I think it goes without saying but this window dressing amused me ... so much so, that I had to go back and photograph it.

Yes ... I would love to believe that ‘stupid has all the interesting questions’.

Palazzo San Giorgio, GenovaMay 26, 2010

Palazzo San Giorgio was built in 1260, by order of the Capitano del Popolo Guglielmo Boccanegra, for the Commune.  In 1570 it was extended and this frescoed facade, showing Saint George and his dragon, was added. Later, in the 15th century, the palace became the headquarters of the first European bank, Banco di San Giorgio.

Marco Polo was actually imprisoned inside when it was the Customs House, and it was there, or so it is told, that he dictated his…

Night Shoot, GenovaMay 26, 2010

We wandered out to Isola delle chiatte to see what the sun would do to Genova’s lighthouse and ended the evening using the tripod in Piazza De Ferrari, photographing the fountain we love so well.

A sunset stroll turned into 2.5 hours of wandering and photography.
A lovely way to end a day, writes this very happy kiwi from Italy.

Rear-View, GenovaMay 26, 2010

3 days left here and I’m already sad. 

Each day, at least one suitcase rolls along the cobblestones here, reminding me that I have to leave too. So now for the last minute photographs we didn’t get yet ... but wait, there is a train that does Cinque Terre.  Hmmm, perhaps that heavenly section of coast is Friday.

Anyway, the scooter mirror here ... they are everywhere, I’ll miss them too.

Reminiscing the Future ...May 25, 2010

I love the way we can bring the past alive in our present ... recalling the people we loved and lived with, the way that they made us feel.  I find everyone is still there, as solid memories, if I manage to call them up.

7am here in Italy, a cup of coffee from my small traveling espresso coffee-pot and a packet of shortbread-like biscuits nearby ...voila, memories of Nana and pre-breakfast coffees back home at her place, in Invercargill,…

Peter Gage Furlong, Tenor (and lovely bloke)May 25, 2010

I wrote of having ’ exciting news’ over here and then became caught up in living the news ... I’m sorry.  I didn’t actually explain afterwards.

We had had Kathleen come stay with us for a night the weekend before and that was delightful in itself.  Afterwards we had accepted her invitation to come photograph her audition in a place near Viareggio and it was there, that we…

Musical Instrument-Maker, Genova.May 24, 2010

I could have watched these guys work for hours ... well, photographed them for sure.

Artisans Village, GenovaMay 24, 2010

Yesterday, we experienced the pure delight of walking into a tent village of artisans, down at the port, here in Genova.

I took a series of photographs of the musical instrument-makers at work.  Their shop is located at S.S.Matteo 19/18b, I hope to discover a little more about these talented people.  It was beautiful to watch them at work but I was so delighted about the range of artisans present, that I didn’t focus with specific questions.
Details, GenovaMay 22, 2010

The thing about Genova is that you find small details like this as you stroll.

I love the whole discovery thing there.  If you walk with your eyes wide-open or closed, no matter ... you will find beautiful things every place.

Beautiful People, GenovaMay 22, 2010

I know some beautiful souls, and in that tradition, we had the pleasure of spending the last 24 hours in the company of these guys.

Down an Alleyway, GenovaMay 20, 2010

I spun the ISO setting for this photograph.  The light was almost over but this beckoned as I wandered home along Via XXV Aprile.  Laughing, imagining it an impossible fish to land ... well, I like it.

A favourite Stone Lion, San Lorenzo Cathedral, GenovaMay 20, 2010

I took this photograph as the sun left the city, around 8pm ... and up in the top left of the photograph, you can see the sunset light warming the cathedral.  It was exquisite.  I just wish I had a little crane that I could drive around the city and then ride high enough in to get the ideal shots I miss on the ground.

Crazily, light over, we made a mad dash through the complicated alleyways between Via San…

Genova, in ReflectionMay 20, 2010

Today was one of those days… everywhere I looked, there was a photograph.

We chased the evening light for a couple of hours tonight, exhausting ourselves after a day spent walking ... but it’s so good to be out in sunshine and warmth after the long winter of ice and snow.

Carrugi, GenovaMay 20, 2010

The photograph below was taken in one of the many carrugi, or narrow alleyways, that criss-cross the ancient heart of Genova city.

I love them.  You can be constantly lost, although we are getting there ... retracing our steps and exploring a new favourite area in the Maddalena district.

Life is lived up close and personal, so very unlike my New Zealand life in terms of living space and yet, in another way, it reminds me of how known we…

Shop Window, GenovaMay 20, 2010

I was attempting one of those secretive ‘drive-by’ photographs when I took this but a lovely Italian guy spotted my delight.

