Category Archives: Photographs: Italy

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Santo Spirito Toilet

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Santo Spirito Toilet
Two Florence doorways, one leading to the “Santo Spirito Toilet.”

Santo Spirito Toilet. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Two Florence doorways, one leading to the “Santo Spirito Toilet.”

To arrive in this area of Florence you could cross the Ponte Vecchio (or other convenient bridge across the Arno) and walk a few more blocks. It is still a busy area, but the further you get from the Arno the more the tourist traffic diminishes. It was certainly not gone in this spot, but it was not the crowded scene that you encounter north of the Arno in the old part of the city. We were exploring a small square when I noticed the strange and seemingly-unfortunate name of the doorway on the right…

I think the the area is known by the “Santo spirito” name because of a nearby church. Logically I can understand how that name ended up being applied to other features in the area. But “Santo Spirito Toilet?!” Since people here likely know that they are in the Santo Spirito are, perhaps it would have been sufficient to erect a sign that just said “toilet?” Ah, well, who am I to say?

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Bike Rack and Wall

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Bike Rack and Wall
A bike rack in front of a wall covered with graffiti and street art, Bologna.

Bike Rack and Wall. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A bike rack in front of a wall covered with graffiti and street art, Bologna.

This photograph comes from a less-traveled (at least by tourists) back street in Bologna, Italy, in a neighborhood of narrow streets and walkways that seems like it might be where some of the locals actually live. There was, indeed, more street art and graffiti in this neighborhood, though this is perhaps an extreme example.

Several things drew me to this scene. Oddly, one of them was the connection between the light here and light that I have photographed in the narrow sandstone canyons of the American Southwest, where light bounces back and forth between reddish walls and acquires a warm softness. But the rest of the scene is, obviously, nothing like those natural landscape. a phalanx of bicycles crowds a wide rack, and the wall behind and above is plastered with a wild array of posters and graffiti.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Travel

Venice Canal, Evening

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Venice Canal, Evening
Evening lights come on along the Rio de San Giovanni Laterno, Venice.

Venice Canal, Evening. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Evening lights come on along the Rio de San Giovanni Laterno, Venice.

During our August visit to Venice we stayed in a little place that was perfectly situated. It was outside of the zone of maximum tourists and the a bit quieter, yet there were restaurants nearby and we could easily walk to just about any place we wanted to go. It was also directly on one of the canals, and our room had windows overlooking it. (Our windows actually appear in the photograph.)

I made this photograph at that wonderful hour of the day when there is still some light in the sky, but when it is getting dark enough that lights are starting to switch on here and there. On opposite sides of the canal and in the distance you can see lit openings where water taxis can pick up and drop off clients. (At our hotel this was nicely outfitted with four comfortable seats, making it a perfect place to sit and watch things pass on the water.)

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Venice Restaurant, Evening

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Evening Restaurant, Venice
Patrons sit outside at a Venice restaurant on a summer evening.

Venice Restaurant, Evening. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Patrons sit outside at a Venice restaurant on a summer evening.

When we visited Venice in August we stayed perhaps no more than a five-minute walk from this spot. Our little hotel was in a quiet corner without the tourist hubbub that characterizes the most popular areas of this city, but we were only a few minutes away from busier areas. As we walked to them we often passed through the square where this restaurant is located as we headed to a bridge across a canal. It was an interesting place, but until this evening I never quite saw how I wanted to photograph it.

We had been out late — I don’t recall the details now, but it probably involved looking for a place to eat late dinner. For some reason I was “in the zone” for night photography on this evening, and I carried my small camera as we walked, making spontaneous photographs along the way. We were headed back toward our hotel, and after we crossed that familiar bridge I spotted the table set up outside this restaurant, mostly illuminated by light spilling out from the indoor seating area, and I made a couple of quick exposures as we passed by.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.