These are some pics from around various south-central areas of Italy, from a trip in the mid-nineties. First in Rome, where we (and everyone else who visits) explored the Colosseum and environs. I was intrigued to see the feral cats running about. I remember thinking that cats living among humans have been a common thing for tens-of-thousands of years, and there is no reason why these cats we were seeing could not be direct descendants of pets in the courts of the Caesars during the height of the Roman Empire.Indeed, as this calico princess sits among the ruins of her empire, it's not hard to imagine.
Near the Piazza Navona, in the middle of Roma, we explored the side streets, to finally sit for a beer. It was more than 15 yrs ago (can hardly believe that) - and I can remember enjoying a Leffe beer and snapping this pic of a resplendent floral situation on this little balcony above an entrance. With a bit of virtual exploration, I located the same spot again today (well, StreetView pics from mid -2012) You can see that the palm trees have done well, though the floral diversity is reduced.
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| From StreetView (Jun08 data) |
I can back-project the photo angle, and from another pic on the roll see we were sitting for our beer at the "Antico Caffè della Pace" which I see online has been present on Via della Pace since 1800. It was redecorated in 1900, so I guess we're good.
Along the coast near Amalfi and Ravello, we stopped for lunch. This is one of the pics from the parking lot looking across the landscape into the Mediterranean. What a spectacular area, and the light seemed very magical. Imagine if all parking lots had such views.
We spent some time as well in Umbria, north of Rome - and the weather (which was beautiful for that whole trip I recall) was great for expansive vistas across the green rolling hills. This I believe was on approach to Assisi. Shortly after our visit the region was rocked by a powerful earthquake (Sept 1997)
Off the coast from Napoli, we visited the small Island of Ischia. The notable fortified hilltop fort is a pleasure to see from afar and close up. We wandered it's nooks and crannies, and enjoyed an overnight stay on the little island. Not too far from Capri - but it felt perhaps a bit less heavily touristed (but that's a relative term in this attractive area).
It seems a bit crazy that we can walk willy-nilly on this surface, but it was a highlight of the visit.
More impromptu travelog memories to come as I power through a few thousand slides. This is only about 400 in so far in the #MyOldSlides digitizing project. Comments and questions at @ottaross on Twitter.
