• Members 2185 posts
    March 24, 2025, 2:27 p.m.

    Ariosto

    Ludovico Ariosto, was a famous Renaissance Poet, who was born in Reggio Emilia. The FAI, a sort of Italian National Trust, opens places that are normally closed to the public or are difficult to visit once a year in Spring. I was able to visit the Summer country residence of the Ariosto family, now in the grimy outskirts of Reggio Emilia, on Sunday. It was unfortunately a guided tour and I managed to get onto the last tour of the day. I slipped ahead of the tour to get some uncluttered shots ( I was in a group of thirty) of the most interesting rooms, that are frescoed.

    I used two cameras, one with the 14-30 and the other with the 28-400. I like having two bodies as I do not waste time changing lenses on these tours where seconds count, if you want some decent pictures.

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    I caught a deserted moment for the exterior.

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  • March 26, 2025, 9:08 a.m.

    The magnolia in the back yard is coming along nicely!

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    It lives in a sheltered environment. Other places I have lived, where there was an abundance of magnolia trees, suffered from gusts of wind that brought the blooms down within days of their maturity. If 2025 is like former years, we should have weeks of pleasure from this tree.

    David

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    JPG, 5.4 MB, uploaded by davidwien on March 26, 2025.

  • April 6, 2025, 10:12 a.m.

    I was up early this Sunday to witness the start of the 42nd Vienna Marathon at 9:00 am, in which 43,000 runners competed. The weather had suddenly turned cold: from 19° C on Saturday, the temperature dropped to 0° C, accompanied by a bitter northwest wind. Pictured is the start of the race, as the runners come over the Reichsbrücke (Republic Bridge) over the River Danube.

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    The winner was Haftamu Abadi from Ethiopia. At 21 he is the youngest winner ever in this event. The freezing weather defeated the favourites, but Haftamu was smart enough to wear ear muffs and extra clothing! This is him at the end of the race -- a screenshot from the computer.
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    David

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  • April 8, 2025, 7:30 p.m.

    The Magnolia in the back yard reached its peak display on Sunday:

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    David

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    JPG, 3.0 MB, uploaded by davidwien on April 8, 2025.

  • April 8, 2025, 7:39 p.m.

    You never know when you are going to discover a memorial plaque in Vienna. This one commemorates the composer Antonio Salieri, who died 200 years ago this year. He may be best-known today for his part in the film Amadeus about Mozart -- not all of which is based on fact. He lived and died in the house that stood on the same spot as the present one, not far from the cathedral in the centre of the city.

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    On the same day, I rediscovered this little cut through to Michaelerplatz:

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    Go through the archway at the end of the lane and you come across the remains of an early 19th century house (foreground) with Roman remains in the background:

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    David

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  • May 4, 2025, 12:13 p.m.

    About two months ago, on the first page of this thread, I showed lines being installed for a new tram route. At that time, the work had stopped when it arrived at the main artery that the route crosses.

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    There things stayed, until recently, when the road was closed and more rails were laid. Sharp eyes will notice that they are not any more straight or flat than the previous ones! Half of the main road is still out of action.

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    David

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  • June 8, 2025, 9:26 a.m.

    On Friday I took a walk along Herrengasse in my adopted hometown of Vienna. It starts at the Opera and passes through several squares. In April I had tried to take some photos in Josefsplatz, which was rather cluttered at the time. This is a view of one of the entrances to the Austrian National Library.

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    The best shot I had there that day was this one:

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    But the other day I was interested in a doorway on the other side of the square. This is was made famous in the film The Third Man, starring Orson Wells. The tourists continually walking past perhaps do not know this black and white classic movie made shortly after WW2, when much of Vienna was not yet rebuilt.

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    Continuing along Herrengasse, there is a nice view of the tower of St. Michael's Church:

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    We pass through Michaelerplatz. I took this view three months ago. Herrengasse is the left street. The bank was designed by Alfred Loos c. 1912. To the right, barely visible, is St. Michael's church, and the garret window in the top right hand corner is where Joseph Haydn was housed by a generous family after he had been kicked out of the cathedral choir when his voice broke.

