Memories of Firenze, Italy

Florenc Rainy Street water color, originally uploaded by les abeyta.

Our recent trip to Italy, specifically Florence, is captured by many of my photos, but this is one of my favorites. It actually isn't the original photo, but one that came out very blurry that i did some Photoshop work on. The end result is something I am very happy with. I put to Canvas and have framed in my office right now.

This photo was taken on Easter Day and as we were walking the rainy streets, the light and colors just seem so picturesque. What wasn't great was my non-steady hand.

The wet cobbled streets, the umbrellas, the big doors, and couples strolling next to each other came together wonderfully.



This street statue was a classic.  The greatest and funniest cupid.  The girls were a bit timid but they finally went up with him.  Rachael, Andrea and Samantha took the best photo with this Roman god.



This was the night of Easter . . . the rain came down all day and we were on our way from a delicious dinner.  We stopped for a gelato and the lights and wetness seemed right for a photo.  Not many people walking about so i didn't have to stop anyone from getting in front of the lens.  Notice in the top left the universal Coka-Cola.



As we waited to enter Dante's museum in Florence, a child was blowing bubbles . . .





The train station, Santa Maria Novella, was almost a daily destination for us.  This shot of bino 1 and 2 was a perfect reminder of our trip.  From this station (and the bus station) we went to Pisa, Lucca, Greve, Milan, Venezia, Treviso, and Roma.  Click here to see on the map where this photo was taken




This was a daily staple . . . the gelato in Firenze was out of this world.  Some stores were better than others for quality, but definitely something I came to love (and quickly).  The number of flavors far exceeded what Baskin Robbins presents in ice cream.  It is amazing that despite how much I ate, i actually weighed less when I came back . . . helps when you walk a bazillion miles a day!!!  I have purchased some of the US retail versions since we've been back and they do NOT compare to what we had in Italy.



This photo of Billa Market meat deli is indicative of the wide selection of meats and cheeses and wines available.  This was one of my favorite parts of the day . . . walking to the market for the huge variety.  My grandfather would have been in heaven.  The salami and prosciutto was the best!



Scarves were plentiful, but what i love about the markets in Firenze (and Roma and Venezia for that matter), were the endless color combinations everywhere.  I can see where Beneton may have gotten his inspiration from.





Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore as seen from the Piazza Michelangelo where there are incredible sunset views.  This was a special evening sunset and my wife and I decided to jump off the bus after returning from an afternoon in Greve.  We had wine, salami, the sunset, a great view, and each other.  It was a great time to remember - just the two of us.