This spontaneus sketch of the rocks and sea near Porto d'Anzio was painted in 1853, when Costa and fellow artist George Heming Mason went on a twenty-day painting trip to the tiny hamlet of Ardea on the coast near Rome. It was a fertile time, as they camped out at night and sketched by day. The work they did then resulted in paintings that made their reputations; one of Costa's plein-air sketches of Porto d'Anzio (from the Gere Collection) is currently in the National Gallery, London. Costa and his English friends, including Frederic, Lord Leighton, became known as the 'Etruscans'. They believed that all good landscapes must begin with a study, done from nature, to preserve the creator's original sentiment and inspiration. Costa's airy touch was much admired by Corot, who owned a sketch of his from the same year.