Well, it has been a long time since I have posted a photo on my blog or on social media that wasn’t an iPhone shot. There are lots of reasons for my absence, but they all sound like excuses to me now. Upon reflection, I think I just fell into a rut and wasn’t feeling overly inspired. I just returned from a three-week trip to Italy and I came away re-inspired. I won’t be posting a lot over the next month or so as I am on the road again, but I am sure that I will be back to normal after I return in late June.
As for Italy, I have fallen in love with the country, landscape and its people. It always had a spot in my heart as my mother’s family immigrated from there. Now that I have explored new parts of it, I am amazed at the diversity of its beauty. From the architecture and history of cities like Florence and Sienna to the quiet streets of small towns in Tuscany to the towering mountains of the Dolomites to the people and canals of Venice to the ruggedness of the Italian Coast, it has something for everyone.
This is my first photo I have edited from the trip. It is one of the five villages that make up the renowned Cinque Terre: Manarola. The views of the Cinque Terre are second to none. The history of how they came to build these villages, starting at the top of these cliffs to protect themselves from invaders (Turks and pirates) is fascinating. Over time, as the threats waned, they began to build their homes closer and closer to the Mediterranean Sea until there was nowhere left to build. When I edited this photo, I wanted to portray an old-world feel to the scene, which I hope I did.