Castelluccio di Norcia
Category: Italy
Cortona
Arezzo
Ascoli Piceno
The central historical part of the city Ascoli Piceno (Marche Region, Itlay) with secular buildings in travertino.
Giglio Island
Photo tour of Giglio Island (Isola del Giglio) in Tuscan Archipelago (Italy).
Gear: Canon Eos 6D, Canon EF 11-24mm f/4 L USM, Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art and Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Lame Rosse and Fiastra lake
Lame Rosse is one of the most popular itineraries of the Sibillini mountains, along the wonderful Fiastra lake. This itinerary starts from the dam of the lake; After 1 hour walking, you will meet a little valley where the lame rosse rocks stand. Lame rosse are made of grit and clay and their particular shape is due to the erosion weathering. Have a look at the gallery of this magical itinerary.
Gear: Canon EOS 6D
The “ancient” Spoleto – Part #2
Second and last part of Spoleto photo gallery.
One of the most fascinating monuments of the city is the Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria dell’Assunta): at sunset, the colors are stunning and it is the best place for a romantic evening and dinner. This site is the location of the Festival dei due Mondi (Festival of the two worlds): since 1958, in June, is held this important event, dedicated to arts and music. It is famous worldwide, in the US the Spoleto Festival USA is scheduled every year as well.
Ponte delle Torri, a 13th-century aqueduct, possibly on Roman foundations.with its 230 ms. lenght, it is the real symbol of the city.
The magnificient Rocca Albornoziana fortress, it was built in the middle of the 14th-century for the Cardinal ALbornoz. The “Rocca” is made of 6 towers, dividing the fortress in two buildings: the Cortile delle Armi, for the troops, and the Cortile d’onore for the use of the governor. The latter courtyard is surrounded by a two-floor porch. Not to be miss: the Camera Pinta (“Painted Room”) with 15thcentury frescoes.
Gear: Canon EOS 6D
The “ancient” Spoleto – Part #1
Spoleto is a beautiful village in the Umbria Region, a country famous for its landscapes, the upper quality food (first of all the truffles, the most precious selctions are growing in these lands) and the magnificient monuments and architecture.
The town is a ancient city in the province of Perugia, a great example of the Roman civilization, still tangible in the many monuments for which the city is famous. Spoleto is the location of a record audience tv movie: “Don Matteo”, the story of a priest with the passion for investigation, which with his bicicle, runs all the city helping the local police fightining the crime. The fiction has a great success worldwide.
Not only arts and music, the city is a very popular destination for the tourists.
The Roman age is still present in the architecture of the city: the Roman theater has been mainly rebuilt, but it is still a spectacural seen. It is linked with the National Archaeological Museum, housed in the former monastery of Sant’Agata.
Gear: Canon EOS 6D
Grotte di Frasassi (Frasassi Caves)
A not-to-be missed tour: Grotte di Frasassi (Frasassi Caves).
The visit to the Grotte di Frasassi is a must when you are travelling in the Marche region: situated in the Genga area, in Ancona, the karst caves system is composed by different halls (the Abisso, the biggest one is 180 meters lenght, 120 meters large and 200 meters high), all of them featuring magnificient stalactites and stalagmites, beautiful natural sculptures that are karst stratification created by the 190 milion years of water work.
The caves were discovered in 1948 by a group of speleologists from Ancona; at the beginning of the tour, just entering in the complex, a real breath-taking sight hits your eyes: the Abyss Ancona is the biggest hall, probably the biggest cave in Europe and it was the first part of the complex discoverd by the speleologists.
The other underground rooms, 9 in total but only 5 of them can be visited, are as beatiful and spectacular as the first one: the Crystallized Lake, the Niagara, the Little Fairy’s Castle, the Giants, the 200 Hall, the Grand Canyon, the Ursa’s hall, the Neverending Hall.
Don’t miss to visit this amazing and natural spectacle.
Gear: Canon EOS 6D
Sant’Emidio alle Grotte (Temple of Sant’Emidio)
The Baroque church of Sant’Emidio in Ascoli Piceno consists of a travertine frontage which precedes three grottoes housing the saint’s sepulture and a necropolis with arcosolias were carved out of the living rock in catacombs.
It was built in 1721 by commission of bishop Giovanni Gambi, a relative of Pope Clement XI. The Bishop and Pope symbols are on the dome of the church.
Its name refers to Saint Emygdius (Emidius). According to legend, after having been beheaded in 309 near the current church of Sant’Emidio Rosso in Ascoli Piceno, the saint walked here with his head in his hands to be buried.
