Monthly Archives: November 2015

Positano

Positano has rightly been described as a town of cliff dwellers because it seems to defy the laws of gravity, with buildings connected via stairway after staircase. There are no flat roads. In the 1950s author John Steinbeck, who is more generally associated with Monterey, Salinas, East of Eden, and The Grapes of Wrath, wrote a travel article for Harpers Bazaar magazine that included this memorable line: “Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone.”

Positano © Harold Davis

Positano © Harold Davis

We are here on the cusp of autumn. Most of the hotels and restaurants are already closed for the season. But the warm and sunny Sunday weather has brought crowds from Sorrento and Naples, and for me a swim on the beach along side of kids kicking balls, and couples enjoying a last snuggle in the sun before winter sets in.

As Steinbeck wrote, this place is like a waking dream, and I expect to cherish my time in Positano through the days of winter that lie ahead.

About the church and photo: Made from the balcony of my room just after sunset, this image shows the church of Santa Maria of Assunta from behind. The church features a black icon of Mary from the 1200s, supposedly stolen from Byzantium by pirates. A terrible storm came up, and the pirates heard the icon moaning and saying “Put me down, put me down”—“Posa, posa!”

The pirates landed the icon and settled in Positano, which took its name from the words of the statue. E.g., “Posa” became “Positano.” Or so they say.

Made with my Nikon D810, 28mm, 30 seconds at f/9 and ISO 200, tripod mounted, and minimally processed in Adobe Camera RAW and Photoshop.

Posted in Digital Night, Italy

Gardens of the Villa San Michele

At the end of the 1800s an eccentric Swedish physician with aristocratic connections, Axel Munthe, began work on his “dream house” on the island of Capri in Italy. The location was a ledge about 1,000 feet above the town of Capri, and adjacent to the small village of Anacapri.

Gardens of the Villa San Michele © Harold Davis

Gardens of the Villa San Michele © Harold Davis

As time went by, Dr. Munthe’s Villa of San Michele attracted artistic and titled guests. In 1929, Dr Munthe wrote The Story of San Michele, and published his book in English. The Story of San Michele became, somewhat improbably, an international bestseller and helped to put Capri on the map. The general style is anecdotal regarding the people who lived on Capri Island, and also fabulist with a touch of magical realism.

Reading The Story of San Michele as a child gave me a sense of the magic of Capri that I continue to feel during my visit to this magical island despite the obvious impact of the hordes that visit during the season (fortunately, we are here off season!).

When Axel Munthe died in 1949, he left the Villa of San Michele to the Swedish government, with the hope that it would be used to foster good relations between Sweden and Italy, and also that the people living and working on his estate would be allowed to remain. Today, the Villa and the surrounding gardens are a museum—and, as you can see, the gardens are incredibly beautiful.

Posted in Italy

Courtyard in Naples

Glancing through the huge double-doors, I saw this courtyard in old Naples. Boldly I stepped through the doors, and iPhone held high like any tourist made this image, which I processed on my iPhone using the Waterlogue app.

Courtyard in Naples © Harold Davis

Courtyard in Naples © Harold Davis

Posted in iPhone, Italy

Antipasto

I had this mixed antipasto at Campagnola, a classic Neapolitan trattoria in the heart of old Naples. The dish was incredibly delicious. Words simply cannot describe the sensuous lusciousness of food like this.

Antipasto © Harold Davis

Antipasto © Harold Davis

Posted in iPhone, Italy, Photography

Coming into Naples

Coming into Naples, an incredible snarl of traffic. This is take-no-prisoners driving, and really kind of fun to watch in a madcap way. Particularly since it wasn’t me driving.

Bay of Naples © Harold Davis

Bay of Naples © Harold Davis

We were met at the train station by Fabio, our unflappable driver, and Lavinia, our wonderful guide. They drove us to the heights above Naples to photograph the great Bay of Naples as the sun was setting (you can see Vesuvius the volcano in the photo).

Naples is a fascinating, noisy, incredible, and underrated city. It is the most densely populated city in Europe. There are some wild and wonderful things to photograph near our hotel, which is located in the heart of the old city. I am glad to be getting to know Naples a bit, but think it would take much time to really understand this city.

Posted in Italy, Landscape, Photography

Orange Juice on the Cinque Terre Trail

Yesterday I slept in, which felt great after the jet lag from the nine hours difference in time with California. After the intensive orientation to Cinque Terre of the day before with a great professional guide, my group was on their own, happily pursuing individual agendas and itineraries. In the mid-morning, I started on the Cinque Terre Trail from Monterosso-al-Mare on the Ligurian Coast of Italy. My destination was Vernazza, the next town south along the coast in the “Five Lands” (Cinque Terre).

Orange juice on the Cinque Terre Trail © Harold Davis

Orange juice on the Cinque Terre Trail © Harold Davis

Considering how many people hike this trail, it was surprisingly rugged, with a great many ups and downs to traverse the steep headlands. At about the half way point I came upon the gentleman shown above. He’d run a power cable from above in the vineyards, and was squeezing fresh orange juice at two Euros the glass (about $2.20). A very refreshing break along the trail!

Lunch in Vernazza © Harold Davis

Lunch in Vernazza © Harold Davis

When I got to Vernazza I had a yummy seafood salad lunch in an elegant restaurant on the piazza by the harbor, then stayed to photograph the picturesque town itself. All images made with my iPhone 6s.

Vernazza © Harold Davis

Vernazza © Harold Davis

Posted in iPhone, Italy