Post Your Most Memorable Pics of Italy

[joe]

Our last trip to Italy included a first-time visit to Bologna, two years ago. We spent five days there, had a room smack in the middle of the city, a stone's throw from Piazza Maggiore. The Piazza itself gave a great "sense of place" to the city - not only is it grand as a public square with the impressive cathedral as a backdrop, but the movement of the residents through this space, and the events there, made it pretty much the heart of the city in my eyes.

The other outstanding landmark is the two towers. They rise above everything else, and I felt that this and their rather basic form and structure really connect the present to the past.

Here are some photos of them, including some that show the view from the top, and of the towers from other vantage points. I must say that the visits were handled very well, and kept a sane amount of people going up and down, and at the top.

 

[JustTravel]

Reminiscing.......
Venezia
January 11, 2016

 

[joe]

Love seeing the poplar stands when we travel in Piemonte, quite an "exotic" sight when your home is in the desert... :

 

[SMJ]

Vendors moving the carts from the Straw Market next to Il Porcellino in Florence away into storage for the night.
Such a lot of work for them to do this twice a day.
I believe there are huge garage type storage buildings for all the carts, somewhere nearby.

 

[NoSpin]

Now that's a "behind the scenes" look you don't normally see!

 

[Alpinista]

Standing in contrast to the lightning speed with which the unauthorized vendors can clear their merchandise away when the call goes up for a sighting of the carabinieri?

 

[italian excursion]

Civita di Bagnoregio. Thanks to Rick Steves I was aware of this very unusual hill town. The walkway up to the town is of course relatively modern. One can only imagine the difficulty for centuries of walking up a dirt trail to reach the town.View attachment 25623View attachment 25624

We first visited the town in December of 2012 and returned in December of 2019. The town hasn’t changed, but it was a little more expensive. In 2012 there was no charge for parking and there was free access to the walking bridge. Now you have to pay to park in the lot and there is an admission to walk the foot bridge. Nothing exorbitant, but it is a sign of the times. It is such a unique town, I highly recommend you make a little detour to it if you have the time.

Pictured is the walk up to the town and the walk down from the town.

The town is very close to Orvieto and it was Cheryl's website that inspired me.

 

[italian excursion]

Civita di Bagnoregio. Thanks to Rick Steves I was aware of this very unusual hill town. The walkway up to the town is of course relatively modern. One can only imagine the difficulty for centuries of walking up a dirt trail to reach the town.View attachment 25623View attachment 25624

We first visited the town in December of 2012 and returned in December of 2019. The town hasn’t changed, but it was a little more expensive. In 2012 there was no charge for parking and there was free access to the walking bridge. Now you have to pay to park in the lot and there is an admission to walk the foot bridge. Nothing exorbitant, but it is a sign of the times. It is such a unique town, I highly recommend you make a little detour to it if you have the time.

Pictured is the walk up to the town and the walk down from the town.

The town is very close to Orvieto and it was Cheryl's website that inspired me.

I so love that I was the inspiration for this! Grazie! As you say, "a sign of the times"...Yes, the commune finally made the decision to save Civita so they had to find a way to fund the restoration and though I am sad about the increased tourism, I am also glad they moved on their decision. It's much more commercial than when I first visited 24 years ago but then, change happens so no going back. I'm looking forward to what others post here!
Ciao,
Cheryl
www.italianexcursion.com

 

[italian excursion]

I

And if I can do two more....the Devil's Bridge, Borgo a Mozzano, Lucca Province (took life in hands to walk up narrow two lane road to find the right angle to get photo at about 11:00 at night). Second photo is the view from our front window at my wife's house in Tempagnano di Valdottavo (pleasingly near the Devil's Bridge).

View attachment 25641View attachment 25642

Is that the Devil's Bridge in the mountains above Lucca???
Cheryl
www.italianexcursion.com

 

[italian excursion]

NoSpin has now inspired me to look through some of my unpublished photos:
Bottom left, San Pellegrino "hood, Viterbo-'07
Middle, Otricoli (1 hour north of Rome)-'10
Niki d'Saint Phalle's Tarot Garden, Grosetto region-'09

 

[SMJ]

Looking down on Menaggio and Lake Como, from the hike up above the town to where trenches were dug in WW1 for troops.

 

[NoSpin]

Cheryl, what am I looking at in the Otricoli photo, is that the ruins of an amphitheater?

 

[italian excursion]

Yes

Cheryl, what am I looking at in the Otricoli photo, is that the ruins of an amphitheater?

The ruins in Otricoli are quite remarkable. In fact it's so large that there are two amphitheaters. The ruins are on a private property but the family called in a university from Rome to excavate and record the history, then they opened it up for the public. The beauty of it is multi-faceted:
Otricoli was once the olive oil capital for distribution as it's along the Tiber; the life that thrived there is evident in the ruins of the marketplace, baths, amphitheaters, etc. It's a great place to wander for the day, take a picnic, sketch, photograph......I've rarely seen more than half a dozen people there in all the times I've visited. Very special, very convenient, not far off the autostrada, very secret!!!
Cheryl
www.italianexursion.com

 

[italian excursion]

I

Is that the Devil's Bridge in the mountains above Lucca???
Cheryl
www.italianexcursion.com

Oh yes, I see it is! Didn't read the entire text, sorry.

 

[CaWino]

Ravello on Amalfi Coast:

View from rooftop terrace of Hotel Ambasciatori, Palermo:

Siena Rooftops

Venice at Dusk

Vernazza

 

[SMJ]

Looking out of the window of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, when a moth attached himself to the window just as I took the photo.

 

[italian excursion]

Visiting with Pauline & Steve several years ago, we hiked (me, complaining all the way up the hill) to this amazing chapel. When we got there, we found a hauntingly empty, lovely place where a woman was singing a hymn......Not Italy, I know, but on the tail of trip to Italy, so I shall count it!
Cheryl
www.italianexcursion.com

 

[JustTravel]

Missing the Rialto market
January 17, 2018

Now, the only fish we enjoy is wild king salmon from the fish stall (they have their own boats) from the weekly farmers market. Oh, to be back in Venice!

 

[GailS]

One year ago today not knowing it would be my only trip to Italy for the year.

 

[NoSpin]

I'm not a big fish eater, but those are all the varieties my parents used to love.