Stephen L Tabone Nature Photography

While staying at the iL Casale in San Pietro a Cegliolo, I got up before most others (5:30 AM) and hunted for something in the Tuscany countryside to capture in the morning light. In yesterday’s article, I shared a couple photos of a small old church that I had noticed from a taxi while traveling to Cortona. On a subsequent early morning, I was shooting the fog covered mountains as I waited for the sun to rise over the mountains when I heard the sound of church bells nearby. It was 6:00 AM, and it was not the church from the previous morning. I was too close to the iL Casale for it to be the same church, and the sound of the bells was coming from a different direction.

I followed the sound of the bells up a winding narrow gravel road into the hills behind the iL Casale. The sound of the bells had stopped and the sun was beginning to crest the mountains, when I came upon a very small and very plain old church. The church seemed to be located in the middle of nowhere–that is, there was nothing nearby but olive groves and scattered modest homes.

Although the little old church was incredibly plain for a church in Italy, it had a beautiful gold inlaid window over its entrance doors, and as the sun rose, it illuminated the gold inlaid window making it very brightly glow. Then, while shooting the church, the bells rang again at 6:30 AM, and recognizing the sound of the bells I knew I had found the church I heard when I was down the road.

As you can see from the below image, the church is amazingly plain compared to the other churches and cathedrals we saw in Italy, but as you can also see, the gold inlaid window was glowing from the rising morning sun and made for a great photograph. My timing was perfect. The light was perfect. It was quite a sight to see. Tuscany is a fantastic place for photography!

Click of the photo to see it in more detail.

While in Tuscany, we stayed at the iL Casale, located in San Pietro a Cegliolo, which is 3km from Cortona. When traveling through San Pietro a Cegliolo on the first day, the bell tower of an old church about a quarter mile off the main road caught my eye. I could imagine it illuminated by the early morning sun, and knew it had potential for a great photograph. I, therefore, quickly took notice of its specific location.

The next morning, I got up at 5:30 and tried to quietly slip out of our residence at iL Casale without disturbing anyone–that was not successfully accomplished. Once outside, I headed directly to the old church so I would not miss the rising sun’s first light. The church was about a mile away. By the time I got near the church it was already pretty bright. However, the sun had not come up over a mountain to the east, and therefore, the church was not yet lit by the early golden sunlight.

To get to the church, I had to go down a semi-private dirt road and cross a field to be in the right position to photograph the west side of the church that potentially would be lit by the sun. I say “potentially” because I had not seen the church at sunrise and was not sure if the sunlight would actually strike the side of the church or be blocked by nearby buildings and other structures.

I had to wait almost an hour for the sun to crest the mountain and begin lighting the valley below. As it gradually rose, I could tell that I was in the right place and my excitement rose with the sun. Eventually, the sun rose enough to illuminate the entire church, and it appeared to glow. I fired away shooting various angles and zoomed in and out trying to get the best composition.

Below are a couple photos from that morning. The only thing that could have made it better would have been some puffy white clouds in the background. Be sure to click on the photos to see them in more detail. Notice how the sun was also lighting the yellow flowers in front of the church. It’s all about capturing the light.

I also found out that the bells in the bell tower actually work and are rung on the hour. The first time they rang, I was a bit startled because I was not expecting them to be rung. Although they were very loud, they had a wonderful tone, and their sound was the icing on the cake.

While in Tuscany, we went to Siena, a classic Medieval town famous for its large piazza, Piazza del Campo, located in the heart of town. In Siena, we visitied the Duomo Siena, a cathedral begun in the 12th Century with its facade completed in 1380. The exterior and interior are constructed of white and greenish-black marble in alternating stripes, with the addition of red marble on the facade.

Below are several images taken of the Duomo Siena (inside and out), as well as views from the Duomo overlooking the town.

Then, I went inside…

And finally, the library…reminds me of my library.

That’s all for Siena (for now). Next will be Florence. All of the above images and more are located on my Website at:  http://stabone.com/p639533790