Barcelona, Florence, Rome, Naples, Venice Carnival

[bob_peters]

Going to Barcelona this weekend...is anyone able to give any "must

see" photographic hints and tips? I've only really got 36 hours so

don't want to miss too much - buildings and the "spirit" of the

place would be great...also Rome, Florence, Naples and then the

Venice Carnival on an Italian odyssey in the next month so any tips

for those great too.

[Ed_Ingold]

The Gaudi Cathedral (La Sacrada Familia), Guell (sp?) Park, the Promenade, the Medieval Town...

 

Barcelona is arguably the worst town in Spain for pickpockets

[bill_thorlin]

Far, far too good a city for just 36 hours but here goes - The Ramblas - La Sagrada Familia - La Pedrera - the Harbour - cable car - funicular - Parc Guell - even Barceloneta and the Olympic Park ( views over the city ). There is even Museu Picasso ( if you like that sort of thing ) and Fundacio Joan Miro.

 

Brilliant food especially down on the harbour front ( had one of our best ever meals there, can't recall the restaurant but will know it when we see it ! ).

 

Last time we were there the police were having a blitz on petty crime especially in the tourist areas so we had no problems - were a bit wary on the Ramblas though.

 

Will be going back.

[donsorsa]

Edward and Bill named several of my favorite places in Barcelona. I'd add Palau de la

Musica and neighboods called Gracia and El Born, but 36 hours isn't enough for even a

taste. Have a great trip.

[scott_davis5]

inRe Florence:

 

This is a wonderful time of year to go, as there are very few tourists around, so you can basically walk into the museums, and take your time seeing the exhibits. Climb to the top of the Palazzo Vecchio, to get a great roofline view of the city. If you can handle it, do the climb to at least the inner rim of the dome of the cathedral- I was very lucky to get a good shot of the dome with my 17-35 Sigma zoom handheld - I'm in poor shape so I was heaving for breath. The climb is not for the faint of heart or the claustrophobic, as the stairs are extremely narrow,mostly spiral, and have about two breaks in the ascent between the street and the inner rim of the dome, which is a good 150 feet off the ground. Just about everything in Florence is walking distance from everything else, as it is a very compact medieval city. There is a nice bar/cafe right across the plaza from the Signoria (Palazzo Vecchio) to grab lunch. For dinner, there are two restaurants to try, over toward the train station, near the Palio. Names escape me at the moment, but the food is outstanding, and the service quite good as well. If you even make an attempt at speaking Italian, they will take very good care of you there. The one restaurant is written up in lots of tour books as being a first rate Florentine restaurant. They're right about lines to get seated, so go early. Even so, you'll probably have to stand out on the street for at least a half hour for a table, you'll be seated family style wherever they can fit your party. If the line gets long outside, they send a waiter out with glasses of white wine and chunks of fresh Parmagiano Reggiano. If I can find the info about the restaurants, I'll post it when I get home. To avoid the typical tourist shots of the major architectural landmarks in Florence, keep your eye out for details... streetside displays of products outside shops, doorknockers and number signs, architectural details, etc. I was amazed at how much use my tele zoom got in such a small place, but it was great for picking out details on second and third story facades.

[david_henderson]

The thing that separates Barcelona from any large Mediterranean City is Gaudi's architecture. The best example is in my view La Pedrera/Casa Mila and being up on the roof amongst the strange chimney pots at sunset is the biggest must do in the city. Casa Battlo, on the opposite side of the same road is hard to photograph, but extravagently colourful. I agree also about the pickpockets.

[salvatore.mele]

Another vote for the roof of la Pedrera, early morning light or late afternoon light should be the best. Queues can be long to get in, so plan well when to go.

[j123]

Great timing to go to Florence as you'll enjoy relative privacy compared to summer time... The weather being mostly sunny the conditions will be great with crisp winter mornings... The climb to the duomo should definitly be done first thing in the morning (opens 8h30 I think) as it ends up being really crowded later in the day... You can go straight to the market (a great big green roof facing east-north-east from duomo) where you can get great shots of working butchers... Besides that all the famous palaces and churches with the amazing wealth of sculptures (even in the streets)... For a sunset view over Florence and surrounding mountains climb the hill to the michelangelo's david (south of river Arno, east of town center)... Lunch or diner at Zaza's (facing central market)... If time and car, great tuscan scenery in roads south of florence and beautifull town of Siena and village of Volterra... But most of all enjoy your trip!<div></div>

[cchristy]

Carnevale may be a little too late for the beautiful morning fog in Venice. It usually is there from November til March. But get up Early just in case. In fact, early rising in Italy is an absolute necessity because of the light on the earth colored walls. I lived in Rome for 9 years and you can see some of the results at my website >imariba.com<

Have a great trip!

Chris<div></div>