12 October 2009
Amalfi Coast Weekend
I am slowly starting to catch up in pictures, but last weekend (scorsa fine settimana) I went to the Almafi Coast staying in Sorrento at Villaggio Verde, which consisted of little cabins with lots of grape vines, orange, and lemon trees--it was gorgeous. The weather was perfect and warm considering it was the first week of October, but I cannot complain since I was able to get one final dip in the sea before cold weather sets in. Day 1, ended up being overcast and rainy, which was a disappointment, but it was perfect for travelling to Pompeii, the ancient Roman city forever preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and for travelling to Naples to enjoy some delicious pizza.
06 October 2009
Veneto
I took a little trip to Veneto (Verona and Venice) on the last weekend of September with my housemates. Verona was such a beautiful place, but I unfortunately forgot to bring the battery for my digital camera, so I only have black and white film from the day there. We visited the Colosseum there, which was breathtaking and we spent a lot of time walking around the crowded streets. As quaint of a place it is, it seemed, in my opinion, more crowded than Florence is normally and the fact that they overexaggerate the fact that Romeo and Juilette is based out of Verona and it because of it, it becomes quite the tourist trap.
Venice however, may be my favorite city in Italy. Yes, I did not spend much time there and yes, we ran through it very quickly, but I would love to go back and explore the museums and the galleries, but the lighting on the narrow streets and canals was beautiful and that it just the thing for me to be inspired to take lots of pictures, since I am obsessed with lighting. It was a bit expensive, but I ended up taking a Gondola ride, which I am glad that I did.
Minus being sick the whole weekend, I had a good time. Venice is everything I hoped for it to be and I wish I could have spent more time taking pictures. Is it wrong for me to love it based on the beautiful lighting? I hope not. Piazza San Marco was also extremely gorgeous. I love the combination of architecture throughout it (Gothic, Renaissance, etc.) and all of the mosaics in the St. Mark's Basilica.
If I end up being able to go back there, I would love to check out the Venice Biennale, the contemporary art museum, and the Peggy Guggeinheim house. I can't wait to see the film I shot.
01 October 2009
23 September 2009
Futurism in Photography
After a semester of Futurist manifestos and writings, I am finding that it is coming back to haunt me, but surprisingly not in a bad way. Just when I thought I had retained just about nothing from my studies, I find that the Museo Nazionale Alinari della Fotografia, is located around the block from my apartment, just reopened after being closed all summer, and is featuring an exhibit on Futurism in Photography.
And suddenly it all came back.
It's funny to think of futurism in a photograph. After all Futurists wanted to capture movement, so isn't it ironic to use a medium that "freezes time" to express the philosophy of an entire artistic movement? Futurism was an escape from social and artistic conventions that held society down--an escape from the mentality before and during the war. The Futurists wanted no part of the past and it was evident in their work.
The exhibit is on display from September 17 to November 15th. The museum is small, intimate, and probably one of my favorite museums to date. It is serving as a reminder for everything I still need to do and more importantly a reminder of photography being what I love to do.
And suddenly it all came back.
It's funny to think of futurism in a photograph. After all Futurists wanted to capture movement, so isn't it ironic to use a medium that "freezes time" to express the philosophy of an entire artistic movement? Futurism was an escape from social and artistic conventions that held society down--an escape from the mentality before and during the war. The Futurists wanted no part of the past and it was evident in their work.
The exhibit is on display from September 17 to November 15th. The museum is small, intimate, and probably one of my favorite museums to date. It is serving as a reminder for everything I still need to do and more importantly a reminder of photography being what I love to do.
22 September 2009
Cinque Terre
One of the first trips we took around Italy was to Cinque Terre. Minus the fact that I have been to Boracay in the Philippines, it is definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. When you see the ocean there, you can understand exactly why there are 3 different ways to say blue in Italian.
The "five lands" are comprised of Monterosso al mare, Varnazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. We started in Riomaggiore (where the above picture was taken) where we stopped for a quick snack and cappuccino. Riomaggiore was comprised mostly of small shops and picturesque houses in a variety of colors--I thought to myself about how I could live here the rest of my life and just create things.
Next, we took the walkway called "via dell'amore" to Manarola, which we skip heading to the port town of Vernazza. There we take our first dip in the beautiful, clear blue, and extremely salty Meditteranean sea.
After lunch, we finally head to Monterosso, where we finally experience the type of beach we want minus the sand. So, to digest, we lay our towels onto the rocks and sleep as comfortably as we can with a few more dips in the sea to cool off.
The "five lands" are comprised of Monterosso al mare, Varnazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. We started in Riomaggiore (where the above picture was taken) where we stopped for a quick snack and cappuccino. Riomaggiore was comprised mostly of small shops and picturesque houses in a variety of colors--I thought to myself about how I could live here the rest of my life and just create things.
