how even simple watercolor washes and loose pen lines can capture the atmosphere of a special place. If you enjoy traveling and sketching, I definitely recommend bringing a sketchbook on your next adventure.
