Another view from the Palatine gardens across Rome, on a sunny April day. I was pleased with the colours, the pink and hints of yellow and the green and terracotta.
I have a series I took inside the Basilica, Vatican City, at low light without a flash, something that I struggle to do well. This is one of the better shots (newspublic.com asked to use it on an article) and I am pleased that I got a lot of detail, I like the angle, I like the roof and the way I got the dome. I need to practise more though, as I am too slow to get the right speed and light when strolling around.
Taken in the Palatine Gardens in Rome; the brown wall is part of the palace of Augustine and the distant hill is another of the hills of Rome - i liked the rural feel, perhps more like the view originally had from this sopt. The bustling heart of the Capitol has disappeared.
Ponte Vecchio, the oldest of Florence's six bridges, is one of the city's best known images. Probably going back to Roman times with its stone pillars and wooden planks; it was built in stone but then newly destroyed by a flood in 1333. It was built again twelve years later, perhaps by Neri da Fioravante (or Taddeo Gaddi, according to Giorgio Vasari).
The five arches became three and the main part was widened. The shops, housed under the porticos, first belonged to the Commune which then rented them out. But later on, towards the 15th century, they were sold to private owners and began to change through subsequent additions, raised parts and external terraces, extending towards the river and altering the original architecture in an anarchical, suggestive way.
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In the gardens of Axel Munthe's house in Capri - stately tulips in rich colours. I don't like tulips as a general role; a month picking tulip bulbs in Holland cured me of any love for the bulbous topped flower but these were so beautiful and the day so bright and sunny I couldn't resist.
One of the pieces on display in the Colosseum, the details and figures have burred and worn ofer the years but they are still an extraordinary work of art.
Full moon in Sorrento, as we stood on the balcony of our hotel. Taken with telephoto lens, it was an experiement in trying to balance the blooming thing :) while taking shots and I have learned that I need a tripod, urgently! But I was pleased with this shot as it captured the eerie light, the luminescent moon and the outline of the landscape beneath.
We had an hour and a half befor our train, so after grabbing a bite of pasta in a nearby café the husband insisted we hop a taxi and go see the Leaning Tower. I was anxious about missing the train, but in the end, so incredibly glad we went. The guide book described it as freakishly beautiful and I really cannot best that description. The day was bright and blustery, there were a lot of tourists but not overwhelming numbers and the area around the Tower is also well worth a look.