He led me off to a nearby shop, wanting to show me another beautiful window scene, and then round the corner, pointing to the most exquisite church and telling us we must go in.  The interior, with natural light streaming in, took my breath.  No time to edit those photographs yet.  We have spent almost the entire day walking. …

Perhaps this says it all of Genova ...May 19, 2010

I hoped this guy would forgive me for wanting to photograph him tonight but you can see why ...

He looked exactly as I felt as I turn 360 degrees here in Genova some days.

Genova ...May 19, 2010

I pass this regularly, walking up the stairs and through Porta Soprana here in Genova ...

I don’t take it so seriously, imagining it to be so beautiful that it can’t be real.  I promise to read of it tomorrow but tonight, I set my camera’s ISO to 6400 and took this ... surprising myself with the result.

Fountain, Piazza de Ferrari, GenovaMay 19, 2010

The fountain in Piazza de Ferrari hasn’t been running lately.  Perhaps it’s the wind that blows the spray all over everything but whatever the reason, it means i can hunt down photographs like this by walking in the empty outer pool of it.

I took this tonight, in the last of the evening light. 

Did I ever mention, I love my Canon EOS 5D Mk II?

Kathleen Berger and someplace near ViareggioMay 19, 2010

Never before have I been behind the scenes of that operatic world but Kathleen invited us to Viareggio to hear and photograph her audition ...

A 2.5 hour train ride along the Ligurian coast, past Carrara ... with some of its fabulous marble stacked next to the railroad line.

Returning, we had the surreal experience of sharing a 6-seat train cabin with 2 Catholic nuns, one of whom was reading aloud from a book in the…

Bubbles in Piazza De Ferrari, GenovaMay 17, 2010

I loved this shot of the giant bubble ...

Kathleen Berger, SopranoMay 17, 2010

Kathleen arrived on a train from Pisa yesterday ...

We introduced her to Genova and she, of course, fell in love with this exquisite Italian city.

Last night we had appertivo before eating the most fantastic pizza ... much wine and laughter.

Today it was Nervi before saying goodbye.  A lunch eaten on the edge of the Ligurian Sea ... pesto and gnocchi of course. 

And tomorrow?
Tomorrow we…

Francesco Sepe, MagicianMay 16, 2010

The extraordinary in the everyday, was how I titled this image ...

Imagine, you’re strolling across the beautiful Piazza de Ferrari here in Genova when you meet this exquisite bubble ... floating through the air as if normal.

I found the source, more to follow on the extraordinary Francesco Sepe and his bubbles.

Mr Squirrel and I ...May 16, 2010

How could anyone resist this little bundle of fur and sweetness.

He ate one of the nuts the lovely couple in the park had shared with me, and gazed down from the branch, just out of reach but wouldn’t you agree ... his little eyes are filled with gratitude and love?

You know, the bus to Nervi and the place of the squirrels departs from the steps close by.  We can use our book of 1.10euro bus tickets to ride…

My Camera Gets Up Close and Personal with an Aloe Vera LeafMay 16, 2010

I never realised the aloe vera blades were so exquisite ... or perhaps these are the superior Italian variety?

I feel like a puppy who has found a particularly perfect mud puddle to roll in.

A curious rock formation, NerviMay 16, 2010

There are so many things, here in Italy, that poke my curiousity something fierce ... this rock formation was surely one of them.

Is it volcanic?  And I liked the way the green and yellow plant kind of copies the chaos of the black and white rock spewing out of the hillside.

Here, I find I need both a geologist and a horticulturalist to walk with me.  There are plants I need to know the names of, and a pharmacist…

A Bend in the River, ItalyMay 15, 2010

When I wander, there’s this oftentimes unconscious thing going on ... the thing where I ‘recognise’ something of other places I have loved or lived in.

This bend in the river, in Nervi, reminded me of visiting my Grandma and Grandad in their little cottage in Northeast Valley, Dunedin, but it wasn’t about the house pictured, it was about the river and the wall. 

On spectacularly exciting visits, Grandad would pull out the long wooden ladder and drop it…

Streets of Something Like Gold ...May 15, 2010

Isn’t this beautiful?

It is just one of many covered walkways in downtown Genova.  This one is my favourite.  There is a bank guard with a semi-automatic machine gun stationed halfway along the street, and my idea is that he uses his gun to ‘punish’ the chewing-gum-spitters who have marked some of the other beautiful pavements in the city with their gum. 

On meeting a Squirrel at NerviMay 15, 2010

Gert and I wandered out to the exquisite coast walk at Nervi, near Genova and stopped in at the park ... I was looking for squirrels.

A lovely couple offered to share their nuts with me and voila, Mr Squirrel and I became friends.

More to follow, just posting a snippet from my day.

