Positano and the Amalfi Coast

In this blog the pictures start with broad landscape shots. These will be followed by pictures from the streets and steps of Positano. Then some shots showing architectual details.
Our trip along the Amalfi Coast started with a ferry ride in Salerno.  Fortunately it was a beautiful day for the ride.  There was enough chop on the water to make picture taking a challenge.  The next 7 pictures were taken at 1/2000 of a second to try and get some sharpness to them.  The picture above is of Salerno as we are leaving the harbour.

The next three pictures are of Amalfi.  Our ferry stopped here to let off a few passengers.  Amalfi appeared to be a little bigger and flatter than Positano.

Wind surfers braving the ferries and other yachts.

Along the coast you could see a mix of old fortifications and new homes.

Pirates raided Amalfi and Positano during the middle ages.  Positano was abandon for a while during this time period.

Beautiful and hilly Positano.

Until the late 1800s the only access to Positano was by donkey path or sea.

We were fortunate to have a full moon during our visit.

During WWII Positano became a haven for artist and writers escaping Nazi Germany and Russia. 

In 1953 John Steinbeck wrote an essay on the town that popularized Positano among the tourist and it became a trending stop for tourist.

While the water is quite inviting, the beach is not sand but rocks and gravel.  Definitely a water shoe beach. 

After walking up 400 steps from the beach with our luggage we found ourselves at the bottom of these steps.  The first flight up to the door of our hotel.

A view from the stairs.

A well deserved rest about mid-way up to the hotel door.

The last flight outside.  Little did we know there were two more flights inside before we got to the room.

Kathy and I rode a bus up to Nocelle so I could get some pictures of Positano.  We stopped for some lemonade before we walked the 1700 steps down to the road to Positano.  While Kathy was checking her pictures on the iphone (back right corner) I was checking out the lemonade girl.

A small sample of the 1700 steps.

Lots of shopping opportunities in Positano.

It looked like every other shop sold women's clothing.  This was one of the more colorful collections.

The buildings had a lot of charm. Land owners who want to renovate can not make external changes.

Most of the roads are narrow and there are no sidewalks. This is actually a wide spot.

We walked up about 400 more stairs above our hotel to the post office so we could send post cards to the grand kids.

Bougainvillea grows all over town. It is nicely trimmed to fit the buildings.

There are a few churches in Positano.  There were quite a few natural grotos with statues of saints and fresh flowers.

There are also statues in the gardens.

There were fresco of saints and angels on a few buildings too.

Next is a picture series of doors and windows.  If these don't interest you skip to the last picture.

Not sure I would want to enter this door given the stone head.  Not sure what the owner's message is here.

This hydrofoil is our ride out of Positano tomorrow.  We are headed to Sorrento.  We were glad to hear that it is a little flatter than Positano.

The Rome Photography Blog

Welcome to my Rome Photography Blog.  I will break my blog into three sections, the big attractions, off the beaten path, and the unusual.

Our last trip to Rome was way before photography school and I was hoping to capture some of the classic photos of the big attractions. But as we discovered not only is it hot in July but it is the prime construction season.  Want a picture of Trevi fountain? Too bad, it is drained and scaffold up the face. Oh well, the Spanish Steps are just a short walk away. On arrival be discover the fountain is drained and being sand blasted. The bell towers are scaffold-ed and there are no flowers on the stairs.  The Roman Forum looks like a construction zone, orange barricades and key areas scaffold-ed.  The Palatino hill is a construction zone.  20% of the outside of the Colosseum is scaffold-ed.  They are building a new visitor view platform across 20% of the floor. If you are planning a trip to Rome check for construction.

The big attraction pictures.

This picture captures how I feel after seeing all of the construction.

The Colosseum. Tried my best to hide the scaffold. But you can still see some on the left hand side.

Darkness can hide lots of things.  Since this was a long exposure you hardly notice the 50 plus people who walked through the shot.  There is one ghost on the right hand edge.

Night time is my favorite time to shoot landscapes in a city environment.

Early morning picture of St. Peter's Basilica.  I went out for an evening shot but all of the street lights were out on one side of the street leading up to the plaza. I didn't like that picture so it went to digital heaven. But at least you wouldn't have seen the crane at night. 

Piazza Navona

Castel Sant' Angelo was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family.  The Popes used it as a fortress and castle.

Angels guard the approach to the castle.

A carefully composed picture of the Roman Forum.  If you look carefully you can still see the signs of construction projects.

 Victor Emmanuel Monument was built as a tribute to the first king of a united Italy, Victor Emmanuel II. It is better known as the wedding cake.  It was build out of gleaming white marble.

There are many arches throughout Rome.  This one is by the colosseum.

A view from inside the Colosseum. If you decide you are going to visit the Colosseum buy a ticket at a Forum entrance.  Your ticket is good for both places and you can avoid the long que at the Colosseum.

Palatino Hill

Sun shining into the Pantheon.  I had to HDR this image because of the large contrast in light.  Not quite as sharp as I would like but you can't use a tripod so the images are handheld.

Off the beaten path

Kathy and I got out of the city center on our third day and walked over to Trastevere.  This is one of the oldest parts of Rome. There are great views of the City and St. Peters from the hills.

There were quite a few older cars on the streets in this area.

A wine delivery truck for folks who love their wine.

There were many quaint streets in Trastevere.

There also were some nicely decorated churches. 

Another street scene with a nice home. You can see the owner trimming her plants on the balcony.

The unusual

I am sure there is an iron frame up the sleeve of the fellow on the ground, but they hide it well.  This picture was worth a Euro. 

This Fiat is so tiny. The piece of luggage on back is a little larger than a brief case.  Kathy didn't think I could fit in the door.

Who would have thought you could find a Japanese Garden in Rome.

Well that is all for now.  Tomorrow we are off to Positano. Looks like we might be in for a couple of raining days.
I am hoping to capture a full moon and sunny rays lighting up the buildings.

After we visit Positano and Sorrento I plan to put out another blog.  Kathy has been sleeping for a few hours. It is time for me to join her.  Tomorrow she will point out all of my spelling and grammatical errors and I will edit this blog. Bye for now.