Bobthenavigator: Loved your photos. You have an excellent eye for the interesting photograph.

My website, Italy page:
http://www.travelswithdiane.homestea...ardsItaly.html

I'm planning to head to Italy again in spring. Can't wait!

What a wonderful thread! Thank you all so much for sharing your memories and photographers. We are making our first trip to Italy for our May/June honeymoon, and this gives us a taste of what we will experience!

In no particular order:

1. Standing on the Accademia bridge over the Grand Canal in Venice, looking toward St. Mark's and the church on the island across the canal from St. Mark's. The buildings are all really colorful, but you need a warm afternoon sun at your back and a clear day to really show it off.

2. Standing on the Duomo in Florence, with the Campanile in the background and looking down the Arno valley.

3. Walking up Via dei Cipressi in Montepulciano to go to San Biagio. San Biagio becomes framed by the walls of cypress trees on either side of the road. Enter from the road that links Pienza with Chiusi/Chianciano.

4. The main street (Corso Italia?) in Perugia, looking toward the Pinacoteca.

5. Sunset from the top floor of Hotel Dania in Capo di Sorrento, looking across the Bay of Naples toward Naples and Ischia. Just watch the orange sun set across the red sky.

6. Standing the Forum of Pompeii, looking toward Mt. Vesuvius. In this particular instance, a thunderstorm was coming up from the south (Vesuvius is to the north), so it was dark in Pompeii but the sun was shining -- highlighting -- Vesuvius.

7. The postcard-staple shot of Positano on the Amalfi Coast, looking across town from south to north. It helps if all of the flowers are in bloom!!!


With the exception of the first one, I can scan any of these pictures if you want more detail....just email me.

At the risk of making this thread even longer, I will offer my favorite because it hasn't been mentioned. Driving into Heiligenblut on a late summer afternoon, coming south on the Grossglockner highway, with a slightly hazy atmosphere. Looking toward town, with the cathedral steeple more or less in the center of the photo and the mountains overlapping each other into the distance - an incredible view. I liked it so much that I had the photo enlarged to 20 by 30 inches and mounted it on the wall of our homw.

Diane, your cards are gorgeous !

Thank you, Bob. No question about it -- travel can be a wonderful passion. As far as photography is concerned, we are never at a loss for interesting subjects, from people to architecture, different times of day, different seasons, beauty is all around us. I use a number of travel related inscriptions on the backs of my cards. My favorite is, "The world is a book, and those who stay at home read only a page." How true.

The most striking scene I remember from my first trip to Italy this past August was getting off the vaporetto at the Zattere stop my first afternoon in Venice. I was lugging basically everything I owned along with me, but was struck by my first view of the tiny canals and all the colors. The blue green water against the reddish orange buildings were beautiful.

http://homepage.mac.com/jcolem2/.Pic...D0022311D9.jpg

Second place is tied - my first view of the grand canal, and my first look at the Trevi fountain (stumbling upon it accidentally my first day).

http://homepage.mac.com/jcolem2/.Pic...72022311D9.jpg

Oh! And the pink Palazzo Ducale as the sun was starting to set...beautiful. Honestly, I was in Rome for 5 nights and Venice for 2, but I think I took MANY more pics in Venice.

A link to the overall site:
http://homepage.mac.com/jcolem2

There are so many in Italy....but I would have to say the two that are my favorite are:

1) View overlooking Amalfi Coast from atop Villa Rufolo in Ravello

2) View from top of town in Atrani, looking down to beach - the water is gorgeous (green, clear, blue, amazing!)

Bob the Navigator,

I just went through your photos. They are stunning! Thank you for sharing.

Loved the one of you shaving..... ;-)

DM

Grazie mille DM,
Everyone assumes that is me in the window--but who was taking the photo?
Fact is that is my friend, Frank, and he was not posing. It was 1996 at Casanova Pescille near San Gim. We had 6 couples there--all were our friends.

tdyls:
The main street in Perugia is called Corso Vanucci. And you are right, it is one of the most beautiful streets in Umbria (in my humble opinion.)

At the end of Corso Vanucci, in Piazza Italia, you can look over the edge of the wall to see a breathtaking view of the umbrian hills and valleys below.

*sigh* I love perugia.

I believe the ISLE OF CAPRI is the most beautiful place in Italy. Capri was the vacation spot of the ancient Romans and it is magnificent!

The Rockefeller Foundation owns some property above Bellagio. A guided, walking tour of it in the afternoon provides a beautiful view overlooking the hillside gardens in the foreground with Lake Como and the mountains in the background: http://www.pbase.com/mike_buckley/image/27684598

When the late afternoon sun is shining from the side at St. Peter's square, one of the Bellini fountains looks like a fountain of sparkling jewels: http://www.pbase.com/mike_buckley/image/27684594