Mark Dong Photography

Tuscany

I started my visit to Tuscany in Florence, where I met  a group of photographers led my Kenny Kim, a well-known Wedding Photographer.  We jumped in a mini-van and set off.

The first place we photographed was  Florence.  I climbed to the top of the dome of the Duomo and took this photograph looking out over the city.  Below you can see the ornate facade of the Duomo with the Dome showing prominently.   That little white top notch at the very top is where I  took these pictures of the city!

From the top of the dome you can also see the Basilica of Santa Croce  (in the small photo below) - a beautiful catholic church - which is the burial place for Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli and Rossini.  Founded by St. Francis himself, it is the largest Franciscan church in the world.

Directly above is a photo of Giotto's Campinali - the bell tower of the Duomo.

On the left is the Ponte Vecchio - the oldest bridge over the Arno River in Florence and the only one not bombed in WWII.  Below that is the Ponte Santa Trinita, a Renaissance bridge and the oldest elliptic arch bridge in the world.  The three flattened arches (ellipses) give the structure its celebrated appearance.

Then it was off to Pisa! 

We stopped in the Gelateria for some Espresso and pastries!

While we were stopped for coffee we ran over to photograph the back streets of Pisa which was quite charming with the river running through it.  

Of course, the most famous image of the city is the bell tower of the Cathedral, known as “ The Leaning Tower of Pisa.”  It is located on the Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square).  

We all wanted a photograph in front of the leaning tower - so we decided to get one all together!  I’m in the middle - the one who is actually standing next to the leaning tower! 

As you can see below, opposite the leaning tower is a large park with a fountain.  It was beautiful after a big rain storm and no one outside!

There were many beautiful courtyards like this one, charming outdoor cafes and, of course, a hair salon.  I had to take a photograph of that!  If you look carefully  at the photograph below you can see the small  round sign above the door says “HAIR."

Then it was off to Lucca!  Lucca is a beautiful little town that is entirely encircled by a very thick wall that is about two stories high. The wall was built to keep invading armies out , but after it lost its military importance, it became a civilian promanade.  The wall is thick enough to ride a bicycle along the top of it!

Lucca had the most delicious food of the entire trip!  I wish we had taken some photographs of the  food  here or all of us wandering through its small streets at night, laughing, and talking all the way back to the hotel.

Lucca had a real “old world” feel to it.  The photograph on the left, where the bicycles are parked, shows you the inside of the wall and the one below that shows you the outside of the wall.  As you can see, everyone rides bicycles or drove scooters around the area.  However, you could only walk or ride a bike inside the town centre!  All motor traffic was prohibited.

This is how beautiful it actually is outside the wall of this charming town.

Occasionally, we would stop along the way, at small towns along the river.  Some of them were extremely lovely, with bright colorful buildings!  

This a video of the peacefulness of the river.  It was so relaxing and refreshing.

Then it was off to the Carerra Marble Quary! We were told that  it took Michelanglo six months to get his marble from this quarry - choose it, cut it, get it down the mountain and back to his home town to carve it.  Everyone came to Carrerra to get their marble, but eventually, the marble was more carefully controlled by the city when the city realized that it’s prize commodity had a limited supply.

You can see that as  you get higher on the mountain the marble turns pure white!  You can’t get past the feeling that you are standing there on the same mountain where Michangelo came to get the marble to make his “David!”  I was awestruck!  We were mostly very quite when we were there - pensive - imagine 12 photographers contemplating the depth of this place - emotionally and historically!

The specialized blades to saw the marble were prominently displayed along with the special hand tools used in the old days!  So was the community fountain provided by Carerra.

At the end, we had our bus driver take a group picture on the steps of a monument made entirely out of Carerra Marble!  The best part was that each of us was a wedding photographer and kept a keen eye on every detail of our circumstances.  We all instinctively went to a place on the steps and took a pose decidely different from anyone else’s  - something we wish all the families of our wedding couples could do without being told!

Then we stopped by Modena to sample the world’s only authentic balsamic vinegar!   If it isn’t made here, it cannot be called “authentic” balsamic vinegar.  The vinegar reduces naturally in time  and it is moved to smaller and smaller casks until it has attained the perfect flavor.  A small one ounce bottle of “authentic” balsamic vinegar (on the left) costs $60 euros.

Then it was off to Parma! We went there to go to the factory that makes the original Parmesano Reggiano cheese (Parmeasan Cheese).  We were told that the local farmer’s send their milk to  this factory and it is here that they begin the process by separating the curds from the whey.  In the photograph on the left you can see the curds hanging from the bar as the whey goes down the drain to another place  where it is used to feed the pigs that are slaughtered to make Parma”s equally world famous Prosciutto.

To the left below is a video of the process of making the famous cheese.  After wrapping and removing the curds to the round forms, they are eventually soaked in brine before they are stored.

The cheese rounds are aged up to 24 months.  The cheese maker comes in with a  hammer to test the rounds.  He can tell by the sound of his taps if the cheese has matured sufficiently to be ready for sale.

On the way back to Parma  from the factory, we stopped along the road to admire a castle on the hill and the vineyeards below it and decided to stretch our legs and walk for little while.  It was great fun to be with so many other photographers eager to do the unusual!

We spent our last days together wandering through the quaint streets of Parma.

We looked like foreign invaders when we all focused in on one thing.  Our leader, Kenny, took this photograph of all of us when he found us all focused in on the same shot!  We loved it!

Parma was clean, beautiful, and colorful and I enjoyed staying there very much.

Finally, I ran off to Venice  for a day by myself. Venice was so close and I wanted to see that city before I left Italy!  So I  bought a train ticket, and left.  It was only an hour and a half train ride.  I arrived in Venice around 11am and  I had until 8pm when the last train for Florence left the Venice station.  I was pumped!  I was finally here!

Traveling on the Grand Canal was thrilling - watching history pass before you.  I saw palaces, houses, restaurants, casinos,  and museums.  And everywhere along the water were the long poles reaching up out of the water, like fingers, where the gondolas woud be docked for the night.

Venice was beautiful in some places and care worn in others.  I marinated in the depth of its history and the miracle of it's creation and continuation in the modern world.

After wandering through the entire city, I found this bench in a small piazza where I sat for a moment to take a break from the long passageways that the Venicians call “ streets." I promised myself as I sat there, that I was coming back someday to spend a lot more time in this beautiful city!