Italy: Rome, Portofino, Florence, Pisa, Venice

[Guest LeoWalker]

So it's been a while since my trip...but I finally found time to go through all the pics and select a few to share with everyone. Enjoy.

 

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[Guest LeoWalker]

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[Guest LeoWalker]

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[Guest LeoWalker]

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[GoodFella69]

Magnificent...

 

Your photos of Italy are gorgeous, Leo... AND so are YOU!

 

What type of camera/lens are you using to capture these impressive quality images? The shots of Venice are my favorites. Bravo!

 

Thanks for sharing,

Goodfella

[+ Italiano]

I must say that my Country is SO beautiful that almost any spot and pictures of Italian places are great, but definitely yours are VERY beautiful!

[whipped guy]

Bella Italia!

 

Leo! Thanks! Great pics! Great camera angles as well!

 

By any chance would you have more views of the Pantheon (I like the details shown in that pic) or perhaps a shot of the Temple of Venus and Rome (located across the street from the Colosseum)... and how I wish more of that edifice were preserved!

 

I must say that my Country is SO beautiful that almost any spot and pictures of Italian places are great, but definitely yours are VERY beautiful!

xafnndapp's posting reminded me of the following lines:

 

Bella Italia, alfin ti miro.

Vi saluto, amiche sponde;

l’aria, il suolo, i fiori e l’onde,

tutto ride e parla al cor.

Ah! del cielo e della terra,

cara Italia, sei l’amor.

 

(Beautiful Italy at last I see you. I salute your friendly shores, the air, the soil, the flowers, and the waves. All smile and speak to the heart. Ah! From the sky to the earth beloved Italy you personify love.) Il Turco in Italia - Act I

[Guest DuchessIvanaKizznhugg]

Ivana go there....

 

Thanks for posting, Leo .....was worth the wait

 

SpecTACular captures. You've caught so many different flavours.

You have a nice eye for detail. Makes me feel the history oozing from them

 

Whipped Guy, the poem you provided is the perfect companion for these pics.

 

Bravo!

[Steven_Draker]

Beautiful pictures, Leo. Thanks for posting.

My favorites are the one of Grand Canal in Venezia and the last shot with the pigeon on the roof ... so cute.

 

Cheers,

[justaguy]

Leo, thanks for these. As I'm doing Italy this summer, your pics added to my plans.

 

Quick question: I'm planning only a day for Pisa. Is that enough? Thanks.

[Steven_Draker]

Quick question: I'm planning only a day for Pisa. Is that enough? Thanks.

 

Justaguy,

In my opinion a day in Pisa would be enough. Make sure you have a reservation ahead of time if you want to climb the steps and go on the top of the leaning tower of Pisa.

Considering the interest and the large number of tourists only a handful of them holding a reservation for a specific time can go up.

 

http://urchicago.com/files/pisa.jpg

 

Cheers,

[whipped guy]

A day will do it.

 

In my opinion a day in Pisa would be enough.

Justaguy... I concur. Actually visiting Pisa is the perfect day trip (from Firenze for example) or simply a nice stop-over if traveling to another town. So if you are planning to spend an entire day there that would be more than enough time to take in the sites and soak up some local color.

[+ Italiano]

Justaguy... I concur. Actually visiting Pisa is the perfect day trip (from Firenze for example) or simply a nice stop-over if traveling to another town. So if you are planning to spend an entire day there that would be more than enough time to take in the sites and soak up some local color.

 

And I concur too!

[Guest LeoWalker]

GoodFella69, I'm using the standard lens that came with the Olympus E-410 digital SLR.

 

whipped guy, I do have more pics of the Pantheon...give me a little bit and I'll put them online for you. I don't, however, have any of the inside...I saved it to one of the last days and they were having a wedding inside when I went. I'll check on the others.

 

justaguy, a day is more than enough. Honestly, I was there for about 2-3 hours, and that included time to have lunch. I spent the night in Florence and then just stopped on the way to Portofino. The only thing to see is indeed the leaning tower...as if you stop in any of the other major cities you'll see large cathedrals. I couldn't understand why such a huge cathedral complex was built for such a small little village or sorts...or at least I never saw anything that would merit such a structure. As well, rent a car. If you go, don't get stuck with one of the tourist groups...they'll shuttle you in a tram that looks like a train which will remind you of things worse than Disney, lol. There's parking very close by...it's from an electronic meter. Beware of the men who try to give you a meter paper to place on your dash, it's most likely expired already. If you don't mind me asking, where else are you going on your itinerary?

 

Thanks everyone for the compliments. Especially Duchess for keeping on me to finally post the pics.

[+ Axiom2001]

Your photos of Italy are gorgeous, Leo... AND so are YOU!

 

What type of camera/lens are you using to capture these impressive quality images? The shots of Venice are my favorites. Bravo!

 

Thanks for sharing,

Goodfella

 

I firmly ditto the above comments, gorgeous photos and super-great looking guy in them.

Thanks man! Hope we'll be able to meet one of these days! - - - -

[justaguy]

Thanks for the tips guys.

Steven, good to know about the reservations. I just found out there are stairs to the base of the lantern of Santa Marid del firore in Florence.

 

Leo: Prague will start. Italy is Rome, Florence, Pisa, Sienna, and Como. I've got only three weeks, so picking what I want to see is the tricky part.

[Luv2play]

yeah, great pics. I would say a day is more than enough for Pisa considering most people just want to see the leaning tower. But if you can devote a little more time to Portofino. It is so romantic, especially if you are there with someone you care about. I had a very happy interlude there many years ago and it doesn't change it seems. Dining by the quaint port is not to be missed on a gorgeous evening with the gentle breezes blowing in from the sea.