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    Just up Herrengasse I came across something on the sidewalk that I had not seen before: it is probably recent. Similar plaques, called Stolpensteine (stumbling blocks) are found all over the city.

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    Translation:

    1938–1945: AS JEWS ROBBED – EXPELLED – MURDERED

    In memory of the District Inspector of the Gendarmerie, Karl Halaunbrenner, born 10 June 1881. He was arrested on 12 March 1938 [only one day after the Anschluss, when Germany anexed Austria], for his Jewish origins and his anti-Nazi stance and deported to Dachau. On 22 December 1938, he was murdered in the Buchenwald concentration camp.

    In memory of the victims and in recognition of the perpetrators.

    On the other side of the street is the Café Central. Before WW2 this was a meeting place for intellectuals. There is always a queue outside of people wanting to find seats.

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    David

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  • June 10, 2025, 1:45 p.m.

    There are downsides to living in a beautiful city: the worst of them is the constant rebuilding work. Hiding behind the scaffolding, which will be there long after the summer is over, is the Hotel Bristol, just opposite the State Opera House:

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    David

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  • June 24, 2025, 5:03 p.m.

    I posted a photo in this thread when I first noticed the roadworks on 28 Feb 2025.

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    By 12 Mar it looked like this:

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    With the promise of completion of the job in June:

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    Notice the absence of workmen. This was typical: no actual work was done for weeks and most of the activity took until a week or so after the promised date to "complete". Today (24 June) I show the almost finished job. (Note that in the interim I have taken over 700 photos.)

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    The net result is the provision of a wide cycle path, which receives little use, a narrowing of the road to one lane (it become two lanes again a bit further up the road) fancy zebra crossings, and traffic lights, which many cyclists and walkers ignore.

    I think it is brilliant!

    David

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  • Members 555 posts
    June 26, 2025, 10 p.m.

    I live now in a small "city"... 2200 inhabitants living in 4 different separated places or bourghs :-D
    It's outside Turin, the first town at the entrance of the Susa Valley, just on the starting slopes of Mount Musiné.
    It's the right Pillars at the valley entrance.

    § Here, the left pillar with the "Sacra di San Michele" abbey, where the Savoy Kings are buried. On the RIGHT > my "Solitaire" friend on the Musiné slope. In the back, the Moncenis pass toward France.

    Susa Valley dreaming in the sunset

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    ...and, yes! on both sides there is a castle!

    The old bourg is centered on the church.... from the church side, a steep stair goes up 150mt to the castle.

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    The old road passing through the center and coming down from the castle hasn't changed much, even if they have rebuilt many of the old houses.
    Roma street for you!!

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    A new road was built at the beginning of the '900 replacing a horse/mule path. It climbs from outside the center, 40mt from my house, and goes up to the top of the hill. Then passing down and in front of the castle, joining the old road that was going to the other villages at the back of the mountainside.

    On the junction in front of the castle entrance, a brand new modern square was set 50 years ago with a cascade fountain in the farthest part. The fountain had been working for only a few years after its start. 5years ago it was dismissed. The lower part is now a stand for events.
    § Here, the lower and the higher part of the fountain 😇

    That's my point of view

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    ... and ... about the castle ??

    Of course!!

    Let me show you the Mount Musiné & Caselette & its Castle !!! ... in its Full Glory 3/4 of the town, 'cause the other 1/4 is on the back of the hill!

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    Castle Counts Cays

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    (don't forget to put a crow... )

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    OK, I give you more crows

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    Well, yes... we have as well ... some very unusual clouds being at a valley start 🙄

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  • Members 1729 posts
    June 27, 2025, 6:12 a.m.

    Indeed - a really nice detail with great colors!

    Very nice scenery and mood! It's fascinating how small old towns can be. Around here the smallest official town has around 400 inhabitants. It's an exception however... usually most towns are upwards of 10.000 inhabitants at least.

  • Members 1729 posts
    June 27, 2025, 6:15 a.m.

    Some captures from the only famous and (for the area) sizeable town around here: Innsbruck

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  • June 27, 2025, 9:07 a.m.

    Very nice pictures of Innsbruck — not the usual suspects. I detect a Swiss influence in the last photo!

    I think I‘ll take the Canon R6 out today again...

    David