This month's Guest Photographer is Heather Jacks 

I met Heather recently when I came across Sicilia Through Images.  Since then, we have become friends and I am a regular visitor her photoblog which is also listed in our Italian Photoroll. 

Heather says: "I am an American photographer currently living on the beautiful island of Sicily. I hope to share my artistic endeavors, and a sampling of this exotic place through my photographs."

The Questions and Answers:

1.When did you start getting interested in photography?

I have been interested in Photography since childhood.  My father had a manual cannon, and was always experimenting with different lenses, and lighting.  I suppose my interest stems from those days.  In college I had my first darkroom class, and I was hooked.  Many a night, I would stay up late and tape off the doorway to my small bathroom to turn it into a makeshift darkroom.  I eventually made the switch to digital, when digital cameras became advanced enough to match or exceed the image quality of film.  I taught myself Photoshop, and have enjoyed the creativity and freedom it allows.  I consider myself a photographic artist, as I often add textures and tones to my photographs.
 

2. What in your opinion are the ingredients of a good photograph?

First and foremost for me, is composition.  If you don’t compose the image in an interesting way, it will not be an effective photo.  All of the technical knowledge in the world won’t help you if you do not have an eye for composition.  The simplest of subjects can be beautiful if presented in an interesting way through composition and light.  A close second would be lighting.   I love late afternoon light, and the dramatic shadows that it provides.

3. What is your favourite photograph that you’ve shot to date?

I have many favorites.  But, my favorite image since moving to Italy would probably be the infrared of the olive trees, “Olive Trees at Valle dei Templi”.

4. What do you hope to convey to others via your photography?

I hope to represent a scene in an artistic manner and to convey some sense of the emotions I felt when I was there.  My photographs are ultimately an expression of the way I view the world.  I have always been acutely conscious of light, shadow, and the beauty of my surroundings.  The Shadows produced by the late day sun, along with simple objects and textures, inspire my photographs.  Whether a moody landscape, or a window side still life, I try to impart a sense of timelessness to my work.  I hope to take the viewer on a visual journey.  The use of selective focus via a plastic lens, or the addition of textures and tones to my photographs is an integral part of the creative process for me.  These additions allow me to complete my vision for a particular image, and hopefully make the viewer feel something as well.

5. Do you look at the World wondering how it would look as a photograph?

I most definitely view the world through my camera lens.  I am forever searching, thinking about, waiting and watching for the perfect shot.


Drop by Heather's photoblog. Heather's work can be found on sale at her website. She’s got a fantastic photographic collection.

You simply must go:

Not far from Mantua, sitting in a placid landscape on the left bank of the Po River lies an extraordinary walled, miniature, Renaissance city, lying within an enormous star-shaped fortress.

Passing through the small narrow arched gate you leave behind the modern world and enter Sabbioneta, designed in the second half of the 16th century by Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna (1531–1591), a man obsessed with building his own city following a macabre and arisocratic melancholic life, indeed he once said to a friend "My only amusement is to raise new walls and to give life to material work in contrast to my empty soul"*...
* Quotation  from 'A traveller in Italy' by H.V.Morton

This month's Guest Author is Angela Corrias, from 'TRAVEL CALLING'. I met Angela recently via Travel Blog Exchange. Since then, we have become friends and I am now a regular visitor to her blog. Angela is an Italian journalist specialising in travel writing. Her passion for politics makes her want to experience travelling beyond the mere 'staring at a breathtaking view' and dig in depth into foreign societies.

This is Angela's S’Archittu:
Names like Porto Cervo, Arzachena, Cala di Volpe evoke the idea of dream holidays, and although they haven’t been doing so for as long as Capri or the Amalfi Coast, Sardinian beaches have hosted their good share of VIP's.

Only a couple of years ago Sardinia was known only for its Emerald Coast, but now the other provinces are claiming their own share of fame. One of the first things you’ll notice if you go to the northeastern part of the island between July and August is that you’ll see more foreigners than locals: not only restaurants and hotels house almost exclusively foreign guests, but the employees themselves come from abroad or the other Italian regions. “I went to the Emerald Coast last summer and I felt like a foreigner” an Italian friend of mine told me.

