Tag Archives: orvieto

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

Orvieto Rooftops

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Orvieto Rooftops
Stone and tile buildings of Orvieto, Italy.

Orvieto Rooftops. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Stone and tile buildings of Orvieto, Italy.

Our 2023 European travels took us mostly (with only a few day’s worth of exceptions) to the southern part of the continent. We spent a lot of time in Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Croatia… and also visited Kosovo and briefly passed through places including Austria, Hungary, Serbia, and Montenegro. Along the way we did visit some of the very popular places, those that are predictably crowded during the summer tourist season. But we also managed to spend time in some slightly less-visited places, among them a couple of smaller towns in Italy.

One of these was the “hilltop town” of Orvieto in Umbria. It would not be accurate to suggest that this is a place without tourists. In fact, it is a very popular destination for daytime visits from other nearby locations. But we stayed there for a couple of nights and saw a different aspect of the place. In the mornings and after day-trippers depart in the late afternoon it is much quieter and far less crowded. In fact, it turned out to be one of our favorite places of the entire trip.

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: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Travel

Tree and Wall

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Tree and Wall
A tree grows against a textured and weathered wall in Orvieto, Italy.

Tree and Wall. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A tree grows against a textured and weathered wall in Orvieto, Italy.

Although I don’t think of myself as _just_ a “nature photographer,” my roots are in that sort of photography. Even when I’m focused more on street photography or travel photography, I am still drawn to nature subjects. In fact, sometimes I find them almost more compelling set against the urban landscape — partly because seeing them there reaffirms their significance to us a humans and partly because of how these things relate to that urban world.

I photographed this tree in Orvieto, Italy. While the tree is “natural,” its setting is anything but. It grows right up against this weathered and distressed wall in a narrow walkway between tall buildings. Direct sunlight only penetrates do the bottom of this urban canyon briefly, and the rest of the time the scene is in shade. (As with so many of these cityscapes of narrow streets, I am reminded of photographing in the red rock canyons of the American Southwest.)

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: Italy, Photographs: Travel

Torre Del Moro Stairs

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Torre Del Moro Stairs
Stairway ascending to the top of the Torre del Moro, Orieto, Italy.

Torre Del Moro Stairs. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Stairway ascending to the top of the Torre del Moro, Orieto, 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.

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: 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.