Photography
Italy | 2019
This is a collection of my favorite photos taken during my study abroad program in 2019. The program was based in Castiglion Fiorentino, Tuscany.
The most important thing I learned about photography during my time in Italy, is that it’s extremely easy to take stunning photographs when you’re surroundings are already breathtaking.
The photos from Rome were shot on film, all other pictures were shot on a DSLR camera.
Jump to:
Pictured: Burano, Venice, Italy
Tuscany and Umbria
Siena Cathedral, Siena, Tuscany. Something about cathedrals that I was not prepared for before my study abroad program is the sheer magnitude of the buildings. Not only are they large structures, practically every surface is covered in decoration and ornamentation. My favorite aspect of the Duomo di Siena is that from certain angles, the façade appears two-dimensional. I attempted to capture this effect in my photo.
Orvieto Cathedral, Orvieto, Umbria. The Duomo di Orvieto is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary built in the fourteenth-century. However, the feature that stuck out the most to me about this cathedral, the black and white stripes, were introduced five hundred years after its initial construction in the late nineteenth century.
Orvieto, Umbria. Besides bell towers, I was also fascinated by doors. They're beautifully crafted, well maintained, and extremely heavy.
Orvieto Cathedral, Orvieto, Umbria. Another view of the Duomo di Orvieto that highlights the vaulted ceiling. While most cathedrals I visited were adorned in color, the black and white color scheme of this place had the greatest impact on me because of it highlighted the beauty in simplicity.
Temple of Minerva, Assisi, Perugia, Umbria. During my time in Italy, I was obsessed with bell towers. So much so, that I didn't even realize till later that the building to the right of the bell tower is the Temple of Minerva, an ancient Roman temple since converted to a Catholic church. This temple is one of only seven surviving [intact] Roman temples in Italy outside of Rome. That's actually pretty crazy considering how expansive and long-lived the Roman Empire was. The Temple of Minerva was built in the first-century and is one of the oldest building I've ever visited.
Castiglion Fiorentino, Tuscany, Italy. My favorite part about Italy is that, to me, it feels as if the buildings there have always been there. There's an overwhelming sense of permanence in practically every town. This was especially true in my temporary home, Castiglion Fiorentino.
Florence
Duomo di Firenze, Florence, Tuscany, Italy. Also called Santa Maria del Fiore or the Duomo, this is by far, the most breathtaking cathedral I've ever visited. Construction started in 1296 and was completed in the mid-15th-century. This photo focuses on the infamous dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi. Not only was Brunelleschi an amazing architect and engineer, he was also a talented painter. He revolutionized art with his experiments in linear perspective and many of his techniques are still used today.
Giotto's Campanile, Florence, Tuscany, Italy. Another bell tower! It's really quite ironic how much I love bell towers given that I am extremely afraid of heights. Nevertheless, I did climb to the vey top of the campanile to get a shot of Brunelleschi's Dome. This bell tower, in addition with Santa Maria del Fiore and the Baptistery of Saint John, make up the Piazza del Duomo.
Duomo di Firenze, Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The façade of Santa Maria del Fiore. This façade was actually added to the church in the 19th century. The Duomo began construction in 1296, but the original façade, thought to have been designed by Giotto, didn't begin construction till the mid-15th-century. This façade leaned to a more Medieval style and only the lower level was completed. The Medici family had the façade removed in the 1580s as, they felt, it did not match the Renaissance style of Florence. Despite numerous proposals for a new façade, the front of Santa Maria del Fiore remained bare until the new façade, designed by Emilio De Fabris, began construction in 1876.
Florence, Tuscany, Italy Not the typical image that comes to mind when someone thinks of Florence, but something that stuck out to me. Florence is a city full of history. It's been home to the Medici, the fathers of Italian painting Cimabue and Giotto, Botticelli, Donatello, it's the birthplace of High Renaissance painting, and the home of Michelangelo's David. There are countless cathedrals, galleries, and districts that it's often easy to forget that Florence is a modern city where people live and work. So much of the city is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site, that finding "graffiti" is a special occurrence.
Rome
The Spanish Steps, Rome, Italy. A French church, located in the Spanish Square, in the most famous city in Italy. By the time I travelled to Rome, we were halfway through the study abroad program and I was very homesick. The church at the top of the steps, Trinità dei Monti, reminded me of the Mission Concepción in San Antonio, Texas. Trinità dei Monti is definitely more picturesque and it has a fascinating history. Ownership of the church and the area around it has changed hands many times, but to me, it was a reminder of something that felt like home.
Temple of Castor and Pollux, Roman Forum, Rome, Italy. The Roman Forum is the coolest place in Rome you've never heard of. The Forum is the ruins of Ancient Rome, dating back to the 8th century BC. These three columns are all that remain from the Temple of Castor and Pollux, also known as the twins of Gemini. The temple was built to commemorate the victory of the infant Roman Republic over the kings of Rome around 500 BC. Rome was founded by Romulus, the first king of Rome, in 753 BC and was ruled by kings until the birth of the Roman Republic. The Temple of Castor and Pollux is believed to be where the Roman Senate met. I've mentioned the immense scale of cathedrals, but I can't imagine the size of this temple when it was intact. Standing in front of these three columns, one can truly feel the authority that the Roman Republic, and subsequently the Roman Empire, yielded over the world.
Arch of Titus, Roman Forum, Rome, Italy. The Arch of Titus is one of three remaining Roman triumphal arches in Rome. It was built to commemorate the Roman victory led by Titus, the brother of the emperor, in the First Roman-Jewish War in Judaea, particularly the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD. This would be the first of many conflicts between Rome and Judaea. Triumphal arches are a hallmark of Roman architecture and were constructed across the Roman Empire to commemorate and describe Roman victories over their enemies. According to Pliny the Elder, the arches were meant to "elevate above the ordinary world" and while they were a type of monument for Romans, they were a reminder of their power to those that they controlled. The Arch of Titus is the inspiration for the Arc de Triomphe, commissioned by Napoleon, in Paris.
Venice
Grand Canal, Venice, Italy.
St. Mark's Campanile, Venice, Italy. Another bell tower.
View from Rialto Bridge, Venice, Italy.