One of the joys of Italy for me is the warmth in the colours of the buildings. When I think of Italy I think of ochres, terracottas and umbers. So it may seem strange to photograph Italian scenes in black and white.
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This beautiful hilltop town on the east coast of Sicily is understandably a magnet for tourists. Sitting high above the coast in the shadow of (very) active Mount Etna, it has everything you might hope for in such a town. Vistas of both sea and mountains; ancient ochre-coloured buildings glowing in the Sicilian sun; great restaurants and quality shopping; narrow lanes and bustling squares lined with cafés for people-watching; a small but beautiful cathedral; and to top it all an ancient Greek theatre still in use today.
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As anyone who travels to cities, and/or lives in one, knows, the only way to get to know a city is to walk in it. And ideally to walk without purpose, or at least open to the serendipity of the unexpected. A quaint alleyway, an unusually decorated house, a small church tucked away from the main thoroughfare, a garden or tranquil square … Who knows what you might find?
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The centre of Cagliari is divided into four districts. While Castello was traditionally the home of the city's nobles, neighbouring Stampace at the foot of the hill was home to its merchants.
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There is something rather haunting about standing on a spot occupied by people millennia ago. Stone circles such as that of Stonehenge, the Treasury and other tombs of Petra, the pyramids and temples of Egypt …. Sardinia too offers just such an experience, or rather, 7,000 of them!
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The Torre dell'Elefante was built in 1307 when Cagliari was under Pisan rule. It takes its name from the small carving of an elephant on a ledge part way up.
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Warm colours, such as reds, oranges, and yellows, are often associated with energy, passion, and warmth, evoking feelings of excitement and vibrancy. In photography they leap off the page or screen. It’s hard to ignore a warm-shaded image! The deeper warm shades suggest cosiness and comfort, while the brighter ones are sunny and cheerful.
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I think we all hope our words will mean something, and many of us hope that our photographs will too. Paula’s Pick a Word challenge gives us a chance each month to consider her words and pair them with our photos.
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Sometimes little details can be as evocative as the complete picture, and perhaps never more so than when contemplating the past. Visiting the iconic sites of Herculaneum and Pompeii back in 2007 I found myself as intrigued by the small details of life in these cities as I was in the grand civic buildings.
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My visit to Ancona was something of a happy accident. My friend and I were propelled here by convenience, but found an atmospheric old city worthy of a visit in its own right. The reason for our stay was simply that I had to catch a train to Milan the following morning and wanted to be near the station. A budget hotel just across the road made a convenient base for an early start, but we made sure we arrived in good time the previous day so that we could explore the city.
