Tag Archives: italy

Travel

Tuscany, Italy, 2004

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I’ve been to Italy a few times over the years, but I’ve somehow managed to avoid Tuscany which is, perhaps, the most favoured of areas with photographers. This Easter I managed to correct that situation with a short walking holiday.

Starting in Pisa, we took a taxi to San Gimignano and walked to Colle di Val d’Elsa. From here we wandered along to Siena, stopping off at interesting looking places and sampling the local food and wine — it’d be rude not to! On the way back, we stopped in Pisa but managed to avoid taking amusing pictures of us propping up the leaning tower. (If only everyone else showed such restraint!)

Also see my older pictures in Milan and around Lake Garda.

All shots were taken with my EOS300 film camera — they would have been on digital, but I have a lot of unexposed film left! I’ve used Fuji Sensia II slide film and many of the out-door shots have been enhanced with a polarising filter.

If the pictures have piqued your interest, there are a few web Sites that you might want to visit:

  • The itinerary and hotels were all booked by a tour company. Still, the Insight Compact Guide to Tuscany (UK or US) was very useful for filling in some of the background information on the area.
Travel

Italy, 2001

Most of my recent trips have been prompted by a change of jobs, and this one was no exception. I decided on Northern Italy as I’d been there before, but only when I was eleven or so. I had great memories of the place — well, a great milk-shake in Sirmeone — and wanted to explore the area more and see what the place looked like from an adults perspective.

Last time we’d been based near Venice. This time I stayed away from the coast and flew into Milan’s Linate airport, spent a day there (Milan, not the airport!) and then headed, by rail, to Desenzano del Garda, a small town on the south side of Lago di Garda (Lake Garda). From here I was able to visit Verona and see the delights of the other towns on the lake.

Also see my newer pictures in Siena, Pisa, San Gimignano and Colle di Val d’Elsa in 2004 and even more of Florence, Poppi, Fiesole, Monteriggioni and others in 2008.

Milan, Italy

Milan, Italy

Milan, Italy

Sirmeone, Lake Garda, Italy

Sirmeone, Lake Garda, Italy

View over Sirmeone, Italy

Desenzano, Lake Garda, Italy
Verona, Italy

Verona, Italy

Verona, Italy

Verona, Italy

Desenzano, Lake Garda, Italy

Desenzano, Lake Garda, Italy

Desenzano, Lake Garda, Italy

All shots were taken with my EOS. I experimented with a number of different films on this trip: Fuji Superia 100, Fuji Reala 100, Kodak Royal Gold 100 and Fuji Velvia 50. Due to the quality of the scans, you can’t really tell the difference but the prints do vary. Differences in colour saturation are mainly due to the light and polarisation.

If the pictures have piqued your interest, there are a few web Sites that you might want to visit:

  • Italian Tourist Web Site. Where I booked one of my hotels.
  • I used the Michelin “in your pocket” guide to the Italian Lakes (from Amazon UK or US) and the Insight Milan FlexiMap (from Amazon UK or US).
  • As always, there’s a Lonely Planet guide. You can buy a copy from Amazon (UK or US).