Firenze...

Yes, I did a lòt of "Then and Now", this year. Tested old film and flash-bulbs, endured (not always) an ill friend.
But I also did some nostalgic sight-seeing.
Found the place where, once upon a time, I had my caffè corretto in the morning.
Well, that was then, and now it's gone.


Next stop: Иркутск.

4 Agosto 1944

More than seven centuries grew the Borgo Pittiglioso to stunning beauty. Then the Nazis undermined the streets to the Ponte Vecchio, and the Americans blew them up.
Gone forever.
Un altro scempio di guerra.


Sixties Gevaert (?) in the 1938 Kodak620

Then and now 38

 Sometimes it is impossible to find Firenze di Allora. Yes, I did find the Via dei Cavalieri - at least the name. It still is very small and short, and maybe the wall at the left? Or the door over there? Those two stones, perhaps?








There was photoQUELLE in my Praktica; Albinar 28mm.

Tin Pan Alleys

Shanghai in the 1962 Click II

Ilford in the 1956 Contina

High Noon

38° C, and rising.

In the Agfa Click II was Shanghai GP3, Rodinal.
In the Kodak Instamatic was AgfaHDC200, Colortec.

Work

No, of course I was nòt only enjoying the caffè con gelato at Ponte Vecchio, Fior di Panna at La Carraia, or spinaci at Giannino.
I was looking for "Firenze di Allora".
And sometimes even found it!
Here, for instance, La Giustizia, by Francesco Ferrucci del Tadda. And, ladies, you'll find Salvatore Ferragamo nearby, but mind your steps...

1963 Ilford in the 1938 Kodak 620

Picturesque

And then, suddenly, I remembered: things like these were hanging in my oculist's waiting-room, decades ago...

The Italian Connection

"When in Rome..."
So I bought a Ferrania micro AG.s and discovered that it doesn't fit on my Italian cameras. Bought Sylvania flashbulbs and those are made in the USA, and the cubes in Belgium.
But when the going gets tough, I get trodding through Florence and found Sylvania! WOW!
And some of them still did work. So this post is not about arty expressionistic photography, but about  hope and resignation.
Good for my soul.

btw - all these old colourfilms (Minolta = Kodak, Quelle = probably Agfa, and AgfaHDC) are done in Tetenal Colortec.

Friendly

This very friendly man was taking pictures for all his friends. I met him in front of the Caffè Perseo, where you can have the best Icecream-composition in the world.
But: the waiters are as cold as the ice, they just tolerate you...
Well, we hàve been to Paris, so we don't mind, do we?
And the coppa Perseo ìs delicious.

It's 1976 Verichrome in the 1951 Bencini.

The Yawning

I am the proud owner of an almost complete 1962 Click-II: camera, filters, hood and working flash! So I loaded that with those big old bulbs and they really got me through the night. Normal problem with flash outside: no reflecting walls, but those (clear) bulbs have enough power, as I found out.


On modern Shanghai, this time not dribbling, but with strange black spots. Every film an adventure, how do these cunning Chinese dó that?!

La Mattinata

At first I sat there with my succo di pompelmo pretending to read my com'era Firenze 100 anni fà; then I just sat there.
For an hour or so.

Les Demoiselles

Late evening in rainy Florence.

(Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, Picasso 1907...)

Three markets, three films

Nijmegen NL The market is all over the place and you can buy anything there: cheese, plants for your garden, shoes. Must be cheap, very cheap.

I had sixties Ilford HP3 (no date: test only) in the HB + Distagon 60mm.

Firenze I The San Lorenzo market is rather big, but very touristic: mostly bags, leather jackets and "stuff". But the Mercato Centrale is also there, for fresh meat and vegetables.

Canon F1, probably. (Kodak TriX?)

Düsseldorf BRD The market on the Carlsplatz looks very "dense", neat. But the food is first class quality ànd interesting, you'll be spoiled for choice.

1973 Orwo NP20 in the 1973 Zenit80

"Look what they've done...

The blessing of Picasa filtered B&W...

 # Look what they've done to my song, ma... Melanie 1971

Then and now 31

Well, I'm not particularly fond of the Piazza Santa Maria Novella; the sun seems always very bright (=hard), here. The church is okay, the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica nearby is very interesting and of course an analogoholic hàs to visit the Museo Nazionale Alinari della Fotografia. Very nice.

 I had Ideal Supremulsion (sixties) in the Brownie 2, exposed 4 secs to get an image. I still cannot give you a link (shame on you, Blogger!) so here is: www.alinarifondazione.it

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.