Then and now 30

Il ponte a Santa Trinita ( <1570 ) venne giudicato, ed effettivamente lo era, il più bel ponte del mondo, and who am I to comment on that, even Michelangiolo had a hand or two in the construction.

Peccato!

I wanted to compare the "Van Limburg Festival" with the 11 Agosto celebration (Firenze liberata) but alas, I got no image on my 620 Triple Print. Strange, because in November 2010 it did work! Well, I was warned, wasn't I?

Chiesa Russo-ortodossa

Duomo, chiese e cappelle - churches all over the place in Florence, but this one is different: the San Nicola / Natività di Cristo, built 1899-1903. It's not in the centre, you'll have to look for it: Via Leone X. I like it very much, but it could do with a little snow!

I Migliori (4)

I don't like "aria condizionata", I sleep with my window wide open. Or don't sleep: when the last tourists are gone the loud water-wagons start cleaning the piazza and when they are gone it's time for the merchants to build their market stalls. But from my window I can see the Cappelle Medicee, the mercato centrale is round the corner, my room (I have always number 12) has everything I want and the family who run the place is sooo nice! Remember this name: Lorena.

The pictures are from different decades, Canon F1, Nikonos IVA and probably even Cybershot.

Tranquilla

Piazza S.Spirito.

And only 400 meters away are the masses at the Ponte Vecchio.

I Migliori (3)

Trying to look like Montalbano (magari!) at the busstop near Gelateria La Carraia. That's where the Italians get their gelato and nòt because it's cheap. Fior di latte, mousse di zabaglione... It's on the Lungarno Soderini.

Then and now 29

When you see those amazing marble façades you don't realize they are relatively young. The San Lorenzo (stunning library!) still hasn't one, the Santa Croce's was completed in 1863; the old picture is around 1850, the 2011 one made with the 1950 Ibis.

Magic... (2)

Efke R100 in the 1951 Bencini Comet S

I Migliori (2)

Caffè Pontevecchio. Doesn't look very exciting, but you can sit there and watch the whole world come by. Take a caffè con gelato! or a healthy macedonia.

("Dottoressa": distinti saluti da Nimega!...)

Then and now 28

Ponte Vecchio, on a normal day in August...

Parasole

Ferrania Ibis

The third "owl I took to Athens" is the 127 Ferrania Ibis. Only 1/50 and that's it. But very small for a 4x6. Alas it had (the usual 127) wobble-film problems, this is the only negative I didn't have to crop. Non importa, mi ho divertito lo stesso.

1930 Attachment 1

I wanted to shoot some, well not macro but close-ups, 3 feet. So I did put the portrait attachment 1 on the Brownie 2. At the Lungarno Acciaiuoli.
And then the young Agfapan 25 caught me by surprise: back paper stuck!
Messy dish-developing, fog.
Minchia!

See also 21 Octo 2010: "Proverbial" All old Agfa I tested are foggy...

Then and now 27

La colonna dell' Abbondanza, more than a century ago, totally lost in la squallido mercato vecchio, and now, almost lost in the touristic masses.
±1950 Bencini Comet

I Migliori (1)

Giardino Boboli nella pioggia è un sogno. It didn't rain this year, alas; 30° in the shadow. But opposite the entrance is Jessy´s bar, the best coffee in town. Don't miss it!

1951 Bencini Comet, 127 Macocolor 200 in Colortec;
Jessy's bar is Via Romana 56 rosso.

ITALIANISSIMO

Isn't this nice: in my 1959 Ferrania Eura is <1970 Ferrania color film, and in the middle of this picture is the best restaurant of Florence. Giannino in S.Lorenzo You just hàve to go there! Ravioli al tartufo, crespelle fiorentine, agnello... Cordiali saluti, amici, ci vediamo!
About this NM64 film I'll tell you later;
for the real gourmet now: www.gianninoinflorence.com

Magic... (1)

...ànd the friendliest way to get rid of at least 50% of the tourists:
6 seconds at Kodak 2 (± F 16) on modern FP4. In the 1930 Brownie.

Damals...

...als ich mit der Linie 7 noch über die alte Brücke nach Düsseldorf fuhr, mit der Rolltreppe spielen im Kaufhof. Es gab noch Deftiges an der Kö, dicke Bohnen, Wirsing. Und irgendwo in der Altstadt ass ich drei gefüllte Paprikas weil die meinem kleinen Neffen zu exotisch waren! Überall wurde gebaut, immer schön für kleine Jungs wie wir.

Heute blieb die Strassenbahn schon vor der Brücke stehen: Störung. Im "Madrid" ass ich Ausländisches, ganz normal, und gegenüber ist Waffelkrieg. Es wird immer noch gebaut, und ich fand die Stelle wo Hässliches photographisch schön wird. Ich liebe diese Stadt sehr.

digital...

Next sunday: Henkel-Renntag in Düsseldorf. And you can be a jockey! Well, the analogue-girls (see below) were definitely faster on this track!