Clouds and Sunshine on a hill above the Ligurian SeaMay 14, 2010

I had this feeling that the clouds, the sea and the coastline might be interesting if we were to wander out to the look-out on the hill at Boccadasse this morning ... and they were.

I love sitting here. It took us longer than planned to reach it, as Gert is all but crippled by back pain and so, we’re moving more slowly than usual. 

Meanwhile he’s threatening to write a book full of things that I say.  Sometimes…

7am and Working.May 14, 2010

This morning, I was awake and working at 7am ...

Although I should admit that I enjoy working and to spend time working at this pretty little round table in Paola’s kitchen somehow makes the hours pass by in a sweeter way. 

Then again, I could be honest and tell you that it’s almost 8.30am and I feel like I have earned my onion focaccia breakfast and that the light is calling to me ...

Bulk of work…

Genova ...May 13, 2010

I feel things strongly ... powerfully even, and so life is about negotiating this feeling ‘too much’, or it has been.

Here in Italy, specifically Genova, perhaps it’s okay to feel everything as I do.

I mean look ... below is one of the streets here in the city.  This is a street laid with beautiful old stones and you just know that they hold million secrets.  They’re worn, they shine in the rain.  I looked down and like a…

The Lion of San Lorenzo Cathedral, GenovaMay 13, 2010

I love the lions outside San Lorenzo’s cathedral here in the city of Genova ...

The lions rest on either side of the wide entrance stairway, fierce and somehow welcoming.  So much so, that you often see children sitting on their broad backs. 

I went out for focaccia this morning and was distracted by the exquisite light after rain.  Gert smsed an hour later, wondering where his breakfast might be, and I managed to leave the lions and San…

Lovin GenovaMay 13, 2010

I know what it is that I love so much about this wandering life of mine ...

It’s about going out hunting in the early morning light and bringing back treasures like focaccia and photographs of beautiful places seen along the way. 

I do believe I’m a hunter/gathering kind of woman.

I Am Here ...May 12, 2010

Whimsy in Genova ...May 12, 2010

Today was one of those days where we set about finding our place here in this new world.

I called in to catch up with Lorenzo, at cibi e libri, my favourite vegetarian cafe here in the city of Genova.

We bought supplies from here and there, wandered, noted the times of boat trips along the Ligurian coast and then later, we kicked back and enjoyed the sun in Piazza De Ferrari.  It was there that…

Focaccia and the Internet ... my small cup of happiness runneth over in Genova.May 12, 2010

Now I am sure I have arrived in Genova…

I began my day with some of the best onion focaccia in the world, bought from Panificio Patrone di Travaglini Mario e Luca at Via Ravecca 72.

Bliss!

But even more stunning ... Alessandro, at Acquarius Service, in Piazza Fossatello 2R showed us just how simple it is for the traveler to go online while wandering.  I’m light years behind…

Genova ...May 10, 2010

I am going through my photo files of Genova before flying tomorrow. 

For me, packing to leave also means loading external hard-drives and usb sticks ... organising all that I’ll need to work in Genova.

The quiet elegance of this Italian city is something I enjoy immensely.  These covered footpaths, next to roads with everyday buses and cars passing by ... the smooth stone beneath my feet, the arch above my head ... they’re exquisite.  And then there’s the…

Turtles Hanging-Out, Nervi, GenovaMay 08, 2010

These little guys left me bemused.  I discovered them as I wandered through the beautiful park at Nervi, along the coast from Genova city.  They were simply hanging out together ...

I wish someone would pay me to work for me.  There’s so much to do all the time, and along the way, I lose photographs.  Tonight, a quiet Saturday night here in the flatlands of Belgie, I’ve been working my way through photo files.  Istanbul is still there,…

Found while out Wandering one day ...May 08, 2010

I expect it will be the same in heaven ... wandering, camera in hand, finding images like this fishing net drying on a wall in some covered walkway next to the harbour.

Returning to Genvoa ...May 08, 2010

Next week, I will climb the small path at Boccadasse, the one that leads to this view out over the Ligurian Sea ... and restore my winter soul some.

I sat for a long time, watching the storm clouds gather, blocking then releasing the sunlight, not quite sure how to leave my seat there on the hill.
You can see why, can’t you.

A section of wall, Herculaneum, Naples.February 22, 2010

Stunned by the Colours, Herculaneum, NaplesFebruary 22, 2010

Can you imagine how these colours and this ancient art stunned me ... 

