Tag Archives: architecture

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Portugal, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Balconies, Ribeira

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Balconies, Ribeira
Complex patterns of balconies, doors, windows and walls in the Ribeira District, Porto.

Balconies, Ribeira. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Complex patterns of balconies, doors, windows and walls in the Ribeira District, Porto.

This little scene comes from the Ribeira District of Porto, Portugal. This very old area is on the steep slopes leading down to the banks of the Duoro River, which passes through the city and has long been a route for shipping. Because it is in this steep area and because it is very old, the narrow and twisting streets can be difficult to navigate… but also extremely intriguing, despite the number of tourists who flock to the area these days.

This vignette includes the balconies of some buildings that I first spotted at the end of a (rare!) straight section of a narrow walkway. (I have another photograph showing that perspective.) The scene is full of little details, and it is illuminated by the soft, reflected light that manages to make it to the bottom of this urban canyon — something that reminded me a bit of photographing in the red rock canyons of Utah.

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

Torre Del Moro Stairs

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Torre Del Moro Stairs
“Torre Del Moro Stairs” — Stairway ascending to the top of the Torre del Moro, Orvieto, Italy.

Yes, I know that photographs of winding staircases are a bit of cliche… but I CLIMBED these stairs, so I earned this picture! This is the inside of the Torre del Moro in Orvieto, a beautiful old tower more or less in the center of the town. We were in the midway through our romance with towers (see the next paragraph) when we climbed this one. We briefly debated whether or not to do it, but the description said there was an elevator to get us past the first 170 steps. It wasn’t working. But the view from the top (along with the rather close-up sound of the bells!) was spectacular.

I photographed this scene as we descended. I suppose a smarter photographer would have taken advantage of the excuse to pause during the ascent… but then it might have been hard to hold the camera steady as the heart pounded! We climbed a fair number of these towers during our trip, especially during the first half. The first was along the coast of Spain — the “tower of Hercules.” After that we ascended them in a number of other places. But eventually… the lure of yet another tower began to diminish and we tended to enjoy new cities from street level.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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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.

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

Door Knocker

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Door Knocker
Door knocker, Siena, Italy

Door knocker. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Door knocker, Siena, Italy

We had been to Siena once before — on a very quick day trip from the Chianti hills. Our time there was, literally, only hours. My recollection is that we parked, walked in from the west, headed to and then past Il Campo, briefly visited the front of the main cathedral, grabbed a bite to eat… and left. It was just enough to leave us very intrigued by what we saw and determined to go back and spend more time. On this 2023 visit we finally were able to do that, staying in the city long enough to explore.

There are lots of intriguing details in Siena, even by comparison to other places in Italy that share this attribute. I just happened to notice this door knocker — one of two on a matched pair of doors — as we walked up a narrow street. The figure is impressive, but almost seems more likely to scare away visitors than to encourage them to knock!

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.