Tag Archives: columns

Columns and Ceiling, Sagrada Familia

Columns and Ceiling, Sagrada Familia
“Columns and Ceiling, Sagrada Familia” — Wide-angle view of interior columns and ceiling, Sagrada Familia, Barcelona.

Many have seen photographs of the exterior of Barcelona’s Sagrada Família, the basilica based on Gaudi’s architectural designs. After visiting, I realized that we may be less familiar with the building’s remarkable interior — perhaps this is because it is easy to photograph the outside but much less simple to photograph inside. The scale of the interior is gigantic, with huge columns leading to a vault high above. It is very complex and busy, with details everywhere — but in some ways not like those in older cathedrals.

Many of the forms are based on organic models. (It is said that there are almost no straight lines here at all.) You can see some of them in this photograph — the columns that evoke tree trunks, the floral shapes, foliage, and more. (This wide angle view produces an additional and perhaps unintended association — the spine and rib cage.) In many places the building is full of vibrant colors from light coning through stained glass. But in this particular area, the colors are more subdued, though they span a range form the warm colors in the distance to the cool, slightly blue tones of the upper columns.


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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Bologna Porticos

Boilogna Porticos
“Bologna Porticos” Bologna porticos, covered in graffiti and glowing with reflected light.

Last summer we spent a few days in Bologna, Italy. It was August, the peak of the hot season, and as a result we could certainly see (and feel!) the benefits of the old city’s porticos. Here, as property owners extended the upper floors outward into the streets, they constructed these porticos over sidewalks, supported by columns. This is not the only place you can find them, but they are very numerous in Bologna.

Another notable feature of this scene is the graffiti. I’m generally not a graffiti fan, but it seems to be part of the scene in this area of Bologna. We saw it the first time we visited some years back, and it was still the case in 2023.


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

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Interior, Duomo di Siena

Interior, Duomo di Siena
“Interior, Duomo di Siena” — An elevated view of the of the interior of the Duomo di Siena.

When we travel we prefer finding our own way over relying on guided travel. In our experience, a big part of the value of travel comes from things like feeling somewhat out of your element, encountering unanticipated things and events, and even just devoting some time to wandering. However, there are times and places when paying for guided access can get you to place that are otherwise inaccessible. That’s how we ended up on a guided tour of Siena’s Duomo, one that took us high up into the upper reaches of this remarkable structure.

I made the photograph on this tour. As we crossed over from one side of the roof area to the other we passed a portal into the cathedral, and it provided a remarkable perspective on the interior and, far below, the floor of the duomo. (One other advantage of this tour? It started well before the crowds arrived.)


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

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Couple at Windows, Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site

Couple at Windows, Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site
“Couple at Windows, Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site” — A couple stands at the windows on an upper floor of the main building at the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site, Barcelona.

I can be a somewhat naive traveler, though I think that embracing this can actually enhance the travel experience. Knowing too much ahead of time can lessen the impact of things and can even interfere with the possibility of spontaneous surprises that are some of the best travel moments. With that in mind, while we knew that we wanted to visit the Gaudi sites (Sagrada Família, etc.) in Barcelona, we were not as aware of other remarkable architectural sites, including several that also featured art nouveau design. This location, the former grounds of a hospital, was remarkable and surprising.

The grounds feature a large number of buildings in various states of restoration, ranging from some that are fully updated to a few where most of the work is yet to be done. But taken as a whole, the site is amazing. I’ll share more photos going forward. In this photograph, a couple looks through the windows on an upper floor of the main entry building, with a view toward the interior spaces of the property.


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 | PostEmail

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.