Sometimes there really isn’t a lot to write about a photograph.
This is one of those times.
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 and Amazon.
During our too-short visit to Florence last summer — about three days at the very end of five weeks of travel — we spent a lot of time wandering the very narrow street “canyon” of the city. I fell in love with the place, especially its architecture and its photographic potential. I photographed from early morning on into the night almost the entire time we were there. Can I go back yet?
In a city of narrow streets, the Via dei Girolami stands out. There are narrower passageways, but whole sections of this street pass beneath buildings, supported by arching structures. As with so many things during our visit, especially since I prefer to not research too much ahead of time, we “discovered” this street by taking an unintended detour. The first time we began near the Ponte Vecchio, but the second — when I made this photograph — we walked through from the other direction.
A hotel sign above a narrow Florence street at night
Out for an afternoon walk on our last full day in Florence, Italy last summer, we kept walking as night arrived. We only had a few days here at the very end of a long trip, so we were trying to make the most of a short stay. Our hotel was in the old section of the Florence, so we could walk out the front door onto one of the very narrow old streets and head off in any direction and find interesting things.
At this point, nearly a half-year later, I can’t remember precisely where I made this photograph, though it may have been roughly in the neighborhood between our hotel and Duomo. There were a lot of people out walking on this warm evening, and many other photographs of this street included pedestrians and cyclists, but I think I ended up liking this deserted view with the street winding past the backwards “hotel” sign and then curving out of view.
Bright midday light on a narrow street at Castello di Ama, Italy
The Chianti region is, of course, full of vineyards and olive orchards and of wineries and producers of olive oil. There are vineyards everywhere — in the valleys, draped across the hillsides, and even on the tops of ridges. All of this is in a region full of historical structures, often centered around very old castles and churches and small villages.
One day we decide to visit this small place, a former village now (or so it seems) owned by the people who operate the surrounding vineyards. The little town, with its stone buildings and very narrow streets remains.
Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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