Big Bugs Cast Shadows Over Italy

There are some mighty big bugs in Italy.  Some of the wasps I’ve seen are huge, and scary.  Luckily, for those of you who are like me: not the world’s greatest bug fans, these miniature giants of the Italian bug world are not often to be spotted.

But they are there, and, boy, are some of them big beasties.  The beast you are about to see, which was apparently some 3 inches (7cm) in length, and thus not exactly tiny in bug terms, was found beetling around the Carso area of Italy.

For the uninitiated, the Carso zone is also, and perhaps better, known as the kras, karst, or karst plateau.  In actual fact, it is this limestone plateau area that straddles the border between Italy and Slovenia which gave the world the term Karst topography.  End of geography lesson.

Aside from being home to big bugs, the Carso area of Italy, which can be found near Trieste, also happens to be rather unspoilt and beautiful, like so much of Italy.

And if you visit the Carso, and are really lucky, or unlucky, depending on your point of view, you might even get to spot one of these not-so-little fellows. … Continue Reading

Orange Cagli in Le Marche, Italy

Italy is a curious mix of dark and light, of good, bad and ugly.  Cagli, a small town in the Le Marche region of Italy, looks good and light.  Here is a photograph of one of Cagli’s buildings.

Pastel colours are everywhere in Italy.  Pinks, greens, rusty and sandy browns.  Sometimes, though, the colours go beyond pastel, such as in this photograph in which the colour of this Cagli building is predominantly orange.

Photographers must find Italy a sheer delight, I know I do.

On to this image of Italy.

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Photographs of Monterosso, Le Cinque Terre, Italy

At the start of June, I spent a long weekend in the company of friends and my family down in the stunningly beautiful Cinque Terre area of the Liguria coast in northern Italy. I took a few photographs of Monterosso, one of the Cinque Terre, while the rest of the group lounged around on the beach.

Monterosso Lemons

We had a lovely trip, and it was the first time I had managed to see a few of the charming Cinque Terre up close. Here are some of the photographs I took, which, I hope, may encourage a few people to visit this gorgeous corner of Italy. It’s a fabulous place for photographers, artists, as well as families.

The best time to go is probably early June, which is when we were there, or September. May would probably be a good month too, although a spot of rain might limit opportunities a little, although you might be lucky. July and August are probably best avoided as this area will be teeming with tourists, and finding somewhere to stay could be difficult. Still, a boat trip would not be bad idea, and a regular service runs from Genoa.

The Monterosso set of photographs are probably best viewed full screen.

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Guess Where in Italy – Part 12

Time for another little Guess Where in Italy? challenge, as I have not run one for a while.  Seeing as summer is just about upon us, and some will be looking for a little vacation inspiration, here’s a picture which might just inspire you to come to Italy this summer.

Italy is absolutely brimming with curious little backwaters, and this is but one enchanting boondocks burg.

Please can any passing Italians wait for two days or so before saying where this is.  The answer is bound to be easy for Italians “in the know”.  Many thanks.

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Guess Where in Italy? – Part 11

Guess where this place is in Italy -both the name and the location – and get an Amazon Gift Voucher or an upgrade to a Yahoo Flickr Pro account.

Yes, the first person to place the correct answer in a comment, will receive a €25 giveaway (c. $34 USD and just shy of £22 UKP, as at today’s exchange rates) Amazon Gift Voucher, a one year subscription to Flickr Pro or can ask for the money to be donated to a favourite charity.

Last week’s photograph was of Vernazza, which is one of the delightful Cinque Terre in Liguria, as correctly guessed by Candi.  Well done Candi!

OK, onto this week’s photograph. No Italians please (Niente Italiani per favore – è troppo facile per voi!).

Ready, steady, click! … Continue Reading

Guess Where in Italy? – Part 10

This week’s Guess Where in Italy? photo quiz on BlogfromItaly.com features a photo courtesy of @pixiebisous, whose colourful image caught my little eye when she posted it on Twitter.

Ninja obsessed Italophile @pixiebisous thinks that people, especially Italians, will find it easy to guess which picture postcard Italian seaside village has been immortalised in her photograph.

Now, although I have some idea as to where the place in the photo is in Italy, I’m not 100% sure.  All I know is that I have not been there, but after having seen the photograph, I’d quite like to.

Over to you dear readers: Can you guess where in Italy this seaside village is? And what its name is?

Just one little favour. As this should be easy for Italians, can you please wait until Sunday before guessing?

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