Where to photograph in Rome / Florence?

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Kris
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Hello

I am off to Italy tomorrow on my honeymoon! Woo! Can anyone tell me where there are any good photography spots. I like land / sea scapes especially at night!

I will be flying into Pisa, stay there for a day, be in Rome for a week and then off to Florence for a couple of days too!

Any ideas / locations would be awesome!

Thanks :)
 
It's your honeymoon.. leave your mistress camera at home.. ;)
 
Assuming that you're not otherwise engaged, ;) I like some places I try and get some pics at when I've visited Rome. (I was there a month ago :D)

I love the Pantheon, and it is always the first place I visit, and try to visit many times while I'm there, looking for 'the' picture. It can be very busy, but occasionally the crowds thin out a bit. I've tried long exposures, by putting the camera on a ledge (no tripods) and the movement of the people gives some interesting images. The more people are moving, the more they 'disappear' in a long exposure. ;) On the few times I'd visited Rome before, it was the wrong time of the year to get the light flowing straight down through the Oculus (hole in the roof) but this year I got quite close, though my lens was not wide enough (16mm on a DX cam) to get the Oculus and the all of the people bathed in light beneath. Got some I was happy with though. :)

The Sant'Angelo bridge (Ponte Sant'Angelo) gives a nice scene at sunset with the St Peter's Basilica in the background. There is a similar but different view from the next bridge along, the Ponte Umberto I, with the Ponte Sant'Angelo in the forground, but you can get the approach road to the Vatican in the image too.

You can get some nice views of Castle Sant'Angelo from the other side of the river beside the Ponte Sant'Angelo. I was lucky enough to get some very calm water and nice reflections, between passing tourist boats. ;)

There are some nice views of the Colosseum at night. Walking towards the Colosseum down Via dei Fori Imerialli, there are some steps leading up to a ledge beside the Forum. You can set up a tripod on the wall and just wait to get some nice traffic trails snaking around the Colosseum. Also, across the road from the Colosseum, above the Metro station, there are some nice view to be had. While I was there the Via dei Fori Imerialli was shut on the Sunday night. I don't know if it was a usual thing or a one off, but if you want the Colosseum with or without traffic, it may be something to keep in mind. ;)

Hope that helps.

And don't forget to show us your pics, if you take any. ;) :lol:
 
This is actually my first post here!

I went to Rome last year mate, funny as it sounds i wasn't that excited! It was the GF's idea, i just thought hmmmm colosseum yeah ok not much else LOL :cuckoo:

How wrong could i be.......600 hundred pics later :D

One of the best shots i missed was a sunset from the top of the Spanish steps (the only time i had left the camera at the hotel :'( )

I know you said your into landscape and Sea shots but you should definitely check out St. Peter's Basilica. I'm in no way religious but the interior is just Awesome, there really is no other word. Also if you have time the Vatican Museum (get there early 08:00-09:00 ish, as the queues can be quite big)

Enjoy:thumbs:
 
The trevi fountain at dusk is quite a sight, when it's lit up and usually folks throwing coins in the fountain.
 
Alastair said:
It's your honeymoon.. leave your mistress camera at home.. ;)
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice, but actually the better half is encouraging me to take it and use it! ;)

dazman325 said:
This is actually my first post here!

I went to Rome last year mate, funny as it sounds i wasn't that excited! It was the GF's idea, i just thought hmmmm colosseum yeah ok not much else LOL :cuckoo:

How wrong could i be.......600 hundred pics later :D

One of the best shots i missed was a sunset from the top of the Spanish steps (the only time i had left the camera at the hotel :'( )

I know you said your into landscape and Sea shots but you should definitely check out St. Peter's Basilica. I'm in no way religious but the interior is just Awesome, there really is no other word. Also if you have time the Vatican Museum (get there early 08:00-09:00 ish, as the queues can be quite big)

Enjoy:thumbs:
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice, especially as its your first post! :grin:

springer said:
The trevi fountain at dusk is quite a sight, when it's lit up and usually folks throwing coins in the fountain.
Click to expand...

Ok cool, thank you!

Redhed17 - thank you! Really appreciate the time that you took to write that out!

I will certainly post back anything decent I come up with!
THANKS!
 
I did a similar trip in 2001, travelling between towns by train: Genoa - Firenze - Roma - Pisa. Been to Florence a few times visiting friends and working too.

Florence/Firenze: almost compulsory view is from the Piazzale Michaelangelo on the south side of the Po. It's a bit of a climb, but worth it.

Don't have a photo to hand, but here's a sketch I did in 1995 (I've a few more here that might give you some inspiration for photography FWIW)

florence_michaelangelo.jpg


The view from the top of the Duomo is pretty good too :)

So much else to see there, it's difficult to know where to start. Alberti's church of Santa Maria Novella and the Ospedale degli Innocenti by Brunelleschi are must-sees if you're into architecture in any way. Personally, I'm also something of a fan of the 1930s Santa Maria Novella main railway station for the city, despite its Fascist origins.

Beyond that, it's really a city for street photography and streetscapes. Lots of small opportunities for glimpsed and framed views.

Oh, and there's a good little café in the south east corner of the Mercato Centrale, frequented by locals.
 
Wow, you drew all of those?
They are pretty amazing! Thanks!!
 
You shouldn't need to ask where to take photo's anywhere you go especially in those 3 cities.

Rome is crammed to the hills with subjects. Try going away from the crowds to the other side of the Tiber where the original chariot races were held and look at the city from a different viewpoint.

Spend the evening in St Peters Square waiting for the sun to go down. Stunning shots can be had at that time of night.

Try going to the very top of the Emanuel and getting night time shots of the city around you.

Same with Florence. Try going into the Boboli Gardens for some super panoramas of the city below you.

Finally try to get a bit longer in Pisa and get blown away by the Miracoli Gardens. Again night time there is well worth it.

I have all three cities in my Flickr. Quite a while ago now but it should all still be there.
 
No problem Kris. :thumbs:

I forgot to say earlier, congratulations to the both of you. :clap:


Dazman's post reminded me of my visit to St Peter's Basilica. All through the week I had seen the queue to get in down one side of St Peter's square. :( So I decided to get up early (a rarity for me at any time, nevermind on holiday ;) ) and got there at 8.30am and got in after about 3-4 mins. Got the lift up to the bottom of the Cupola (the dome), and then had to climb up to the top. What a climb. :eek: The corridor gets a bit 'funhouse' on the way up as walls start to take the shape of the dome. :lol: I was surprised by the climb up there, 620 steps, and was gasping a bit for air. :lol: Luckily two young girls half my age in front of me were in the same condition so I didn't feel too bad. :lol:

I didn't video on the way up, because I didn't think it was that long, but I did a video on the way down and it took nearly 8 mins. :eek:

The view over the city was worth it though. :)

When I came down nearly 2 hours later, the queue to get into the Basilica was a loop that went around the whole of square. :eek:

Glad I decided to get there early.

PS Forgot to add, no shorts in St Peter's Basilica, and ladies need to have their shoulders covered.
 
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Not much chance of sea scapes in Rome :)

As reahed17 said get to st peters early or it gets very busy and crowded up top and take the lift half way its a long climb up there.

Remember no photos allowed in the sistine chapel where the 2 dudes are bumping fingers on the roof. The security guards tell you off. :)
 
Visit the Vatican. Its worth getting up early for.
 
Your be spoiled for choice, just dont disapear all the time not the way you want to remember your honeymoon ;)

enjoy
 
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