gooseberry

You're definitely onto something with this one!

Shame the couple didn't sit still  :(

BTW, how many frames did you stitch together, and did you do it in PS or some dedicated pano app?

Very rich, crispy colours: may I ask how did you bring them out that way? -- I'm pretty sure some post-processing enhancements were applied, but not sure what/how exactly did you do.

Cool juxtaposition :)

Love the red glowing mountain tops!
(must have been the last 10 seconds of daylight :)

Nicely balanced exposure, and those alternating patches of sun and shade make the pano convey the mood really well.

Not only does it stand out as Arthur observed, but it does it in a way that suits the subject: well done!
(however, it could have been sharper)

Out of curiosity, is this a single- or multiple-frame HDR? 

Also, did you do it in PhotoMatix or some other software?

(in terms of 'how to make it better' critique, not particularly fond of the shadows behind the model -- I would have seated her farther away from the background -- but they aren't a deal-breaker)

Nice job, Marco!
(while you were at it though, you could have gotten rid of the electrical cable too ;)

It's a matter of taste and I often find myself torn apart between lightening up shadows in order to show more detail, and keeping them dark and more "moody."  Here my impression is that there is an insufficient contrast between light and dark areas, which makes it look unnatural: one would expect greater dynamic range (the impression is stronger when viewed Large).

Other than that, well done!

@ Larry: do you mean the 'HSL / Grayscale' panel with the "Convert to Grayscale" checkbox ticked?

...yep, reckon that must be the secret!

Love the feel of this photo, the warm glow of reflected sunlight, the arch framing the composition (although Rashed S may have a point -- like his cropped version too!), and its rich tonal range. The only technical problem I see is over-sharpening, which is very pronounced when viewed Large.

Unless you wanted to create a dark fairytale kind of look -- Mordor from "Lord of the Rings" comes to mind -- you might have gone too heavy on the micro-contrast adjustment.

The colour of the sky definitely looks that way. 
Was fog real or is it also a special effect?

Once you brought my attention to it, Robert, I too had the impression that the building is "falling" to the right, but then I checked the lines that are supposed to be vertical and they all are just so, so reckon the slanting roof is the result of perspective distortion (Eugenio's camera wasn't parallel to the plain of the building -- the lens must have been pointing at an angle closer to 45 than to 90 degrees.) 

As for the buildings in the foreground, I actually like them more than the sky; I see them as essential for environmental context, underscoring the grandiose domination of the cathedral.  The sky provides the final touch, but there's just enough of it.

Have cropped a little on the R (and a tiny bit on the L too), and corrected the perspective a tad -- is it any better?

While completely different in general, this picture of yours reminds me one of mine.  Think it's not just that both our models have their arms raised as if crucified and seem to be in some sort of a trans, but also the rye somehow is reminiscent of my zoom blur effect :)

Love the idea itself and how the fabric's smooth lines complement model's. 
For exaggerated effect, reckon the fabric could have been even longer, with the model farther away.

...has been achieved by mirroring L/R, correct? -- "iron out" the creases in the foreground.

Correct, the adjustments are of the fine-tuning magnitude -- there was simply very little room left to improve on -- so the best way to notice the differences is to look at both side by side and focus on / compare only one element at the time (not to mention that monitor calibration may make them even more difficult to spot).

Cheers for dedicating this to me, Andrew  :)

Imagine this version would suit as a CD cover; somehow it has this vibe.

I second Starvy on the background (so have blurred it), but model's placement as well as the table work for me fine (except the non-reflection as marked on my edit in red ;)

Also have boosted contrast (both local and mid-tone), but only on the model.

My vote goes to the B&W version (perhaps too bright in places, but didn't want to spend ages masking)

Btw, which background is real? -- I'd guess this one -- the "wallpaper" looks very natural / believable, including its reflection on the table's top, which actually defies the laws of optics ;)

Love it! But the tones appeared a bit dull on my screen -- and I like them to have more "punch" -- so have taken the liberty to apply some local + mid-tone contrast enhancements; hope you don't mind my tweaking.