Next, we took the walkway called "via dell'amore" to Manarola, which we skip heading to the port town of Vernazza. There we take our first dip in the beautiful, clear blue, and extremely salty Meditteranean sea.
After lunch, we finally head to Monterosso, where we finally experience the type of beach we want minus the sand. So, to digest, we lay our towels onto the rocks and sleep as comfortably as we can with a few more dips in the sea to cool off.
17 September 2009
And So it Begins
Arriving in Italy was an adventure in itself. I decided to fly into Rome and then take the train to Florence. I had not slept at all on my connecting flight from Dublin--I was tired, hungry, thirsty, and did not know even one word in Italian. First, I had to take a train from the airport to the main station Roma Termini, then I had to figure out where to buy a ticket and the difference between track numbers and train numbers in Italian, which wasn't really that obvious. At many points I wanted to give up because it was even more difficult to find people who spoke English.
The train took about 2 and a half hours. Luckily I was able to sleep and thankfully these Italians sitting across from me helped me out even though we had no idea what we were actually saying to each other. My next battle would be to find the hotel we were staying at for the first two nights--Hotel Villani. Basically, I traveled ill prepared and ill equipped. The only thing I did manage to do properly, was pack extremely light, but I had a crappy walking directions from Google maps and an address to get me to where I needed to go.
After walking around for 10 minutes or so getting frustrated and overheated trying to find street names, or at least something from my map to get my bearings, I came upon the Duomo. I looked up, stopped dragging my suitcase and forgot about how miserable my journey had been up to this point.
Eventually I gave up. I stopped for help, but none of the directions seemed to make sense. So, I found a taxi stand, gave him the address, and relaxed. The hotel ended up being on an extremely small street that runs parallel to the Duomo. I more or less felt like an idiot, but honestly, I never would have found it, so it was better that way.
These pictures are from the hotel roof a little after I arrived. The lighting was gorgeous and these were the first pictures I took in Florence--the pictures that have reinspired me to be productive again.
The train took about 2 and a half hours. Luckily I was able to sleep and thankfully these Italians sitting across from me helped me out even though we had no idea what we were actually saying to each other. My next battle would be to find the hotel we were staying at for the first two nights--Hotel Villani. Basically, I traveled ill prepared and ill equipped. The only thing I did manage to do properly, was pack extremely light, but I had a crappy walking directions from Google maps and an address to get me to where I needed to go.
After walking around for 10 minutes or so getting frustrated and overheated trying to find street names, or at least something from my map to get my bearings, I came upon the Duomo. I looked up, stopped dragging my suitcase and forgot about how miserable my journey had been up to this point.
Eventually I gave up. I stopped for help, but none of the directions seemed to make sense. So, I found a taxi stand, gave him the address, and relaxed. The hotel ended up being on an extremely small street that runs parallel to the Duomo. I more or less felt like an idiot, but honestly, I never would have found it, so it was better that way.These pictures are from the hotel roof a little after I arrived. The lighting was gorgeous and these were the first pictures I took in Florence--the pictures that have reinspired me to be productive again.
Ciao from Firenze
So my Italian adventure has begun and I have been here for 3 weeks now. It is more beautiful than words can describe and I have been completely re-inspired after a summer of creating absolutely nothing. One of the things I love the most about Italy are the windows. There are so many windows on every house and they project so much light into all of the high ceiling rooms making the most picturesque scenes. I could sit at my desk all day and just stare out at Terracotta rooftops listening to the sounds of the city and trying to understand conversations with the little Italian I know and am slowly learning.
The Duomo is down the street from my apartment. It is gorgeous. I pass the Ponte Vecchio on the way to class and I go running past the Uffizi along the river. Sometimes I forget I am here to study. It feels more like a dream vacation than anything, especially when the past 2 weekends here I have travelled to Cinque Terre and Elba, sun bathed and swam in the ocean, just to come back to the cobblestone streets of Firenze.
The city makes more and more sense everyday and I am learning more and more Italian everyday, which is a great help. You'd be surprised at the amount of people who don't speak English, but it's getting easier. One of the most difficult things about the language barrier was going to the grocery store on the first day--it's hard to cook for yourself every day when you can barely read the packages. I will update again soon, now that I am beginning to organize my photos.
The city makes more and more sense everyday and I am learning more and more Italian everyday, which is a great help. You'd be surprised at the amount of people who don't speak English, but it's getting easier. One of the most difficult things about the language barrier was going to the grocery store on the first day--it's hard to cook for yourself every day when you can barely read the packages. I will update again soon, now that I am beginning to organize my photos.
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