Category Archives: Photographs: Italy

Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel

Pizzicheria de Miccoli

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Pizzicheria de Miccoli
Pizzicheria de Miccoli, before opening time, Siera, Italy.

Pizzicheria de Miccoli. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Pizzicheria de Miccoli, before opening time, Siera, Italy.

It isn’t that we have no shops like this in the US — it is that they are so rare. But in Siena (and in many other places we visited) they are everywhere. Yes, this is a “tourist town,” but still — how many tourists are buying lots of cured meats? (Hint: they are a problem with carry-on airline luggage.) Everything about the front of this shop is a bit… unusual. The lovely little pink pig, the real pig head attached to the wall just left of center, the strange red curtain.

No, we did not go into this shop — even though it was on my agenda for this trip after I had seen and photographed it when we visited something like seven years ago. It is funny how inaccurate memory can be — I thought it was on an entirely different street in Siena.

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: Italy, Photographs: Travel

Early Evening, Florence

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Early Evening, Florence
Early evening view of Florence, Italy from the Piazzale Michangelo.

Early Evening, Florence. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Early evening view of Florence, Italy from the Piazzale Michangelo.

This might be one of the best-known viewpoints in Florence, the Piazzale Michangelo. From this high terrace you look down and across the Arno River toward the old central city and beyond. If you know about the city you probably recognize at least a couple of landmarks in the photograph.

This photograph and the evening on which I made it might be a good reminder that the advice you sometimes hear about staying away from the most famous places isn’t always valid. I deal with this a lot in my landscape photography – I often love to go to somewhat anonymous, out-of-the way places, but I think the first-time visitors are often best off by starting with the well-known places. Knowing that this spot is so famous and seeing so many people heading that way, I might have decided not to join the throngs… but it turned out that the evening was beautiful and the throng was a big part of the fun!

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

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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel

Doorway, Two Olive Trees

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Doorway, Two Olive Trees
A doorway flanked by two potted olive trees, Arezzo, Italy.

Doorway, Two Olive Trees. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A doorway flanked by two potted olive trees, Arezzo, Italy.

This summer’s European travel was fairly lengthy — our plan had on on the road for just under ten weeks. We spend the majority of our time in Portugal, Spain, and Italy, but with shorter stays in a few other places near the beginning and end. On a short trip it is possible to just “go, go, go” for days on end, but on a longer trip there really needs to be at least a bit of downtime — which explains our stop in the Italian town of Arezzo.

While Arezzo is perhaps not on most itineraries, it was a very pleasant place to spend a few slower days. In addition, it surprised us with some interesting things that we didn’t expect, including very old fortifications along the upper reaches of the town, with beautiful views of the countryside. There is also a big cathedral in this same area that surprised us with its beauty, though it is more subdued that some of the cathedrals that are more popular tourist destinations. I photographed this pair of potted olive trees and a door nearby.

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: Architecture, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Travel

Doorway, Steps, Morning Light

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Doorway, Steps, Morning Light
Morning light on a weathered doorway, steps, and a small plant — Orvieto, Italy.

Doorway, Steps, Morning Light. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning light on a weathered doorway, steps, and a small plant — Orvieto, Italy.

Since I wrote earlier about our stop in Orvieto, Italy I will keep the background brief on this post. Orvieto is a lovely “hill town” in Umbria. The old walled city occupies the relatively flat top of a hill surrounded by steep slopes. It is a popular day-trip destination, though we stayed there a few days and enjoyed evenings and mornings without crowds.

As a very old town, it is a cit of very narrow and winding streets. (The “small bus” ride to our lodgings from the funicular was… something.) The whole place is eminently walkable, and we took advantage of that throughout our visit, wandering to places that we knew we were supposed to visit (including the impressive duomo) and walking randomly up and down whatever streets looked interesting.

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.