My Daily Enstallment

A Taste of Italy

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to write about Italy, but I had to tend to my withdrawal from the beauty that is Italia.

Seriously there is not one thing I would have changed about this trip. It was great to see a place so beautiful with 20 other photographers who understand it takes 2 hours to walk a mile with a camera. Yes we really do have to shoot every door, window and knob on the path.

While we flew in Milan, the trip truly started after we boarded the bus to snake our way up and down mountains to our first hotel in Bellagio in the norther lake region of Lake Como. These are a few shots from the village of Bellagio.

The second day we hiked up a mountain to a Castello di Vezio. There was a small village at the top with this very old church on the way to the Castle.

Once we passed the owl on the way to the castle, we found lots of these ghostly figures. Apparently tourists pose for these seasonal plaster sculptures. Once winter hits, these hollow forms are destroyed and the new season will bring new forms to haunt the castle.

Here's a view of the lovely grounds of our second hotel The Majestic on Lago Maggiore.

As I said, I was with 20 other photographers armed with cameras pretty much 24/7. The dining was not only tasty, it was beautifully presented. None of us ate a bite until we'd photographed our food or assisted someone else in lighting or staging the cuisine. I love that all the wine and water is served in beautiful bottles.  This image will be "SEEN" soon in a show in St. Louis.

 Well there's a taste for you. More to come soon:-)

Milan - 1st day | St. Louis Photographer

We are now into our second day in Italy. The trip has been great so far. While the flight was long, it was peaceful and uneventful and provided a squishy little space for about 4 hours of sleep. I awoke to a breath taking view of the sun highlighting the Alps. Spectacular!!!  We must have flown over them for about 15 or 20 minutes.  Talk about grandeur.

 
 We decided to stay in the Sheraton while in Milan. Good choice. It is right off the terminal of the airport, so we literally picked up our bags and walked to our room. Everywhere we go we see decorated elephants.

 

After a brief nap, we caught the train to Cardona, and then a subway to Duomu Cathedral and plaza. This would be the second breath taking view of the trip. I saw pictures of this cathedral before arriving, but there is nothing that can prepare you for the vast size and intricacies.

Mark Twain wrote of this site,

 

“. . .The figures are so numerous and the design so complex, that one might study it a week without exhausting its interest...everywhere that a niche or a perch can be found about the enormous building, from summit to base, there is a marble statue, and every statue is a study in itself....”

 

 I literally stood in the doorway trying to absorb, the immense size and detail. It took approximately six centuries to build this fourth largest cathedral in the world.  However, in it seems it is in a constant state of renewal and renovation. It is not only the statues, but also the stained glass and paintings. I found it to be a mixture of disturbing beauty. Many of the cardinal’s sarcophagi are encased in glass. It seems that if the bodies are skeletal they are revealed, however, if they are still in a state of decay their faces are covered with a silver mask.

 

After our visit to the cathedral we hit the shops and restaurants, for divine food, wine, and café. What more can one ask? Took the train back to the hotel. . .

 

 

. . . for a nightcap in the wine bar.

Today we hope to see Leonardo DiVinci’s Last Supper.