agitater

My travelmates were off in a lovely little custom jewellery store, so I wandered a bit and found this shoemaker working in his shop. It was evening, almost 7:00 PM - quite late for a small trade shop to still be open. He looked up at me and smiled, so I said to him, "Si sta lavorando così tardi," (which means "You are working so late") to which he smiled again and replied, "Si, si, si. Prego, prego. Sempre lavorando, mai mangiando" (which means, "Yes, yes, yes, always working, never eating"). I like his reply "sempre lavorando, mai mangiando" because it's so resigned and, well, because it rhymes.

This little 3-wheel, scooter truck is called an Ape (pronounced, "ah-pay"), and they're mostly made by Piaggio in Italy. In 1947, the inventor of the Vespa, aircraft designer Corradino D'Ascanio, came up with the idea of building a light three-wheeled commercial vehicle to power Italy's economical reconstruction, an idea which found favour with Enrico Piaggio. The very first Ape model and the mark immediately following it were mechanically a Vespa scooter with two wheels added to the rear, with a flat-bed structure on top of the rear axle. The early sales brochures and ads referred to the vehicle as the VespaCar or TriVespa. The first Apes featured 50 cc, 125 cc or 150 cc and more recently 175 cc engines. For the 1964 Ape D, a cab was added to protect the driver from the elements. The Ape has been in continuous production since its inception and has been produced in a variety of different body styles in Italy and India. You steer the older ones with scooter-style handlebars, but most recent models have a steering wheel. The Apes are inexpensive and when they're worn out or no longer worth fixing, many of them end up abandoned and forgotten, like this one, in an old garden or field. As you walk uphill along Via dei Filosofi toward Montepulciano, just about 50 metres past the church of Santa Maria Assunta, look over the low stone wall on your left to see the poor little Ape.

The walk through east central Rome to the Vatican is one of the most interesting, satisfying and relaxing anywhere in the world. The old architects who collaborated, generation after generation, century after century, to build the city at the direction of a long list of famous and infamous Popes, political leaders, military leaders and so on, really knew how to set things up to be impressive. Everywhere you turn in Rome, there's an architectural presentation of some sort. From the Sant'Angelo bridge you get this view of the sculptural Vittorio Emanuelle II bridge over the Tiber river, with the dome of St. Peter's in the background. The scene you're looking at has not changed in any significant way since the late 18th century - an accurate, real-life snapshot of the past. You may be wondering about the pink/light purple sky. It's a direct result of the heavy air pollution in Rome that day. Camera sensors can be easily fooled, but the sky actually looked quite pink to the unaided eye as well.

The centre of old Genoa is the Piazza di Ferrari, which is at a confluence of six streets. Traffic doesn't flow directly into or across the piazza in any way, so everyone can cross the area freely, children play alongside the fountain, streetcars amble by, taxis pick up and drop off at the edges, and visitors sit on the fountain ledges to take the sun, read and relax, and peoplewatch. On this particular day, very late in the afternoon, the temperature was about 22C, there was a light breeze, the air coming from the sea was marvelously fresh and invigorating, and the humidity was moderate, so we decided to rest a while. It was a great place to take a break. Down the street on the right, behind the fountain, can be found the home of Christopher Columbus.

The beautiful city of Siena has treasures around every corner and on every street. This little square, Piazza del Conte, is usually teeming with people going about their day, but just before sunset on this pleasant early evening it was momentarily quiet. I wanted to capture the age of place as it's illustrated in the 13th century architecture, stone, stucco and paving stones. Just off-camera to the left, there are two very old stone benches, so I sat down after making this shot and relaxed for a moment. It's easy to momentarily lose yourself in a place like this, and that's also a pleasant thing.

This is the Fountain of Pan at the Palazzo del Principe in Genoa. The palazzo was built by and home to none other than Andrea Doria. The man had a fascinating life, and for both his political, military and financial dealings was dubbed the “Pater Patriae” by the republic of Genoa in about 1528. Doria also received the title of prince of Melfi in Basilica, in 1531, and he's now historically known as the Prince of Genova. The grounds and gardens are not tended quite as lovingly as they used to be tended, but if you're visiting Genoa they're not to be missed for three reasons: a) the potted, dwarf lemon trees with their enormous fruits, b) the sculptures and fountains in the courtyard gardens, and c) the palazzo itself which is now partly a remarkable museum and partly an elegant hall that is used for special receptions and expensive weddings. The light in this photo with it's hint of haze and sparkle, the background trees, and the high contrast, are all typical of what photographers will find in seaside Genoa. It's a beautiful place.

I was going to knock on the door, but noticed the flyers stuffed into the batacchio di bronzo. Nobody home in the middle of the day. This doorway and garden are located in a small, private courtyard right off a narrow street in the old town. I just can't get enough of these old, stone and wood and metal textures, the subtle details, and the hints of colour.

Many of the central Italian hill towns, including larger ones like Viterbo, still preserve much of their medieval architecture and buildings which were built when these places experienced amazing growth in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries. Viterbo was no exception, and the old walled city is wonderful to explore.

Spring brings warmer weather and the best possible excuse to shake out the gardens, dress up the town and celebrate the new season. These flowers were ringed around a tiny little piazza full of places to sit and take in the warm sunshine.

Few other places in the world have the same light and the same sense of timelessness as the small hill town of Montepulciano. The old buildings on the very old estate pictured here, just outside the town, are still in use. The surrounding vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees are carefully cultivated and nurtured, as they have been for many, many generations over hundreds and hundreds of years. Most of the local grapes are made into Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Local olives from these groves are quite varied, with several types made into oil and some put into brine. It is impossible to find a bad restaurant anywhere in the area, and we had a lot of fun trying.

