Tag Archives: orvieto

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

Narrow Street, Orvieto

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Narrow Street, Orvieto
“Narrow Street, Orvieto” — A narrow, deserted street in Orvieto, Italy.

The scene could be in almost any of hundreds of Italian towns, from tiny villages to big cities. These old avenues were built before automobiles existed and, apparently, before modern urban grid design separated everything into rigid squares and rectangles. This scene is in Orvieto, and here the street gently winds to the left. Tall buildings and narrow streets make for a lot of shade, something appreciated during hot Italian summers.

Big sections of Orvieto, a hill town close enough to Rome to attract day trippers, include these very old buildings and streets. We loved the town when we visited a couple of summers ago, and we spent a lot of time just wandering and absorbing the ambience of the place.

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

Buildings and Walkway, Orvieto

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Buildings and Walkway, Orvieto
“Buildings and Walkway, Orvieto” — Old buildings and a walkway in Orvieto, Italy

I have previously described our approach to travel, but this is an example of how it can pay off. While we have no objection to them, we don’t take “tours.” Instead we head out on our own, and we love to walk in the places we visit, often with no particular goal in mind. In truth, we sometimes do miss some famous sites and sights, but we also see lots of things that aren’t on the tour agendas. Ending up at this quiet spot in Orvieto is an example of how this works.

Orvieto is an Italian “hill town,” situated on the top of a large plateau surrounding by very steep slopes and even cliffs in some places. It is on the day trip itinerary for visitors from Rome, but we stayed there a ew days. That meant that we weren’t under pressure to dash around and see things. (It also meant we enjoyed fewer crowds in the morning and evening.) One afternoon we arrived at this spot on one of our walks and we were almost the only people there. A small garden and walkway led to an overlook that provided a panoramic view of the country below the town.

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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Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Four Mailboxes

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Four Mailboxes
“Four Mailboxes” — Four old metal mailboxes on a weathered wall in Orvieto, Italy.

When we travel we do seek out some of the famous, must-see places and things — castles, cathedrals, geological features, markets, and all the rest. But we also like to engage in a certain amount of random wandering when we can. In some ways this gives me a better sense of the character of a place than I would get by checking off all of the Big Important Things. (Don’t get me wrong. Many of those are important with good reason and are well worth visiting.) I made this photograph on one of these wandering days.

We often start out with a very general goal or idea in mind, but what we do along the way is often fairly unplanned. That was the case on this day in Orvieto, a lovely Italian hill town. Being constrained by its location on the relatively flat top of a hill, the place isn’t huge, and you can cover most of it easily on foot. So we were out walking, poking our heads into narrow alleys, looking for interesting buildings, and photographing any little bits of local character we found.

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 | Post | Email

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

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

Artigiano in Orvieto

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Artigiano in Orvieto
“Artigiano in Orvieto” — Il Mago di Oz, a spectacular and spectacularly unique shop on a side street in Orvieto, Italy.

We had heard about this shop/experience before we arrived in Orvieto, but I think it might have slipped our minds. But as we wandered around some back streets, there it was. Unfortunately, “Oz” was closed when we passed by, so I had to content myself with looking through the window.

It seems to me that these little shops, where someone indulges their particular fantasy without limits, are common in European towns. We knew of one in Heidelberg — maybe more than one — and I’ve seen and photographed a few others in different cities. It is hard to say exactly when a proprietor’s personal obsessions go beyond mere eccentric interest and to another place entirely, but I think this one “goes there.”

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 | Post | Email

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

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