Cortona
Category: Architecture
Arezzo
Ascoli Piceno
The central historical part of the city Ascoli Piceno (Marche Region, Itlay) with secular buildings in travertino.
Glendalough
Glendalough (County Wicklow -Ireland) is a remarkable and scenic place with rich history and archaeology.
In this gallery the Monastic City with the Round Tower, the Cathedral and the remains of several Churchs of the 10th-13th century AD.
Gear: Canon Eos 5D Mark IV – Canon EF 11-24mm F/4L USM and Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
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
Cuenca
Cuenca: a journey in Spain, searching for great emotions
Cuenca is a tiny village in the Castilla-La Mancha Region, a site almost famous for “El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha”, the book narrating the adventures of a horseman tilting at windmills, that are copious in this area.
The old village, declaired Unesco World Heritage, is castled on a steep mountain; at the top, you will be lost in amezement, looking at the unique Casas Colgadas, “suspended houses” built in the XIV century which are clinging to the rock and supported by wooden beams.
The village is almost colored and full of history: because of the presence of the Bishop, there are many important buildings and monuments to look to: the Bishop Palace, the Cathedral of St. Maria and St. Julian, the Alcazar (the castle) and the ancient tower, symbols of the arabic presence in the town.
Gear: Canon Eos 1000D, Canon EF-S 18-55 and Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Haarlem and The Hague (Den Haag)
Photo gallery of cities of Haarlem and The Hague (Den Haag) in Netherlands.
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
Old and modern architecture in Copenaghen (Part #2)
The second and last part of Copenaghen city architecture photo gallery. As in the first part of gallery, I’ve blended together old buildings with modern buildings photos, palaces that you can admire walking in this beautiful city. Read More
London in 3 days – #day3
The 3rd and last day of London trip.
In this photo gallery: the House of Parliament with the Big Ben tower, the Tower of London, some cityscape views from the London Eye and some typical spots of London.
Curiosity. The Travel Book Co., original location of The Notting Hill film with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, is now a souvenirs shop (The Nottin’ Hill), but the original interior are now inside The Notting Hill Bookshop, in the same street.
The other galleries:
Gear: Canon EOS 6D, Canon EF 50mm F/1.2L USM, Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM and Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L USM II
London in 3 days – #day2
The second day of London trip. In this gallery some typical places and classic London’s icons.
Gear: Canon EOS 6D
London in 3 days – #day1
First part of a three days trip in London.
In this photo gallery some of most interesting sites on the Queen ‘s Walk: the famous Tower Bridge and the Shakespeare’s Globe, the reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, the William Shakespeare’s theatre. Read More
Spots of Spain in black and white
A small photo gallery of peculiar spot in Spain, in black and white.
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.
Santorini Trip – Part#1
New photo gallery of beautiful greek island Santorini.
All galleries of Santorini here.
Gear: Canon Eos 6D, Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM, Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM and Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM
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
Wandering in Brussels
Wander the city of Brussels it’s really an experience.
Brussels is the capital of Belgium, but playing an important role in Europe, may be considered as the capital of the European Union: Brussels fits the definition of “melting pot”, but still retains its own unique character.
In this gallery I’ve report some of the most interesting attractives of Brussels.
The beautiful Grand Place (Grote Markt in Flemish) with its main buildings, the Mason du Roi and the Gotic Hotel de Ville, with the Tour Inimitable.
Some shots of the Atomium, one of the most popular building in Brussels, with the shape of a cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. In one of this shots you can see an tightrope walker on the top of Atomium at 102 mt!
If you like beer I still recommend the well-known Delirium cafè: it is recorded in the The Guinness Book of Records for standing at 2000 different brands of beer.
Brussels is also the paradise for the chocolate lovers, so, you can found chocolate shops throughout the city.
Another great attraction of Brussels is the Comic Strip Center Museum: the city is known as the Capital of comics. You can found here other two galleries:
Comic Strip Center Museum and Brussels Capital of comics of Brussels.
Gear: Canon EOS 6D
Achilleion – Princess Sissi’s Palace
Achilleion Palace was built in Gastouri, Corfu, in 1890 by Empress of Austria Elisabeth of Bavaria, also known as Princess Sissi, and was her favourite vacation place.
The story of Achilles became an obsession of the Princess Elizabeth, so the palace was designed with the mythical hero Achilles as its central theme. There are many statues of Achilles around the grounds and paintings of him inside the house. The most impressive statue is the Dying of Achilles, a colossal bronze work that dominates the far end of the gardens.
During the First and Second World War the palace was abandoned and used as hospital and school. Today, after years of rebuilding, the palace is finally restored to its former beauty.
For the cinemaddicts: the Achilleion having been used as a location for the James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only.
Gear: Canon EOS 6D, Canon EF 16-35mm F/4L IS USM
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
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
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
Freetown Christiania – Copenaghen
Christiania is a unique place to visit in the borough of Christianshavn in Copenaghen (Denmark), known for its autonomous inhabitants’ different way of life.
It was established in 1971 by a group of hippies who occupied some abandoned military barracks and developed their own set of society rules, completely independent of the Danish government.
They claimed the area as a free city, free of taxes and run by their own laws. It is still a society within a society, for an example you cannot buy a house in Christiania.
Around 1000 people permanently living in Christiania, and its constructions exemplifying modern “architecture without architects”.
Visitors are welcome in Christiania and to eat and drink in the area’s cafés, restaurants and bars, but it’ no safety take photographs in Christiania, especially in the area around Pusher Street, so, this is the reason because there are not people in this photo gallery.
In Pusher Street hash and skunk weed were sold openly from permanent stands until 2004. The hash commerce is controversial, but legalization of cannabis is one of the ideas of many of the citizens in Christiania.
Gear: Canon EOS 6D
Rotterdam (Netherlands)
Rotterdam is a very interesting city to visit in Netherlands for several reasons: architecture, history, museums, culture.
Rotterdam has the largest cargo port in Europe, is the city of the famous Erasmus of Rotterdam, and was voted 2015 European City of the Year by the Academy of Urbanism.
At difference of the others cities in Netherlands nowadays preserving the old typical houses and architecture, the heart of Rotterdam was almost completely destroyed by the German Luftwaffe during World War II (the Rotterdam Blitz), so, the city was gradually rebuilt between the 1950s to the 1970s developing an active architectural policy. Daring and new styles of apartments, office buildings and recreation facilities resulted in a more ‘livable’ city centre with a new and modern skyline.
Wandering into the city is very interesting to admire the skyline of Rotterdam, but also interesting are the open-air Maritime Museum along the banks, and the old harbour, nice piece of history of Rotterdam.
Other remarkable attractions in Rotterdam are the Erasmusbrug (also called ‘The Swan”) and, of course, the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. This is one of the best art museums I’ve visited, and not because it has one of the mine favourites paint, the “Little” Tower of Babel, by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, but it has a comprehensive collection of Flemish art and also classical and modern art: Hieronymus Bosch, Rembrandt, Monet, Kandinsky, van Gogh, Cattelan, Cézanne, Magritte, Dalí, Edvard Munch.
Gear: Canon Eos 6D, Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM and Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM.
Corte – Corsica
Corte is a beautiful old town in the middle of the island of Corsica (France), built at confluence of the Restonica and Tavignana rivers, and enhanced by the mountain scenery that surrounds it.
Corte was once the capital of Corsica, and the city does still hold quite a grandiose air about it. In recent years Corte was in decline, but since the reopening of the city’s university in the ’80s it has gained hundreds of foreign students (lured in by its growing academic reputation) in a total population of less than 7,000, and helps ensure the town is lively for most of the year, with a cosmopolitan air, cafés and bars.
The most interesting monument in Corte is, of course, the fortress called The Citadel, built in 1419, with the Museum of Corsica.
Corte has two main squares. Place Gaffory, dedicated to protecteur de la Nation corse Jean-Pierre Gaffory, with the walls of nearby houses pock-marked with bullet holes, reputedly from Corsica’s war of independence, and Place Paoli, with the statue of Pascal Paoli, that is generally considered the founder of modern Corsica, having introduced democracy to the nation in the 18th century.
Corte was also the birthplace of Joseph Bonaparte, the eldest brother of the French Emperor Napoleon I, who made him King of Naples and Spain.
Gear: Canon Eos 6D and Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM
Corfu old town – Kerkyra
A photogallery of shots taken wandering in Corfu old town (Kerkyra) on the Island of Corfu.
The city has become known as a Kastropolis (Castle City) because of its two castles: New castle and Old Fortress. Old city is also UNESCO World Heritage since 2007.
The layout of the old town resembles that of Venice, with tall buildings and a maze of narrow streets and small piazzas around churches.
Wandering in this labyrinth of narrow streets paved with cobblestones, sometimes tortuous but mostly pleasant, colourful and sparkling clean, may be found some houses of the Venetian time, and British Neoclassical housing of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
These small streets are called “kantounia” and the older ones sometimes follow the gentle irregularities of the ground while many of them are too narrow for vehicular traffic.
Interesting the architecture of historic Liston street in old town that has been copied from the Rivoli Street in Paris.
Gear: Canon Eos 6D, Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM and Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM
