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Category: Europe: Italy

Italy wrap-up

Italy wrap-up

Our November trip to Italy was relatively short, befitting a getaway, and structured around visiting a few places that we had not explored in the past. We spent time in Milan (city highlights, Last Supper), Bergamo (city highlights, fortifications), and Turin (city highlights, royal palaces). My photographic output was not…

Turin

Turin

My writing skills being what they are, I frequently struggle with finding original or at least not overused ways to express my positive impressions of places and points of interest. But that is nothing compared to the search for ways to describe a lukewarm impression. The places that do not…

Bergamo

Bergamo

We have not set foot in Bergamo in the past and made it a defined target on this trip. It is a kind of town that invariably leaves a positive impression on any visitor without tipping the scales on the exceptional side. Città Alta, the historic core of Bergamo, is…

Third time the charm in Milan

Third time the charm in Milan

Milan, a renowned Mecca of shopping and fashion, is rarely considered to be a sightseeing destination. That reputation is largely deserved, as even the most ardently patriotic locals are likely to agree that their city is not at all pretty. Impressive buildings pop up here or there, some residential streets…

A postcard from Vernazza

For me, Vernazza is the most beautiful of the five villages that comprise the incomparable Cinque Terre. It could be because Vernazza was our base when we explored the coast and, subsequently, we got acquainted with it to a larger degree than with any of the other villages. Or it…

A place in my memory: Lake Como

This picture is comparatively minimalist, imperfectly composed, and not related to any specific occurrence. Rather, it offers a general recollection of tranquility that I have come to associate with the incomparable Lake Como. It should be noted that my only to-date stay on Lake Como occurred at the height of…

A picture from San Gimignano

This may not be an especially striking picture, but I like it because it represents a bit of departure from the common type of San Gimignano photography. Most of the time people, myself customarily included, focus on the towers that give San Gimignano its unique skyline. While the towers retain…

A picture from Mantua

Sometimes, small details leave sharper impressions of a place than grand vistas. This picture taken in the Lombardian city of Mantua (Mantova in Italian) is a good illustration.   The location is Piazza Sordello. This spacious main historic plaza is flanked by the local Duke’s Palace, a couple of other…

A postcard from Manarola

Of the five villages that make up the breathtaking region of Cinque Terre on the Ligurian Coast in Italy, the two most photographed are Vernazza and Manarola. We made Vernazza our base a couple of years ago and I had ample time to build a reasonable portfolio of Vernazza images…

A postcard from Venice

Venice has been a lot on my mind recently, most likely due to the extended residual envy at not having been able to join my wife and daughter on a recent visit there. My last significant stay there occurred over seven years ago, which is a sufficient length of time…

A place in my memory: Siena

Unlike my eldest daughter – who lived in Siena for a couple of weeks on a language-immersion program and even witnessed a Palio with her own eyes – I have never spent a night in town.  I’ve been to Siena on half a dozen occasions but always for an intraday visit.…

San Giorgio, Venice

The out-of-camera version of the photograph below did not make the cut as a candidate for the recent Venice mini-gallery. But through the power of post-processing (in this case, entirely in Lightroom) it became one of the most worthy of “this would be a great print” designation. Few things give…

From Venice

Two of my girls just spent almost a week reacquainting themselves with La Serenissima. Yours truly minded the homestead amid bouts of jealousy. Their tales of the trip and accompanying photos make me really want to drop everything and go immerse myself in Venice again. Oh, well… Here is a…

Re-counting World Heritage sites: #18 (Vatican)

Vatican is recognized by UNESCO both for its spiritual value and for the artistic and architectural treasures that it possesses. You don’t have to be a Catholic to appreciate the grandeur of the incomparable Piazza San Pietro, the exquisite features of Saint Peter’s Basilica, or the magnificent collections of Vatican…