Gear: Canon EOS 6D
Canazei (Dolomites)
Dolomites landscapes in Canazei – Trentino region (Italy).
Gear: Canon EOS 6D, Canon EF 70-200mm F/2,8L IS II USM and Canon EF 16-35mm F/4L IS USM
Dolomites snow
Winter Dolomites landscapes in Trentino region (Italy).
Various gear.
Bologna
Wandering in Bologna, the medioeval capital of Emilia Romagna region in north of Italy.
In this photo gallery some shots taken around the old city with the distinctive lengthy porticoes: indeed, Bologna counts more than 53 kilometers of porticoes and worldwide there isn’t another city with this peculiarity.
Bologna is also famous for the oldest university, for its beautiful architecture and, of course, for the typical food.
The shots in this gallery represent some of the most important monuments of the city:
- The fountain of Neptune in the Neptune square
- The deconsacrated church of Santa Lucia, now the Great Hall of University
- The famous Mercanzia Square, the old city market
- The “finestrella”, a small window on the canal of the city
- A player of saxophone outside the house of the italian singer Lucio Dalla
- The courtyard of Archiginnasio Palace
- The two towers, icons of the city of Bologna, Asinelli and Garisenda towers
- Some cityscapes of Bologna taken from the top of the Asinelli tower
- The church of St. Domenico by night.
Variuos gear.
In Black and white – Gallery #1
A photo gallery of pictures in black and white taken around in Europe.
In this gallery:
The Pont Du Gard in France, the highest (50 mt.) Roman aqueduct.
The statue of Marquis De Sade in the Château de Lacoste (France).
Two pictures of Jaume Plensa’s sculpture. The Nomade (the biggest one) in harbour of Antibes, and one of the seven Figures, an installation in Place Massena in Nice (France), representing the seven continents.
Some shots in Netherlands and Bruges (Belgium).
A shot of a frozen day in Campitello di Fassa (Italy).
Various gear.
Pallotta Castle – Caldarola (Italy)
Caldarola is a small town in the Italian region Marche. The town includes the Castello Pallotta and the Pallotta Palace.
The castle is in remarkable condition both inside and out. It still contains the original paintings, furnishings, clothing, and early transportation vehicles, and also has a small private collection of medieval arms.
The castle is family owned and was lived in until comparatively recently so has warm feel.
Gear: Canon Eos 7D with Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM and Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM
Gae Aulenti square and surroundings – Part #2
The second part of photo gallery of beautiful Gae Aulenti square and all the new buildings of the modern city of Milano.
All shots of this gallery have been converted in black and white with a simulation of Kodak TRI-X 400 35mm film grain.
Gear: Canon EOS 6D
Gae Aulenti square and surroundings – Part #1
The modern and beautiful Gae Aulenti square, opened in December 2012, is located in front of Garibaldi station and next to Corso Como, famous place of Milan’s nightlife.
The square was designed by the Argentine architect Cesar Pelli for the AECOM, and is dedicated to the italian architect and designer Gae Aulenti, architect of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
Nearby the Gae Aulenti square there are other beautiful modern buildings.
The Unicredit Tower, the ultramodern skyscraper occupied by the Italian bank Unicredit, wich dominates the square.
The towers named “Bosco Verticale” designed by italian architect Stefano Boeri, with a height of 110 meters and 76 meters, that will host more than 900 trees.
You can see also, in this photo gallery, the palace of the Lombardy Regional Council, the Diamond Tower, the Pirelli Tower and all the new buildings of the modern city of Milan.
All shots of this gallery have been converted in black and white with a simulation of Kodak TRI-X 400 35mm film grain.
Gear: Canon EOS 6D
Plose (Dolomites)
The Plose is a mountain in Dolomites area in South Tyrol (Italy), at 2.562 mt.
Gear: Canon EOS 6D
Hell’s gorge and hermatage of St. Leonardo
The Hell’s gorge, in italian “Gole dell’Infernaccio” in the Marche region (Italy) earned their name in the days when this was one of the few routes through the Apennine mountains between Adriatic coast and Rome.
With long steep-sided gorges and wild mountains around, it was famous for brigands waiting to ambush travellers.
Today it’s a beautiful, peaceful and easy walk through deep wooded ravines, alongside a stream with wildflowers and dragonflies, which opens finally into cattle pastures leading up to the Passo Cattivo (Evil Pass).
There is an optional pathway to a small church, the hermatage of St. Leonardo (eremo di San Leonardo).
The church was built almost single handed by a monk named Padre Pietro, well-known as “The bricklayer of God”, who began the work in 1971.
