Category Archives: Photographs: Travel

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

Laundry, Siena

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Laundry, Siena
Laundry hangs outside a weathered yellow builiding in Siena, Italy

Laundry, Siena. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Laundry hangs outside a weathered yellow builiding in Siena, Italy.

The old part of Siena is remarkable. Yes, there are old cities and towns all over Italy, and they all have their charms. But my (too!) brief visit to Siena showed me a town that felt quite different. A maze of narrow and curving streets encircles the main piazza, it is easy to become lost here. But after negotiating the maze you can emerge at the remarkable Piazza del Campo, the large square where the famous horse races are held.

You don’t see all of that in this photograph, but you do see lots of little features that are common in this part of the world. The color of the building on the left is intense, but it is also common — many buildings are in a narrow color band between brown and yellow… and many are also rather weathered, like this one. The light is also typical of this area — intense and stark in the summer, especially in the midday.

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 and Amazon.

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Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel

Tables and Stools, Tuscany

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Talbles and Stools, Tuscany
Stools and stone tables in the cellar at a Tuscan vineyard

Tables and Stools, Tuscany. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Stools and stone tables in the cellar at a Tuscan vineyard.

For serendipitous reasons I’m posting this photograph from Tuscany today. We were shopping and we wandered into a wine section, and while somewhat aimlessly looking over some of the selections we recognized that name of a winery we visited: Castello di Ama. We did not buy any wine while we were there, so it was fortuitous to discover a source locally.

While we were there we took a tour. I’m not an authoritative tour guide, but my recollection is that the place was essentially a very tine village at one time, and still has a small collection of buildings and cobbled roads. During a visit to the cellars we passed through this small space. I’m afraid I no longer recall precisely what its purpose is, but I find it visually intriguing in several ways.

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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

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

Night Cyclist, Florence

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Night Cyclist, Florence
A man on a bicycle rides a down a narrow street at night, Florence, Italy

Night Cyclist, Florence. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A man on a bicycle rides a down a narrow street at night, Florence, Italy.

The curve of this narrow street, with its backwards “HOTEL” sign, turned out to be a productive spot for photography during our 2016 visit to Florence. Florence is a popular and crowded place during the tourist season, but very early in the morning and late and night the crowds thin and it is possible to find empty and near-empty streets.

Imagine it is a very hot Italian evening. People are out walking in the narrow streets, stopping to get something to eat or drink, and sitting in the warm outdoor air. It is not deserted by any means, but things are slowing down and most streets, especially those away from the main points of tourist interest, are quiet. A cyclist emerges from around the curve and passes by, and it is quiet again.

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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

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

Contrada Sovrana Dell’ Istrice

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Contrada Sovrana Dell' Istrice
Doors, windows, and brick wall — Contrada Sovrana Dell’ , Istrice, Siena, Italy

Contrada Sovrana Dell’ Istrice. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Doors, windows, and brick wall — Contrada Sovrana Dell’ , Istrice, Siena, Italy.

We had only a single day in Siena during our nearly-two-week stay in Tuscany back in 2016, but it was plenty of time to convince me that i need to return. Central Siena is an amazing place — a literal maze of very narrow streets that ring a large central plaza, the site of the famous annual horse race pitting contestants representing the various districts of the city against one another.

This building is from the Contrade Sovrana Dell’ Istrice — essentially the “Sovereign District of the Porcupine.” As I understand it, each of the “districts” of Siena is named after an animal. Each district also has its own colors, which you’ll see everywhere as you walk through sections of the city.

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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