Cinque Terre – Vernazza
Black-and-white photos from wanderings in the Italian Cinque Terre.
Cinque Terre – Vernazza
Cinque Terre – Monterosso al Mare
Black-and-white photos from wanderings in the Italian Cinque Terre.
Arco Felice
A two-thousand-year old Happy Arch.
Self-defeating tourism in Italy
The sad way in which the success of a local tourism industry is putting paid to the draw of a peaceful, beautiful region of northern Italy.
Gries Pass
Attempting to get away from baking temperatures, we headed for the mountains and a hike across summer snow fields to the Gries glacier.
Gries Pass, Switzerland/Italy
The border between Switzerland and Italy lies along the alpine chain, and there are several roads which cross the border from north to south. But there are naturally many other places where one can cross the border with a little more effort. Around an hour and a half’s walk from the Nufenen Pass road, a hiking trail leads from the dam at…
Vesuvius
The centre of attention for visitors to the Bay of Naples is a dormant volcano. Standing massive above the plains containing Naples, Ercolano (Herculaneum) and Pompeii, it constantly draws the eye. As a photographer, it’s pretty difficult to avoid having it as a main element in any wider landscape photo in the region. Vesuvius at sunset, photographed from Sorrento…
Piscina Mirabilis
Arriving in the town of Bacoli, on the headland a few miles west of the centre of Naples, you feel a long way from the tourist crowds and certainly not anywhere historic or especially noteworthy. But look into the history of the area and you’ll find that the bay here, now surrounded by slightly shabby buildings and busy with the daily life of a…
Fornillo Beach
One of a series of photos added to my Campania, Italy set on Flickr.
Strolling the streets of Positano
One of the best parts of visiting Positano is a stroll through the roads and lanes from the upper town to the beach-side restaurants, stopping off in the shops and for ice-cream on the way.
Water spout on the Amalfi Coast
An unexpected water spout on the boat journey between Ischia, Capri and Positano in Italy.
Cimiterio delle Clarisse, Ischia
The gruesome crypt beneath the former monastery in the Aragonese Castle of Ischia Ponte.
Molo di San Vincenzo
The lighthouse on Molo di San Vincenzo (the main breakwater of the harbour) in Naples was built in 1950 but taken out of service just 29 years later, being superseded by an electric alternative on a lattice structure nearby. The statue in front of the tower is of San Gennaro (original name Januarius), the patron saint of Naples, who became Bishop of the…
Capo Miseno
“At the top of the great stone lighthouse, hidden beyond the ridge of the southern headland, the slaves were dousing the fires to greet the dawn. It was supposed to be a sacred place. According to Virgil, this was the spot where Misenus, the herald of the Trojans, slain by the sea god Triton, lay buried with his oars and…
The Descent of Christ Into Limbo
What is it they say? “I don’t know what art I like; but I know it when I see it.” I was captivated by this golden, glowing painting in the Santa Croce church of Florence when we visited in 2011. I don’t know whether it was the depth of detail in the painting, the tremendously accurate anatomical details, or the…
Cinque Terre, from the archives
In beginning to clear out the folders in my website this lunchtime, which contain photos and files I have used on the site since its relaunch in 2006, I came across a set of photos from a trip to the Cinque Terre region of north-western Italy in 2004. The most enduring memories of the holiday were that I hiked…
Photographic memories
I wrote only recently about how photography is an aide-memoire for me and the point was proven this afternoon, when I was instantly reminded by the photograph on a shopping bag of trips to Sicily. “Hang on!” I said, and both Jo and I instantly recognized the street lamp and tiled square in…
The Blue Hour
The time between sunset and complete darkness is known in photographic circles as "the blue hour".
Some favourite memories of 2011
When I look back at the photos I've posted to my Flickr photostream in 2011, I see how fortunate Jo and I have been to have had the opportunity to travel so much. Starting with a trip to the photo'11 exhibition in January, my year has been filled with journeys, both long and short. We've been to the U.K., Italy…
Ponte Vecchio, Florence
This medieval bridge in Florence, rebuilt in 1345, is the only one remaining which is lined on both sides by shops. Originally hosting butcher shops, the bridge has been populated by jewellers and goldsmiths since the late sixteenth century. The bridge is the only one in Florence to have survived the Second World War: on the specific instructions of Hitler,…