Work began on the church of San Giorgio Maggiore on the Venetian island of the same name in 1566. In a sense, however, the church “existed” centuries before in the form of a 10th century monastery on the same spot. I decided to leave in the sailboats on the left side notwithstanding their relatively recent design. In a way they connect us to the site, literally and figuratively, as did their ancestral sailing vessels over a thousand years ago.
My eye followed the Rio de l’ Arsenal to one of the two towers of the Venetian Arsenal. I envisioned the scene as if it were part of an old three-dimensional map.
This sculpture appeared to be nearly two stories tall, gleaming white and sitting high on a hill in front of yet another cloudless blue sky. Something had to be done. I converted to black and white. Nope, not there yet. But something in the conversion made me see the image as an etching. Enter another antique paper scan. Voila!
Looking out of my hotel room window into Central Park, I spotted this fin de siecle scene. The monochromatic image was shot in full color; it s not a colorized black and white.
The 11th century palazzo was purchased by Thomas Hanbury in 1867, and became the center piece of the 45 acre Hanbury Botanical Gardens. It sits some 300 feet above the Ligurian Sea and somewhat less than that above an ancient Roman road. The rambling maze of paths and stairways leading to the villa takes you to another time.
I had no choice but to photograph the 15th century castle towering over an ancient bridge in a town whose name translates as sweet water. The bridge was enough to compel Monet to paint it in 1884. I went for more a medieval look than impressionistic for fear of being confused with Monet.