This sketchbook was produced during a cruise to the Caribbean in January 2016 during which time we visited Jamaica; Grand Turk; Dominican Republic; Great Inagua, Bahamas; Havana, Cuba; Progresso and Cozumel, Mexico.

One of the highlights of the trip was to Havana, where we were able to visit a number of the places that Ernest Hemingway spent his time while living in Havana. He is one of my literary heroes and we were able to go to the Ambos Mundos Hotel where he stayed in Room 511 while living in Havana. He loved cocktails and, when he wasn't writing, would spend hours in two famous Cocktail Bars in the city, La Floridita and La Bodeguita del Medio where he would often over indulge on Daiquiri, his favourite cocktail. In La Floridita a bronze statue of him leaning on the bar pays tribute to him. We also visited Cojimar, a small fishing village where he kept his boat, Pilar, named after his first wife.

We have had two visits to Lucca over the years to enjoy the beautiful old Renaissance buildings and, in particular, the lovely white marble of the Cathedral of St Martino. We sat in the Piazza having a coffee while I sketched this side view.

Lucca is famous for its still intact Renaissance-era city walls. It was founded by the Etruscans in 3rd century BC and became a Roman colony in 180 BC.

After a very chequered history Lucca finally became part of the Italian State in 1861.

Initially built as a defensive rampart, the walls became a pedestrian promenade, the Passeggiata delle Mura Urbane, a street atop the walls linking the bastions.

Lucca has had many famous sons over the years, but perhaps the most famous is Giacomo Puccini of Madame Butterfly and La Boheme fame.

According to local legend, Siena was founded by Senius and Aschius, two sons of Remus and thus nephews of Romulus, after whom Rome was named.

We first visited Siena in 2007. We had driven from our holiday home near Florence via San Giminagno, Volterra and Montereggeioni and experienced a massive rainstorm on the way, which caused us to stop until the storm passed. Consequently, we didn't spend as much time in Siena as we would have liked. I did have time to do this monochrome drawing of Siena Cathedral. The exterior and interior are constructed of white and greenish-black marble in alternating stripes, with the addition of red marble on the facade. Black and white are the symbolic colours of Siena. Many fine Italian artists completed works in the Cathedral including Bernini and Donatello.

Florence, considered to have been the birthplace of the Renaissance, was a centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of that era. Its turbulent political history includes periods of rule by the powerful Medici family and numerous religious and republican revolutions.

Florence was home to the Medici, one of European history's most important noble families. Lorenzo de' Medici was an accomplished poet, musician and a great patron of the arts who commissioned works my Michaelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli. He was known then and since as Lorenzo the Magnificent.

We first visited Florence in 2009 when staying in a friends Villa in La Cisterna de St. Antonio, a village outside Florence. We spent the holiday travelling by car visiting all the main towns in Tuscany, but were advised by our friends to travel into Florence by bus. This was good advice, but, unfortunately, on the way it started raining and by the time we arrived it was coming down stair-rods. We planned to visit The Uffizi Gallery, the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio and other attractions but the rain never stopped. We did, however, manage to visit an art exhibition on French Impressionists at another Art Gallery mainly to get out of the rain.

Our second visit to Florence was much more successful when we were able to see The Duomo and the Baptistry, the Palazzo Vecchio, the Ponte Vecchio and the Basilica of Santa Croce with its Giotto frescos and tombs of many famous artists and men of letters. The queue for the Uffizi Gallery was a 'bridge too far'. Next time we'll book ahead! This time the weather was kind enough to allow me to do some sketches of the major landmarks.

Venice, or Venezia, is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It's on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The islands are in the shallow Venetian Lagoon, an enclosed bay lying between the mouths of the Po and the Piave rivers. Venice is divided into six Sestiere or Boroughs being Cannaregio, San Polo, Dorsoduro (including Giudecca), Santa Croce, San Marco (including San Giorgio Maggiore) and Castello. The Grand Canal starts at Piazzale Roma and runs between three sestiere - Dorsoduro, Santa Croce and San Polo. It passes many of the beautiful Palazzos with their Venetian Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture. It runs under the Rialto Bridge and finishes at St Marks Square and the Church of Santa Maria della Salute and the Dogana (Custom House) on the opposite bank.