I’m currently lucky enough to be traveling in Italy and France for the next couple of months. I will make more detailed posts after the trip but in the meantime will post some images to join the dots of my itinerary.
I kicked off my tour in Venice, a spectaculalrly beautiful city that truly has to be seen to be believed. Despite it’s beauty Venice is a bit of a challenge to photograph. Getting angles and compositions that are pleasing is sometimes difficult and other than dawn and dusk there is the ever present sensor dust, I mean fellow tourists. There are of course beautiful images to be made there.
From Venice I caught my first Italian train to Cinque Terre via Florence. Usually I don’t “do “ public transport so I was way of the journey. Things started off badly when I got accidentally locked in a toilet at Venice train station. Yelling “signore, SIGNORE, for the attendant finally got me freed from my unfortunate prison just in time to catch my train.
Things went from bad to worse at a train change in Sarzana, a small station apparently in the middle of nowhere, when my bag set off some kind of detector that a Carabinieri waved over it. I quickly drew the attention of four or five police toting enough firepower to invade a small country. They asked me if I would open my bag for them. I looked at their guns and quickly complied. Perhaps there is an increase in middle aged, slightly overweight white photographers causing mischief in Italy, I’m really not sure. Next was a request for my “documents” presumably in case I was an alien. My passport copied I got a slap on the back and was sent on my way. The joys of travel!
I’m now happily ensconsed in Vernazza on the Cinque Terre eating gelato and pasta while simultaneously drinking wine, in an attempt to forget the ordeal of my first Italian train trip!
Next stop Florence.
The Grand Canal from the Rialto Bridge. Venice.
Vernazza, Cinque Terre.