[Guest greatness]

wow

 

Nice! Thanks!

 

xafnndapp's posting reminded me of the following lines:

 

Bella Italia, alfin ti miro.

Vi saluto, amiche sponde;

l’aria, il suolo, i fiori e l’onde,

tutto ride e parla al cor.

Ah! del cielo e della terra,

cara Italia, sei l’amor.

 

(Beautiful Italy at last I see you. I salute your friendly shores, the air, the soil, the flowers, and the waves. All smile and speak to the heart. Ah! From the sky to the earth beloved Italy you personify love.) Il Turco in Italia - Act I

[AdamSmith]

Italy is Rome, Florence, Pisa, Sienna, and Como.

 

Yes. Ignoring Milan is exactly the right thing.

 

When in Florence, don't overlook the Palazzo Pitti. A slightly second-rate art collection, but one that I found somehow much more enjoyable, overall considering all the pieces plus the architecture and the grounds, than some much more esteemed sites.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzo_Pitti

 

...I loved it when I went through. Then loved it all over again once I got into the Uffizi, after 7 hours of waiting in line (literally! as this was in 2000, the Jubilee Year). Without a pee break. And found the Uffizi collection an exquisite but still somewhat oddly emaciated set of greatest hits.

 

My having only 45 minutes to scurry through before the Uffizi closed may have had something do to with it.

[whipped guy]

While in Florence make sure to get to the Basilica di Santa Croce which is often overlooked. It has been described as the Westminster Abby of Italy as it contains the tombs of among others, Michelangelo, Galileo, Marconi, Rossini, and even the infamous Machiavelli.

 

Also another vote for the Palazzo Pitti and for the same reasons. Also, while on that side of the river make sure to climb to the highest point for a spectacular view of the city. And speaking of climbing, while in Pisa make an effort to get a photo from the top of Leaning Tower as well!

 

While at Lake Como make sure to get to Isola Bella and the Borromean Gardens.

 

As for Milano, it has the feel of a major US city... except for the Last Supper and La Scala that is...

[Karl-G]

Great Pisa

 

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Pisa was one of the greatest cities in Italy for many centuries. It was one of the three greatest seaports, along with Genoa and Venice, and competed with them for domination of the Mediterranean. Its navy was large and feared; its archbishop was extremely important and wealthy. It was never a small village. It is situated on the Arno River, which also flows through Florence. But Pisa controls the mouth and harbor. Pisa was wealthy, powerful, and famous long before Florence. Florentine trade would have died if it could not have passed through Pisa. So there was bitter rivalry between the cities. For a variety of reasons, Florence won ultimately and took over control of Pisa and its crucial harbor. And it quickly made sure Pisa would never be a threat to its trade again, and Pisa went into decline. But in its heyday of centuries, Pisa was an exceptionally rich and powerful state, and the cathedral complex attests to this.

 

But three hours is enough.

 

The campanile is fun and kind of goofy, but the cathedral and baptistry are well worth a visit. Notice the cathedral bronze doors, the blind arcades along the west facade, the rounded arches, the interior arches and ceiling.

 

The baptistry is a glorious building. Play with the perfect acoustics. Stand on one side and whisper toward the wall and your friend on the opposite side can hear you clearly. Study the pulpit, one of the four most famous pulpits of the Renaissance (by Pisano). Note the panels of the Nativity and Crucifixion especially. Look at the depiction of human bodies and the concept of space. Then compare with other pulpits you will surely see and study. :-) Pisa is also home to the last great mural painted by Keith Haring.

 

If you travel by yourself, you need a good guidebook or you will miss an incredible amount. The best, IMO, is the "Eyewitness Guide to Italy." It is filled with excellent information, history, customs, thousands of photos, floor plans of museums and churches, etc. etc. You can get a used copy on amazon.com for less than ten dollars, and Pisa has not changed in the past ten years so you don't need this year's edition. [As a matter of fact, the Eyewitness Guides are the best for every place they cover. If you are just doing Venice, Florence, and Rome, there is a volume just for that. Etc. The more you read ahead of time, the more you will enjoy.]

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[Karl-G]

Pulpit in Pisa

 

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Some images of the pulpit by Nicola Pisano. It is hexagonal, and since Nicola was sculpting in the Early Renaissance, he did not yet know about perspective and spatial depth.

 

http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/italy/pisa/baptistrypulpit/0056.jpg

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http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/italy/pisa/baptistrypulpit/0061.jpg

 

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[Karl-G]

Pulpit in Pisa Cathedral

 

And here is the pulpit inside the Cathedral in Pisa, made a generation later by Nicola's son Giovanni.

 

http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/italy/pisa/duomopulpit/0026.jpg

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http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/italy/pisa/duomopulpit/0049.jpg

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[Karl-G]

Keith Haring's Mural

 

Here is information and photos of Keith Haring and the Pisa Mural. Keith did murals all over the world. He also created the art in the AIDS Chapel in the San Francisco cathedral.

 

http://www.comune.pisa.it/turismo/itinerari/haring-gb.htm

[Karl-G]

San Francisco Altarpiece

 

Lastly, here is the altarpiece by Keith Haring in Grace Cathedral's AIDS Chapel in San Francisco. Keith completed this work two weeks before he died. The first quilt in the AIDS Quilt Project hangs on the opposite wall.

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2658/3972582773_07507e6c7e.jpg

 

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