I'm slowly going through the 2,000 or so shots from my trip to Italy, so I thought I'd share some of the more interesting ones. With so many amazing sights I found it really hard to not take cliche shots of everything, so I gave up and ended up with mostly uninteresting (to everyone but me) shots. [Yes, the Colosseum looks the same in my photos as it does in the 1 trillion others!]

The weather was phenomenal - enough clouds, rain, and sun to keep it interesting always. I've never had a vacation like it - it was an amazing place.

From Rome:

Pentax K10D, Pentax smc P-A 24mm f/2.8

From Ravello, on the Amalfi Coast:

Pentax K10D, Pentax smc P-FA 77mm f/1.8 Limited

I'm trying to get to my favorite 40-50 and include them in a gallery for public consumption. I'll post them here.

--Sean

[Mallee Boy]

Hi Sean,
Those photos bring back many great memories. Our son was married in Positano a few years back and we spent a week in the area.

Your photo of the man fishing on the pier in Positano is taken in front of the hotel where we had the reception.

The memory of the bus ride from Sorrento to Positano and later on to Amalfi will remain with me forever. I have a lot of respect for any heavy transport driver....but our blue bus driver was something else....driving on that narrow road, squeezing between cars & other buses (backing up occassionally)....and talking on the mobile phone the whole way, whilst gesticulating with his other hand in true Italian style....sorta took my breath away!!! God knows what he was using to steer the bus!

Great place, great people, but the food was very one dimensional....we could only get italian... .....surely i don't need to explain that...do I
Cheers
Grant

[carpents]

sean,
these are great. the umbrella blew me away. looked at your profile and we've the same Bday. bad thing is i was getting out of hi-school .........

LOL, well at least you're younger than my parents!

[carpents]

Hi Sean,

I nearly missed this thread, gulp.

Thank you - Two great pictures in one post!

"It was like God moved clouds in and out" So, I should give up my agnostic way of life, start believing and get divine pictures? Nah, I still think you took the pictures, but you are right - the sky in the first one (red umbrella crossing street) is what makes the picture. And Welcome back!

Glad you saw it, and thanks very much.

Give up the agnostic way of life? If I could guarantee you photo weather like I had in Italy, you might consider it! (And of course, if the weather was in fact related to divine providence, it certainly wasn't for my sake!!)

[carpents]

Hi Sean,
Those photos bring back many great memories. Our son was married in Positano a few years back and we spent a week in the area.

I'm glad you liked them!

The memory of the bus ride from Sorrento to Positano and later on to Amalfi will remain with me forever.

We originally considered renting a car. HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!

Great place, great people, but the food was very one dimensional....we could only get italian... .....surely i don't need to explain that...do I
Cheers
Grant

LOL, you're right! It isn't like London or New York City where you're only a subway stop from the next ethnicity.

I do have to say that 'the people' weren't as warm and friendly as (for example) Bermudians. Especially people in 'service' modes - like the incredibly un-helpful fellow at the tobacco shop selling the bus tickets or any of the people at the train station, or even most of the waiters/waitresses. I think they've been criticized for this in the past, but now almost wear it as pride or at least take it as a given. It certainly didn't detract much from the best vacation of my life, but it sometimes had me scratching my head.

[Mallee Boy]

Hi Sean,
Met an Australian couple up on the Positano Bus Stop and naturally started up a conversation. They were looking a little stressed and after a bit of prompting, told us the story.
They had arrived in Naples the previous day, picked up the hire car and headed off for Sorrento...doesn't sound too hard (I had planned to do it myself, but was advised not to by a friend)....within a few miles they had lost one side mirror and picked up a side scrape from another vehicle squeezing into a non-existent lane.
By the time they got to Sorrento they had another dent, the other mirror hanging by a thread and were nervous wrecks.
They parked the car, locked the keys in it, and rang the car rental company to come & collect it.

I understand what you are saying with the people, we found some in Rome a little "full of themselves" but wouldn't let them get away with it (by using a bit of humour), and we got on well. Positano people were simply fantastic, probably helped by the fact we knew someone who lived there.

We were walking through Amalfi when someone stopped us to compliment us on the wedding.....we were stunned....but then I guess they are relatively small communities and everyone knows who is up to what!

Cheers
Grant

[roentarre]

We were inundated with limoncello - which wasn't *that* bad after all!

I bought 7 bottles of Limoncello of various bottling. I still kept 2 bottles kept in my cellar (sure these are not drinkable anymore - expiry date about 1 year or so even in cool temperature) But they look heavenly green! (One bottle leaked and attracted bull ants or some sort in the middle of last year. Sadly the bottle was tossed away)

So you went to the Capri Island as well? Seeing the blue water reflection in the cave? (My trip that time was using film SLR so none of my shots were available in digital format.

[rfortson]

Wow, Sean, these are great shots! I love the first one, especially the way it downloads, the BAM! Red umbrella!

I looked through your album and your shots are stunning. Thanks for posting these.

[Rolly]

You really have a fine "eye" for capturing the mood of a place.
I looked up your pbase gallery and it brought back a million memories.
I spent 5 years in Europe in a motorhome, mostly in Italy but some months in Greece, France and the UK. So I know Italy and it's people quite well. I even learned some of the language in the process. Fortunately I learned to drive "Italian Style" while travelling with a native, so when I came to set out on my own I was well prepared.
If You are heading to Sicily a look at sicilyonline.com is worthwhile. Whilst incomplete, it nevertheless has a more realistic approach than most of the Italian tourist oriented sites.
Thanks for the memories.

[PeterAM]

Love the first two shots. That umbrella really pops the first one; couldn't have been better if you set it up. The second has a beautiful almost painterly sense of color to it. Hope that you are printing these. If it were me, I'd do the first glossy and second on watercolor paper (for what it's worth).
Great work!