Tag Archives: italia

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

Morning Light, Venice

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Morning Light, Venice
Morning light on a canal and buildings in Venice, Italy.

Morning Light, Venice. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning light on a canal and buildings in Venice, Italy.

This week I began sharing landscape photographs from California once again, including recent work from a late-summer visit to areas just east of Yosemite. But I’m not done with the Europe photographs yet — not by a long shot! There will be more of the nature photography, but today I’m back in… Italy, Venice to be specific.

Venice is a complex place. It is city that is quite crowded with tourists, especially during the summer months when we visited. (It is possible to escape the worst of that by being selective about where you stay, where you go, and the times of day when you wander.) I was out in the morning on this day, and there were hardly any other people. There’s a lot going on in this little composition — a bridge and a boat, of course, but also a building showing the impact of rising water in this old city, and some surprising shapes on some of the walls. There is also some wonderful low-angle light that reminded me of what I find in the red rock canyon country 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: Architecture, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel

Firenze Duomo, Evening

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Firenze Duomo, Evening
The Duomo of Firenze/Florence, Italy in evening light.

Firenze Duomo, Evening. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

The Duomo of Firenze/Florence, Italy in evening light.

Florence, or Firenze in Italian, is a remarkable city full of remarkable places and artifacts. And, yes, it is also really crowded with tourists during the peak travel season… which is when we were there this summer. But still… it is one of those places that is amazing enough that it is worth braving those crowds. And, on occasion, the crowd can even be part of the fun. That’s how it turned out on this evening.

We wanted a longer, elevated view of the city, so we headed to the Piazzale Michelango, a sort of park perched on a hillside overlooking the Arno River and the central city, with views extending into the far distance. To be honest, we were not looking forward to the crowds, but we really wanted to see and photograph this view. When we arrived, there were so many people that it was a challenge to even find a place to stand. But gradually we figured out that it was a sort of grand party. Vendor were selling refreshments (including adult beverages) and food, musicians were playing, some guy was doing essentially improv theater in front of the crowd, the light was increasingly magical, and people began to sing as they watched the sunset.

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

Santo Spirito Toilet

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Santo Spirito Toilet
Two Florence doorways, one leading to the “Santo Spirito Toilet.”

Santo Spirito Toilet. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Two Florence doorways, one leading to the “Santo Spirito Toilet.”

To arrive in this area of Florence you could cross the Ponte Vecchio (or other convenient bridge across the Arno) and walk a few more blocks. It is still a busy area, but the further you get from the Arno the more the tourist traffic diminishes. It was certainly not gone in this spot, but it was not the crowded scene that you encounter north of the Arno in the old part of the city. We were exploring a small square when I noticed the strange and seemingly-unfortunate name of the doorway on the right…

I think the the area is known by the “Santo spirito” name because of a nearby church. Logically I can understand how that name ended up being applied to other features in the area. But “Santo Spirito Toilet?!” Since people here likely know that they are in the Santo Spirito are, perhaps it would have been sufficient to erect a sign that just said “toilet?” Ah, well, who am I to say?

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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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

Bike Rack and Wall

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Bike Rack and Wall
A bike rack in front of a wall covered with graffiti and street art, Bologna.

Bike Rack and Wall. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A bike rack in front of a wall covered with graffiti and street art, Bologna.

This photograph comes from a less-traveled (at least by tourists) back street in Bologna, Italy, in a neighborhood of narrow streets and walkways that seems like it might be where some of the locals actually live. There was, indeed, more street art and graffiti in this neighborhood, though this is perhaps an extreme example.

Several things drew me to this scene. Oddly, one of them was the connection between the light here and light that I have photographed in the narrow sandstone canyons of the American Southwest, where light bounces back and forth between reddish walls and acquires a warm softness. But the rest of the scene is, obviously, nothing like those natural landscape. a phalanx of bicycles crowds a wide rack, and the wall behind and above is plastered with a wild array of posters and graffiti.

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.