Category Archives: Photographs: Travel

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

Torre del Mangia, Siena

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Torre del Mangia, Siena
“Torre del Mangia, Siena” — Overview of a portion of historic central Siena with the Torre del Mangia.

This might be one of the more traditional “travel photographs” that I’ve shared, but I think it is a pretty interesting one for what it illustrates about the old, central part of Siena, Italy. The dominant feature is the tower, the Torre del Mangia, located next to the Campo, or central square of the city, famous for its horse races.

But beyond that singular feature, there are a lot of other details in the scene. I photographed from a slightly elevated position just at the edge of the old part of the town, and the rising hill reveals just how densely packed the buildings are — and how much the town’s layout comes from an era when people got around by walking rather than driving.

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

Piaggio Ape in Turquoise

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Piaggio Ape in Turquoise
“Piaggio Ape in Turquoise” — A colorful Piaggio Ape “pickup truck” parked next to a stone wall in Orvieto, Italy.

You may recall another recently shared photograph of one of these vehicles. It was actually the very same one, though photographed from a different angle and rendered in monochrome. And I’m not done — there is another coming, an example that is highly modified, to the point that it probably qualifies as a mini art car.

These little three-wheeled vehicles (and others like them) are common in these European cities with very old and very narrow streets. The town of Orvieto, where I photographed this one, is no exception. While the color of this Ape (“bee”) is a striking and attention-getting turquoise, it is clear that this is a vehicle intended for utilitarian use.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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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: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Dark Passage With Scooter

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Dark Passage With Scooter
“Dark Passage With Scooter” — A scooter parked in a dark passageway with a door to a garden, Orvieto.

This little photograph from Orvieto, Italy captures a common sight here and in other parts of Europe — a passageway extending from the street toward a private, enclosed area, which may often contain a garden. These views are always intriguing, suggesting a world beyond the street that is private and not open to passers-by.

They are not always impossible to visit. In Sevilla, Spain we stayed in a small hotel that very definitely embodied the Moorish influence that is so prevalent there. The facility enclosed such a central courtyard, with a fountain, plants, and tables and chairs — a private place that seems pleasantly isolated from the nearby streets.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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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: Europe, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel

Interior, Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site

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Interior, Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site
“Interior, Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site” — An interior space on the grounds of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i San Pau.

As I continue working on photographs from our summer 2023 visit to Barcelona, here is another from the Saint Pau Art Nouveau Site, originally the Hospital de la Santa Creu i San Pau. The immense grounds of the “hospital” were vacated when the hospital relocated to a newer facility. Eventually those who did not want to lose this remarkable example of modern art nouveau architecture managed to begin the work of restoring and maintaining it.

Some buildings, such as the large main entrance facing the street, are fully and gloriously restored. Others, like this old hospital ward building, await restoration. For now the latter have been cleared out and stabilized, but the interiors are quite bare. (A large photograph at the far end of this room shows what it might have looked like when it was still a working hospital.)

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

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