Tag Archives: tuscany

Hotel, Narrow Street

Hotel, Narrow Street
A hotel sign above a narrow Florence street at night

Hotel, Narrow Street. Florence/Firenze, Italy. August 28, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

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.


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.
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Stone Walls, Midday Light

Stone Walls, Midday Light
Bright midday light on a narrow street at Castello di Ama, Italy

Stone Walls, Midday Light. Tuscany, Italy. August 22, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

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.


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.
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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Badia di Passignano

Badia di Passignano
Vineyards near the Badia di Passignano abbey

Badia di Passignano. Chianti Region, Italy. August 25, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Vineyards near the Badia di Passignano abbey

A few days ago we briefly left the mountainous country where we’ve been staying in the Chianti region of Italy and we made the drive down to Siena. (Siena is a marvelous place, and I hope to post photographs and some text about that visit later on.) We went there on paved country roads that passed through lots of rural areas, but we decided to head back north by way for the “freeway.” That being a bit too California-like, we left the main road and headed east into the hills.

Eventually the route arrived at open terrain and narrowed — the road passed between old stone walls here — and approached this remarkably-situationed old abbey, sitting along on a shallow ridge and surrounded by vineyards. The late afternoon sun and atmosphere produced a bit of haze as I photographed across the vineyards and back toward the structure.


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.
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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Vineyards Below Radda

Vineyards Below Radda
Evening light and shadows on vineyards belown Radda in Chianti

Vineyards Below Radda. Radda in Chianti, Italy. August 23, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Evening light and shadows on vineyards below Radda in Chianti

We have now visited this small town several times. The first time we passed through on our way to another place, barely giving it a glance. (I know, that is hard to believe.) Then on the return drive we came back through it and noticed the remarkable location atop a mountain ridge, with buildings alongside the narrow road and stretching off in either direction. Then we returned for dinner, arriving early enough to take a bit of time exploring the village, which turned out to be a bit larger than we had imagined.

On this dinner visit we came into town a little before 7:00 PM, and since dinner wasn’t scheduled until 7:30 we had some time to wander. After walking up and down some of the narrow streets — barely wide enough for a single small car in many places and few cars go there — I found a walk along the edge of the ridge overlooking the valley to the west and facing into the beautiful evening light. Far in the distance (and not seen in this photograph) were tree-covered hills stretching off toward very distant mountains. Below were vineyards and olive orchards, with the gentle gold-hour light passing from left to right and beginning to darken the shadows.


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.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | FacebookGoogle+ | LinkedIn | Email


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.