Italian Journey Part Two

 I finally get round a few more the images from the trip in May. From Cortona we went on to Florence and the these shots are taken in and around this great city.

The Loggia dei Lanzi

View of the Duomo from the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio

Santa Croce and The Arno from the tower of the Palazzo vecchio

Looking west along the Arno from the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio

Piazza della Signoria from the Plazzo Vecchio

Brunelleschi's famous dome from the Palazzo vecchio 

The Duomo from the Palazzo Vecchio

The splendour of Santa Croce viewed from the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio

Summer in Florence at the Ponte Vecchio

Back street window, Florence

Picturesque doorway, country lane, Florence

Walking the country lanes of Florence, south of the Arno. This is Via di San Leonardo and Villa Spelman. 

View west across the Chianti hills from near the Torre del Gallo, south of Florence.

Italian Journey Part One

 Time seems to be flying by this year, with little left to catch up with my blogs. I have been taking a little time this week to catch up with some outstanding posts. Here is a selection of images from a visit to Tuscany in May of this year.

Sunset in Pisa, the late evening glow reflected in the still waters of the Arno.

A panorama of the Val di Chiana from the walls of Cortona, Lake Trasimeno can be glimpsed in the distance.

The Etruscan walled hill top town of Cortona, perched high above the Val di Chiana, Tuscany.

In Tuscany every lane is an adventure, new vistas await at every turn.

The ancient olives are like figures in conversation.

The narrow streets and ancient high walls of Cortona glow with heat and light on warm summer evenings.

The Church of Santa Maria Nuova, designed by Vasari, glows in evening sunlight.

The hills of Umbria viewed from the the walls of Perugia.

Perugia, another hill top town of ancient walls.
 

A school outing, Perugia

Local pottery, Perugia

Piazza IV Novembre, Perugia

The ancient aqueduct in Perugia is now an old town walkway.

A sudden afternoon thunderstorm moves away at sunset, the sun breaks through the fast moving clouds to spread golden light across the Val di Chiana.

After sunset the clouds still retain the warm afterglow.

Next day, after the storm, the air is crisp and clear, the Tuscan countryside vibrant green, dust washed away by the storm.

The hills around Cortona offer wonderful views of Lake Trasimeno.

The roadside shrine at Bramasole, made famous in the book "Under The Tuscan Sun"

Le Celle, a hermitage nestled in the hills near Cortona, a beautiful serene spot where St Francis of Assisi used to retreat to a small cell carved out of the hillside.

Le Celle, where the air is filled with birdsong and the sound of running water.

At sunset in Cortona, the air is filled with the calls of swifts as they dart and swoop through the air.

Travels in Ireland Early 2014

Two recent trips to Ireland produced a selection of images:

These amazing lenticular clouds in a pile d'assiettes stack of plates formation had formed over the Wicklow Mountains, south of Dublin and were captured whilst driving down towards Kilkenny,

March 2014.

I love the starkness of this tree, caught by a patch of daylight filtering down through thick pine forest.

Sunlight, rainbow and storm over a fast flowing River Suir near Cahir in late January

Beautiful soft green woodland captured in the Galtee Mountains, Co. Tipperary, January 2014

January also brought storms and strong winds as a series of lows swept across Britain and Ireland

the next three images capture one of the stormy days seen across Dublin Bay.

Sunlight and Storm, Dublin Bay

March saw calmer weather but still rapid changes of light on the coast, this is Howth Harbour, north of Dublin on a late March afternoon.

The waters of Dublin Bay seen from Sandycove Point near the Forty Foot, a well known bathing place, and the James Joyce Martello Tower.