Lately this sentiment is felt always more often, with the result that if you want to capture the true spirit of Sardinia, the Emerald Coast is not the place for you. Travelling throughout Sardinia is by no means easy: relying on public transports can be nerve-racking, so your best bet is to hire a car directly at the airport. Whether you land at Alghero, Cagliari or Olbia, if you want to enjoy sandy beaches and calm turquoise waters, head west. From the southern province of Cagliari, with the beautiful sea resorts of Villasimius, Teulada or Chia, to the western coast of the Oristano district, it’s possible to experience the typical summer holiday with the laid-back vibe characteristic of Sardinian people and their customs.

Oristano has been rated as the Italian province with the lowest number of hotels and B&B's: true, although recently there has been an increase in the number of family-run guesthouses, both in the City of Oristano and in neighbouring seaside villages such as Torre Grande and Cabras. Not far from the City of Oristano city, around 20km away, lie a cluster of beach villages, inhabited all year long by a small number of families. Futher on Is Arenas, with its huge sandy beach particularly appreciated by surfers due to the high waves, further still, visitors will stumble onto the so-called Marina di Cuglieri, that includes Torre del Pozzo, S’Archittu and Santa Caterina di Pittinuri.

During the winter all three tiny villages look more like ghost towns, but come back to life as soon as the sun starts shining and temperatures begin to rise. June sees the 'in-the-know' travellers and families populate the sandy shores, whilst July and August are definitely time for the usual summer beach brigade to show up. A few foreign tourists, who chose an alternative itinerary from those offered by tour operators, will share their holiday with locals, with the opportunity to match sunbathing moments with the idiosyncrasies of Sardinian life.

Among the villages of Marina di Cuglieri, the best landscape certainly belongs to S’Archittu, whose name means “the little arch.” Just beyond the main beach, going a little further on the rocks, a white calcareous arch stands in front of a tiny beach, surrounded by natural caves where sunrays offer a suggestive play of light whilst reflecting against the crystal clear waters. Very likely an ancient cave, the arch is the product of the tireless work of the sea throughout the millennia but is probably fated to disappear or become a pint-sized piece of limestone detached from the mainland. Although part of a territory that certainly doesn’t lack stunning scenery, the arch always strikes a chord with visitors, so much so in fact that it has been declared a National Monument by the UNESCO.

During the summer months the spiaggetta, the little beach in front of the arch, is packed with local and foreign tourists, but the houseowners in S’Archittu usually wait until September to enjoy those wonderful natural amenities before diving in and searching out the colourful marine flora and fauna.


Drop by Angela's blog @ Travel Calling, or receive Travel Calling by RSS or catch Angela on Twitter.

Travelling through Piedmont, by definition, is a journey of discovery, but in Turin, Italy's first capital, surrounded by the Alps to the north and west and the gentle hills of the Monferrato to the south, you will find treasures galore at your finger tips.

Here are ten suggestions and top tips including shopping in Via Roma, visiting the Mole Antonelliana, riding the old rack tramway to the Basilica of Superga and chocolate tasting.

1. A walk along Via Roma
Starting outside Porta Nuova station, head towards Via Roma and wander through the colonnaded galleries, past designer shops and elegant cafés to Piazza San Carlo flanked by porticoed buildings and centring on an equestrian statue of the Duke of Savoy, Emanuele Filiberto. Continue on up to Piazza Castello.

2. Visit the church of San Lorenzo
Dating from the second half of the 16th century and rising above the Palazzo Reale in Piazza Castello, this church has a baroque dome, well known for its interwoven arches and designed by Guarino Guarini one of Europe's leading mathematicians.

3. Experience Turin Cathedral
The Duomo Di San Giovanni is Turin's only example of Renaissance architecture. Completed in 1498 and dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. The Chapel of Holy Shroud was added between 1668-1694 and will be the resting place of the famous Shroud of Turin in the spring of 2010 from 10th April to 23rd May following a long period of restoration to remove pieces of cloth that had been burned in the fire of Chambéry in 1532. The Pope will make a pastoral visit to Turin on Sunday 2nd May 2010.

