by David | Aug 19, 2007 | culture, photo, travel
This dramatic statue in Ferrara depicts Girolamo Savonarola, a fiery reformist Dominican priest of the 15th century. Still somewhat controversial today, Savonarola organized the “Bonfires of the Vanities” in which Florentines burned their books, fancy...
by David | Aug 16, 2007 | culture, photo, reading & writing, travel
The Italian word of the moment is campanilismo. Translated by BabelFish as “parochialism,” campanilismo refers to local pride or patriotism, sometimes very local. If you ask somebody where she’s from and she says “Boston” or “New...
by David | Aug 16, 2007 | photo, travel
I was talking to a colleague about Italy and he described a sense of unreality visiting there, how every street looks like a movie set and every vista like a postcard, and how it takes a honking car or beeping cell phone to break the spell and re-locate your head in...
by David | Aug 10, 2007 | photo, technology, travel
I sometimes rankle when people ask technical and process questions about how I make photos rather than talking about the aesthetic content. But let’s face it, the photos of late haven’t exactly been art, and it presents an opportunity for some tech notes....
by David | Aug 9, 2007 | reading & writing, travel
Not too long ago, a buddy mentioned in passing that William Gibson had a theory of jet lag postulating that your soul can’t go as fast as a jet and takes some time to catch up with you, causing much discombobulation. I traced this to Gibson’s 2002 novel,...
by David | Aug 6, 2007 | culture, transportation, travel
I bought Rick Steve’s French, Italian & German phrasebook largely because it included that phrase, which means, “if you don’t slow down, I’ll throw up.” Driving on the Autostrade (that’s Italian for “Autobahn” which...