What Remains ... Herculaneum, NaplesFebruary 22, 2010

Surviving Vesuvius in Herculaneum, NaplesFebruary 22, 2010

Tonya took me to Herculaneum back in 2009 and we made the most of the quiet peace we found in this less well-known city destroyed by Vesuvius ... although the heat was something else that summer’s day.  She gifted me a book that I would recommend if you want to know more about that event, titled Pompeii and written by Robert Harris, it gives a sense of what happened in those hours when…

A Gift Give-Away - the Angel in RomeFebruary 22, 2010

According to little Miss 5, THE WINNER of the angel photograph is Clara.
Clara, if you want to get hold of me with your postal details, I’ll be happy to mail the angel out to you.
Think about whether you would like the image in matt or glossy finish, and if the 30x45cm format suits you.  I can go smaller if you have something else in mind.

Congratulations and thank you to everyone for adding their names. …

The Exquisite Arcangelo Michele, RomeFebruary 20, 2010

My second favourite Roman ‘citizen’ ... Archangel Michael, created by Raffaello da Montelupo and located in the Courtyard of the Angel, in Castel Sant’ Angelo.

Construction of the castel began back in AD 123, and was intended to house the ashes of Publius Aelius Hadrianus - aka Emperor Hadrian.  I visit everytime I’m in Rome, there is something truly special about the view, the architecture, the atmosphere. 

The Bicycle, GenovaJanuary 31, 2010

I think this image went up on the old blog ... and never quite made it here.

Castel Sant’Angelo, RomeJanuary 10, 2010

Whenever I am in Rome, I always visit Castel Sant’ Angelo, otherwise known as Hadrian’s Tomb.  You see I find the light there exquisite.  I could spend an entire day, maybe longer, just watching the way the light appears to change the shape and colour of this ancient Roman monument.

Hadrian built the castel as his mausoleum, then in 136 he had my favourite Roman bridge built across the Tiber ... a point of entry to his mausoleum.  The castel…

The Cameo-Maker’s Bench, NapoliJanuary 02, 2010

Remembering Genova ...December 28, 2009

Cooking Class, GenovaOctober 12, 2009

Pasquale Larotondo, Italian Soldier, Houthulst Cemetery, Flanders FieldsOctober 02, 2009

Houthulst Cemetery and the Italians, FlandersOctober 02, 2009

I am almost used to the sadness of wandering amongst the graves of the thousands of young men who died during World War One but every now and again, something so sad and unexpected gets me in throat and it’s all I can do not to cry over the ridiculously cruel waste of human life ...

Yesterday, after a meeting to begin work on the next photography exhibition, Marc and I went wandering on Flanders Fields starting with Bookshops (with English books) in Genova.September 25, 2009

The bookshop I love best in Genova is la Feltrinelli Librerie at Via XX Settembre 231R, close to Piazza de Ferrari.  The English section is upstairs and quite varied.  I bought more than a few books while I was there.

FNAC Genova is on the other side of Via XX Settembre, 46R and closer to Brignole Railway Station.  It has a good selection downstairs and upstairs we found small inexpensive speakers for my laptop.  Blank cds, cases and dvds for…

The Ides of March, RomeSeptember 23, 2009

A busy day in Rome ...

The Ides of March is the date Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC ... I wonder what he would have made of all this.

Castel Sant’ Angelo, RomeSeptember 23, 2009

Emperor Hadrian built this favourite Roman building of mine back in 130AD.  His intention was that it would be his mausoleum however it has lived many lives and today, the museum is the first place I visit whenever I’m in Rome. 

Charming GardenersSeptember 09, 2009

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.
Marcel Proust

Thanks to Christine Mason Miller for this beautiful quote and to the charming gardeners I know.

Ancient Rome in Google EarthSeptember 07, 2009

Did you know, Google has apparently created a way for us to go back in time and explore Rome as it looked in 320 AD.

See for yourself: Ancient Rome in Google Earth.

Bella Roma, superb coffee in Rome (with update and details at the end of the post)September 07, 2009

You walk from Castel Sant’ Angelo, over the River Tiber, towards the city and then cross the road at the traffic lights, moving perhaps 2 small streets to your left before disappearing into the maze of back-streets between the River Tiber and Piazza Navona.

Not too far into those streets, you will find the tiny cafe called Bella Roma and if you stop a moment, you can drink the most exquisite coffee, perhaps…

A Taste of Tuscany, Frances MayesAugust 31, 2009

Stepping inside the forno, I’m suddenly surrounded by the warm aromas of just-baked bread.  ‘Welcome back,‘a Cortona woman greets me.  Maybe I look dazed, having arrived last night from California, a twenty-hour ordeal, because she asks, ‘What do you do for jet lag?
  ‘I usually just wait it out.  I’m so happy to be here that I don’t notice it very much - just get up at four in the morning for a few days.  What do you…

Carlotta Mismetta CapuaAugust 19, 2009