4. Go to Italy's National Cinema Museum
Located inside the Mole Antonelliana. Turin was once home to a number of major Italian film studios and considered the Hollywood of Italy. The collection highlights the technical and cultural history of cinema all over the world. The museum's crystal lift, see-through and panoramic, carries visitors up to the roof of the Mole for great views over the city.

5. Visit the Basilica of Superga
From the historic centre you can reach the Basilica of Superga via an electric rack tramway in the original 1934 carriages. The Basilica was designed by Filippo Juvarra in 1717 and completed in 1731. Built to fulfill a vow to the Virgin Mary by Duke Vittorio Amedeo II on the eve of his victory over the French at the Battle of Turin.

6. Sip a coffee or enjoy an aperitif
Turin's historic coffee shops such as Caffé Baratti & Milano, remain largely unchanged since 1873. Al Bicerin, situated at Piazza della Consolata 3 since 1763, and Florio, opened in 1780, are in the heart and soul of Turin's tradition and culture and once the gathering places for artists, writers and protagonists for political change. Sit, sip and watch the world go by. New additions to this historic portfolio include Caffé Reale inside the Palazzo Reale and the contemporary Caffé inside the National Cinema Museum.

7. Experience the Museo Egizio
Considered to be the most complete museum of Egyptian antiquities in the world after the Museum of Cairo. Founded in 1824 following the acquisition of Bernardino Drovetti's collection of 5,268 objects by King Carlo Felice.The site of the museum is a 17th century palace, built as a Jesuit school by the architect Guarino Guarini that in the 18th century passed to the Academy of Sciences. The decipherer of Egyptian hieroglyphs, Jean-François Champollion, came to Turin in 1824, and famously wrote, “The road to Memphis and Thebes passes through Turin”.

8. Check out Contemporary Turin
Turin is the home to four major institutions dedicated to contemporary art. They are 'GAM' Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (the Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art), Castello di Rivoli (Rivoli Castle), Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo per l’Arte (the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Foundation for Art) and the more recent Fondazione Merz (Merz Foundation).

9. Visit the Mole Antonelliana
This striking building is in many ways Turin's Eiffel Tower, the symbol of Turin. A 167-metre landmark, originally planned as a synagogue by Alessandro Antonelli, was the highest brick building in the world at the time of its completion and remains the tallest building in Turin. Today it is home to Italy's National Cinema Museum.

10. Spend a Saturday morning at the Porta Palazzo and Mercato del Balon markets
Porta Pallazo at Piazza della Repubblica is Europe’s biggest open-air market. Here, and in the surrounding streets of Via Mameli and Via Borgo Dora, you will find colourful fruit and vegetables, all kinds of salami, the scent of spices and fresh basil, clothes, shoes, antiques, bric-a-brac and much more.

Top Turin Tips:

Get a Torino + Piedmont Card:
The 'Torino + Piemonte' Card is available in 2, 3, 5, and 7 days versions, offering admission to more than 160 cultural sites including: museums, monuments, exhibitions, fortresses, castles and Royal Residences.

It also lets you travel on the city’s over-ground public transport, tourist transport including the panoramic lift in the Mole Antonelliana, the Sassi – Superga rack tramway and the GTT shuttle buses to outlying areas.

ChocoPass:
The ChocoPass is your passport to the endless seductions of chocolate: gianduiotti, pralines, cakes, biscuits, ice cream and hot chocolate. The best chocolate production awaits you in the historical caffés and patisseries of Turin and the surrounding area. The coupons offer you 22 tastings to be savoured in 3 days for only € 12.

Must do: Taste the local tiny hazlenut-scented chocolate Gianduiotto, named after the mask of a local Commedia dell'arte mask called Gianduja, at the amazing chocolate boutique of Guido Gobino, Via Lagrange 1.

Bergolo in Piedmont: Where nature meets culture