He lived up there in total solitude, and unfortunately, Padre Pietro is deceased on august the 9th of 2015, at 88 year old.
Gear: Canon EOS 6D
Positano – Part #2
This is the second (and last) photo gallery of the picturesque village of Positano on the famous Amalfi Coast in Campania, Italy.
Here the first part of photo gallery.
Gear: Canon Eos 1000D with Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM, Canon EOS 6D
Arquà Petrarca (House of poet Petrarch)
Arquà Petrarca is a small medieval town in Veneto region (Italy). The name derives as an homage to the poet Francesco Petrarca who spent there the last five years of his life, until 1374.
The town is part of the club “The most beautiful villages in Italy” and you can enjoy this small village, especially his beautiful church, the medioeval buildings and, of course, the house of poet Francesco Petrarca.
Gear: Canon Eos 7D with Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM and Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM
Positano – Part #1
Positano is a small picturesque village on the famous Amalfi Coast in Campania, Italy.
Seen from the sea, Positano is set in a vertical panorama of colors in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast.
Gear: Canon Eos 1000D with Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM, Canon EOS 6D
Torre di Palme
The medieval village of Torre di Palme is one of the most interesting of the Marche region, in Italy.
It’s well preserved and distinguished by the uniformity of the buildings and the attention to detail.
You can enjoy also a beautiful view of the Adriatic Sea from the large terrace of Belvedere.
Gear: Canon EOS 6D, Canon EF 16-35mm F/4L IS USM and Canon EF 70-200mm F/2,8L IS II USM
Frecce Tricolori (At Air show 2015)
Photo gallery of the Frecce Tricolori’s exhibition at Air Show del Fermano 2015 in september 13th 2015.
The Frecce Tricolori is the aerobatic demonstration team of the Italian Aeronautica Militare, best-known for their spectacular flying skill.
The team’s official name is: “313° Gruppo Addestramento Acrobatico, Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale (PAN) Frecce Tricolori” and in addition to representing Italy and the Armed Forces in national and international air shows, is also a fully operational unit of the Italian Air Force. Exactly like all the other flight units, its navigation crew are always appropriately trained to plan, and if necessary, carry out flight operations.
The team flies the Aermacchi MB-339-A/PAN, a two-seat fighter-trainer craft capable of 900 km/h at sea level.
Gear: Canon EOS 6D and Canon EF 70-200mm F/2,8L IS II USM with Canon Extender 2x III
Sanctuary of San Luca – Bologna
The Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca in Bologna is a Basilica church sited atop of Monte della Guardia, in a forested hill some 300 meters above the plain, just south-west of the historical center of Bologna.
It is easily spotted from afar as one nears Bologna.
Sanctuary is connected to the city walls by the world’s longest monumental portico (the Portico of San Luca), held aloft by 666 arches, beginning at Piazza di Porta Saragozza.
Gear: Canon Eos 1000D and Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM
Vieste
Vieste is beautiful a town in the Puglia (Apulia) region of Italy and it is included in the Gargano National Park.
Main attractions in Vieste are, of course, the two large beaches at two sides of town, but also a castle on top of the town, with a triangular shape and bastions at its vertexes, the cathedral in Apulian Romanesque style and the Lighthouse, built in 1867.
Gear: Canon Eos 40D, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II and Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM
Bosa – Sardinia
Bosa is one of a most attractive towns in Sardinia island, in Italy, with an urban character that has differentiated it from other locations in Sardinia.
It’s on the north bank of the Temo River, with rainbow townscape of pastel houses stacked on a steep hillside, tapering up to a stark, grey castle.
Gear: Canon Eos 6D with Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM and Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM II
Sori (Liguria)
A small gallery of some HDR photos and long exposures taken in Sori.
Sori is a beatiful city in the Italian region Liguria and part of the so-called Golfo Paradiso (Paradise gulf) in the Riviera di Levante.
Gear: Canon Eos 7D, Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM, Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM and Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L USM
Elba island (Italy)
Elba is the third largest island in Italy after Sardinia and Sicily, but with eight other islands, including Giglio, Giannutri and Montecristo, Elba it is part of the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago that is the largest marine park in Europe.
The island of Elba is famous around the world for harboring French Emperor Napoleon in 1814 during his exile, but Elba is also famous for the awesome beaches around the island.
Gear: Canon Eos 1000D and kit lens EF-S 18-55 and EF-S 70-300.
La Pelosa Beach – Stintino (Sardinia)
Seascapes of La Pelosa beach of Stintino in north Sardinia. Photos (some HDR) are taken all along the day until the sunset and in late night hour.
Gear: Canon Eos 6D and Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM
