Italy

My Photography (73) — Il Duomo, Firenze, Italy, 2019

January 10, 2020 · 15:40

The view from Palazzo Vechhio is truly stunning. It is unfortunately closed on rainy days but well worth standing in line and then walking up all those steps. Another great vantage point is Piazzale Michelangelo on the other side of the river.

Shot with Sony A7R II + Zeiss ZF 100 mm f/2 Makro-Planer T*: f/8, 1/250 s, ISO 100.

Earthquake in Florence, Italy →

December 9, 2019 · 09:30

Reuters:

An earthquake hit north of Florence on Monday morning and led to trains across the country being canceled or severely delayed, including those on the national high speed line.

The tremor hit Italy’s central Apennine mountains at 3.30 a.m. (0230 GMT) with a magnitude of 4.8, the U.S Geological Survey said. There are no reports of casualties, the fire brigade said.

It woke me up and I sleep as hard as a rock. When my wife asked me what’s happening, I said that it’s either an earthquake, or our apartment building is collapsing, after which I rolled over on my other side and went back to sleep (it’s not as if there was anything I could do). Luckily, our building didn’t collapse and there don’t seem to be any damages to anything in the city itself.

Update

My wife just told me it wasn’t the earthquake that woke me but her, since I was snoring and she wanted me to turn over. And that was when the earthquake hit. Possible and maybe even probable but I’m sticking with my version.

Shot with iPhone 11 Pro @ 26 mm: f/1.8, 1/4464s, ISO 32.

My Photography (57) — Admiring the Sunset, Pizzo, Italy, 2017

December 3, 2018 · 11:10

We had just had something to eat and were getting ready to leave the beautiful city of Pizzo in the south of Italy, when we decided to go take a last look at the sunset before setting off for the airport. I had already stowed away my “big” camera and since there was a chilly wind, I did not want to bother going back to the car to get it. I did have my iPhone X on me though…

There was just something about the geometry, depth, gradients, and shadows that spoke to me — I really love this shot.

Shot with iPhone X @ 28 mm: f/1.8, 1/153 s, ISO 20.

Take a look at what the person below saw →

My Photography (53) — Another Look at a Rainy Scilla, Italy, 2017

September 28, 2018 · 13:11

Scilla is a truly beautiful city. We spent two days there in 2017 and I still fondly recall the amazing views. I already posted a photo from our second day there — it was cold but sunny. The weather wasn’t as kind to us on our first visit however. It was raining heavily, the streets turned into small rivers, but the colour of the sea rewarded our perseverance. This panorama was stitched in Lightroom from a few (handheld) photos to get the field of view I wanted and was shot from Castello Ruffo (see photo below) — a small castle towering over both sides of the city.

Shot with Sony A7R II + FE 28 mm f/2: f/5.6, 1/60 s, ISO 160.

See a shot of Castello Ruffo below →

My Photography (36) — Beautiful Scilla, Italy, 2017

April 4, 2018 · 11:25

When travelling around Calabria in December 2017, we happened upon the small city of Scilla, which stole my heart away. If you’re ever even remotely close to it, make sure to spend a day there. Don’t forget to have an espresso on the promenade!

Shot with Sony A7R II + Zeiss ZF 100 mm f/2 Makro-Planer T*: f/2, 1/160 s, ISO 100.

My Photography (30) — A Storm Behind Santuario di Santa Maria dell’Isola, Tropea, Italy, 2017

December 5, 2017 · 14:50

We spent these last few days in Italy, travelling between Lamezia Terme, Tropea, and Scilla — the surprisingly poor (for Italy) but beautiful region of Calabria. The weather wasn’t perfect, but we did get a few sunny days. I also finally had one of my dreams come true — to be right next to a storm, but just far enough to be out of the rain.

Setting up, I never thought I’d get the shot of the storm that started brewing during our dinner in one of the many small restaurants in the old part of Tropea… It’s not perfect, unfortunately — the bright light shining on the island itself is blown — but at the time I was certain there would be enough latitude in the RAW files, to save that part. I was wrong — lesson learned.

Shot with Sony A7R II + FE 28 mm f/2: f/4.5, 30 s, ISO 100.

My Photography (16) — Spiral Staircase, Vatican Museums, 2014

February 16, 2017 · 13:00

The Spiral Staircase in the Vatican Museums was designed by Giuseppe Momo in 1932 — we spent only half a day inside, which was definitely not long enough. I suggest putting aside at least a full day, if you’re planning on going there. Two preferably.

Oh, and buy a ticket online, on the Vatican Museums’ webpage (beware of intermediaries!), to skip the line completely!

Shot with Nikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24 mm f/2.8G: f/8, 1/50, ISO 1400, 14 mm.

We Went to Rome, and I Found Something I Wasn’t Expecting

August 12, 2015 · 00:00

At one point in time, not so long ago, I had planned to start writing daily, but I couldn’t bring myself to focus on Infinite Diaries as much as I wanted to. Part of the reason behind this was that I was depressed after both my parents succumbed to cancer in March and April of this year, just 20 days apart. Actually that’s probably the main reason, with laziness being the other. Or lack of motivation perhaps. Nevertheless, I wasn’t doing what I had been planning to do for the past year. And then I went to Rome …

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