Jessica has Monday Monty Blogging and Zuzu does some Junebug blogging (although she should do more because I LOVE that dog) and the rest of you feministas have Friday Cat Blogging. I have no cats, and God willing I never will. I have no dog, although I desperately want one. The only thing I’m taking pictures of these days is scenery. But it’s pretty scenery in nice places, so I’ll share. I’m still getting all my pictures organized, and since many of my recent Flickr sets are incomplete, I’ll start with one that’s about a month and a half old: Siena.
Siena is one of my favorite cities in Tuscany. It’s gorgeous — all the buildings are green-shuttered, they have a beautiful main cathedral and a great main square, and it’s smaller and more quaint than nearby Florence. I was there in August, the day after their big horse race, and the winning team was parading around the cathedral. A couple more pictures below the fold, and the full set here.
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I loved Siena. My husband and I once spent a blissful afternoon drinking Cynar and napping on the sun-warmed bricks of the Piazza del Campo.
What wonderful photos! You have a good eye.
Not only do I love going to see St Catherine in all her, uh, glory, I love the pride that seems so evident in Siena. Architecturally, it verges on haughtiness, but every time I’ve been there, I’ve been struck by the warmth of the people and the ambiance of arrogance, if that makes any sense.
And you really do have a good eye.
I visited Siena in college a few years ago and absolutely adored it…the streets, the palazzo, Il Duomo was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes, and there was a pottery shop with a really gorgous cat named Lorenzo who clearly had the run of the place. (I also enjoyed the cats inhabiting the Roman ruins but that’s a different area.)
I wilt with envy!
*incidentally a line from a poem I once wrote*
Having tried Cynar, I find this very difficult to believe. Did you mix it with something?
I’m an atheist, but gosh I love looking at old cathedrals. That one in particular is stunning.
oooh!
I love the quality of the photos. I see that it’s a Panasonic Lumix. Do you recommend it as an “amateur photographer” type of camera? I would like to do some landscape/scenery photography and I’m looking for an ideal camera. Are there advantages/disadvantages to this camera?
The story of the Palio is a trip, saw a documentary on it once and it was great.
Wonderful place. I was there at exactly the same time of year several years ago. Your pictures are great.
I was there at the same time as you! How exciting!
LK-
I do really like my Lumix. I was going to buy a Canon, but the guy at the camera shop talked me out of it, saying that since Panasonic was a newer brand with less name recognition than Canon, you could get a higher-quality camera for the same price. So I went with it, and so far I’m happy. It also has lots of little fun easy-to-use functions and settings — like different settings for candlelight, sunsets, scenery, quick movements, even food and pets. It’s great.
Oh, FINE. I will harass her more frequently with the camera.
And I will get over my seething jealousy of your travels.
Don’t be too jealous — in less than a year I will be chained to a law firm desk.
But yes, I want more Junebug! Harass that dog now!
Beautiful pictures. I love Siena — the narrow medieval streets, the beautiful cathedral (I’m with lindsaypw, except I’m not only atheist but Jewish — still, love the cathedrals, especially in Italy). We stayed in an old palazzo with an owner who spoke no English (allowing me to try out my Lonely Planet Italian) and a wonderful dalmatian.
We didn’t mix, although we alternated with Limoncello and espresso. But I truly do think Cynar is yummy. Maybe it’s an acquired taste.
Great pictures. I lived there for 2 months. Great to see the statue peeking out from behind the curtain is still there.
Siena is such a beautiful place. My (kind of gross) favorite part of the trip was seeing Catherine of Siena’s head (when I saw her body in Rome). Catholism is awesome!
I wish I were in Italy again.
Jill — I couldn’t find your email. I love your photos… I’d like to know: would you mind if I based some paintings on a few of your photos? They are beautiful, and I’ve never been overseas, but I paint cityscapes. You have my email — I can send you examples, if you would like. I would love to use some of these as inspiration, but I would not do so without your permission. Please let me know. I’ll even mail you one.