The Genoa Cathedral (in Italian it's called Duomo di Genoa or Cattedrale di San Lorenzo - the Cathedral of Saint Lawrence) is the seat of the Archbishop of Genoa. The central dome, pictured here, is an incredible blend of painting by Tavarone, Previati and others, and sculpture work by Civitali, Carlone, and the brothers Della Porta. The lighting inside the church in general, and in the presbytery in particular, is very dark to help preserve the great works of art. It makes capturing anything close to vibrant colours a real chore, but well worth the effort. The cathedral had a fortunate escape on February 9, 1941, when the city was being shelled as part of Operation Grog. Because of a crew error, the British battleship HMS Malaya fired a 381 mm armour-piercing shell into the south-eastern corner of the nave. The relatively soft material failed to detonate the fuse and the shell is still there (fully defused of course), displayed with a plaque to commemorate the event which nearly destroyed the 12th century church and the great additions made to it in the 14th, 16th and 19th centuries.

The world heritage town of Assisi, the home of Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone better known as San Francesco d'Assisi or St. Francis of Assisi, is so amazingly well-preserved that it's hard to believe that literally millions of people visit the town every year and the great Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (in italian, the Basilica Papale di San Francesco), built in the 12th century, to pay their respects to the great saint. The hillside Tuscan town is beautiful. This little street scene captures some of the light and textures which caught my eye everywhere I turned.

Rome, being a toursit mecca without equal, is also a target destination for guys running every kind of street schtick you can think of including fake Fakir stunts like this one. If you look closely, you'll notice that the clothing the pair are wearing is very carefully wrapped, draped and shrouded to hide the steel plate and post rig that is threaded through body, sleeves and skirt. These guys set up quite early in the day, when few people are around, then simply perch as you see them, barely moving for hours. To pull this off for so many hours each day, both guys running the stunt have to wear diapers. Really. When they set up or when they decide to call it a day, there's a third guy who shows up to surround them with portable curtains so nobody can see the how the trick is rigged up.

On the narrow, winding, Via Po, sits the entrance to the office of Dr. Domenico Callea. I've never met the man, but I like the doorway in the 13th century building in which his office is located. A woman passing by, obviously a local, said (in Italian) "Doctor Callea is a very nice man" as she passed me on the street while I was kneeling to get this shot.

At certain times of day, almost any set of exterior columns will catch the long light of a late Spring afternoon and create an interesting mood. This is a view of a stage door entrance to the Covent Garden theatre. I love the textures of the cut stone and the heavy decoration on the old entrance door.

Columns in London, compared to columns elsewhere in Europe, are a lot newer - the older ones averaging about 300 years old - because most of the really old ones (except for those at Temple Church and a few other places) were either razed in the Great Fire of London (September 1666) or blown to bits by blitz bombing during WW II. But there's nothing quite like a densely populated city and lots of traffic to layer a patina of age and wear on things anyway. The church of St. Mary Le Strand is in the oddest location in London - on a traffic island in the midst of the busiest part of Strand now - because city managers over a hundred years ago decided it was okay to bracket the property with roads. Anyway, it's a small, beautiful church built in 1723. The old tree in the tiny forecourt is casting its leafy shadows in the sharp late day light. I love this part of Strand for its classic London looks.

The little town of Pienza, a world heritage site, is full of pretty little streets, lovely squares, fountains, shops and beautifully preserved medieval architecture. The late morning light on this ancient stonework was almost literally glowing.

In early afternoon during April the daylight under scattered clouds can sometimes make things look a bit surreal. I liked the light and the shooting angle from the upper gallery looking north.

All the hotels provide tourists and other visitors to Rome with one of those maps of the central area of the city. It's funny to watch so many people looking for street signs, rotating the map to orient themselves, and generally trying to figure out where they are. Despite the twisting, turning, name-changing, narrow old streets, it's actually quite hard to get lost in Rome (although I try every time I visit). That's a wall of wisteria in the background, with the vines covering all five stories of the 14th century building. Really lovely.

Just outside the little town of San Gimignano, on the road to Pisa, we found a narrow dirt lane leading to a 12th century church. The interior of the old church was long ago converted to private apartments, but the grounds were left untouched. This old stone bench was cut and placed where you see it about 1,600 years ago, and there it was for us to rest, take in the beautiful Spring sunshine and a gentle breeze. Just beyond the churchyard is a small olive grove that can be seen when you're sitting on the bench.

Bicycles abound in Rome, despite the hilly, cobbled streets throughout the city. I couldn't resist photographing this bike with its flower basket leaning against the 14th-century wall. It was mid-morning and the bit of sunlight was filtering down to the narrow street was deepening the colors of the old stucco. I added a vignette effect just for fun.

After a pleasant horse-drawn carriage ride, we walked down via Santa Maria in a light, warm rain. As the sun started to peek out after the rain stopped, all the colours in the old medieval and pre-medieval buildings popped out. It made for a beautifual walk toward the Arno river.

Curious arrangements of all sorts of things appear in front of buildings. The owner or tenant of this building seems to have inadvertently made a large, urban, industrial modern, still life.

The man depicted in this photo came across these punched steel plate sections erected as an urban art installation. He viewed the installation for some period of time, but was unable to deduce its meaning. He became confused, turned to look at my photo-making efforts and said to me, "I am confused by this installation. I do not know what it means." I was unable to help the fellow.

The city is the city. Too much traffic. Too many people. Nowhere to park. There's nowhere to park, that is, unless you and a friend happen to be a pair of ducks with permanent parking spots all your own. I wonder if these two have to fight off the other ducks from time to time? Great parking spots right near the docks and all those people who walk by and feed them.