Tag Archives: city

Trattorria Pennello

Trattorria Pennello
Tuscan sun on the front of Trattoria Pennello, Florence, Italy.

Trattorria Pennello. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Tuscan sun on the front of Trattoria Pennello, Florence, Italy.

As a dedicated fan of weathered surfaces, angular shapes, textures, and interesting color combinations… there is no shortage of photographic targets in Italy. Although this photograph comes from busy Florence/Firenze, with a bit of patience and good luck I was able to photograph this little scene without people.

The light is also special here. At times it can be soft-edged, especially if the humidity is high and/or there are some clouds. But in the middle of the day there can also be an appealing sharp-edged quality, too, that accentuates the textures and shadows.


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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Early Evening, Florence

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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Door Knocker

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 | FacebookEmail

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.

Street Scene

Street Scene
A busy conjunction of characters on a Manhattan street.

Street Scene. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A busy conjunction of characters on a Manhattan street.

Photos are temporarily being shared without additional commentary. Watch for commentary to resume in late summer.


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 | FacebookEmail

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

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)


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