Giotto's Tower (Campanile di Giotto)

Campanile di Giotto, (Giotto's Tower, Florence 2024)

You know, it is possible to find tranquility almost anywhere. I think we have this idea that we need to get alone, in nature, or by the seas to experience that level of detachment from what is going on around us.

But my experience is that solitude or silence or tranquility is a state of mind. As I wandered around the back streets of Florence (p.s. my favourite city in the world) I just loved getting away from the hustle and bustle of the touristy parts.

Photography is great for doing that. For helping us slow down. On my first visit to Florence in 2023 I was burdened down with camera gear and lenses and when I got home I realised that I didn't get very many images that I would have been happy with. This brought about a change in both gear and in mindset. In retrospect, the gear was not the issue. It was my own heart that was in some frantic overdrive because I loved this city, I had studied it for months and when we arrived, we hit the ground running as there was so much to do and see. (So much so that we returned in 2024 to see more!)

When we returned, gone was the heavier gear and I was armed with a single fixed lens Fujifilm X100VI. Still learning the menus, I was still a bit distracted, but at least I found myself freer to stop and look around. The whole area around Il Duomo, the Baptistry of St. John and il Campanile di Giotto was stunning as always, but this time we were staying in the city so that meant we could take our time and explore. No rushing to get the train from Santa Maria Novella station out to our lovely Tuscan hideaway up in the hills. This time we got to stay out late and experience Florence at night.

This photograph was taken late afternoon as we walked back to our hotel "The Bronze Horse" which was just around the corner from la Piazza della Signoria, and the famous Palazzo Vecchio. As we strolled there I was reminded of one of my favourite movies, "Hannibal" as the Palazzo featured heavily. All I'm going to say is "Poor Inspector Pazzi..."

So often we can take a photograph and completely miss details because we are so focused (pardon the pun) on one element. Until I was processing this image, I totally disregarded the bag on the street, and the ornate decorative edging to the building on the right. And that is a lesson to me to slow down some more and truly look at what is before me. I had so many beautiful moments like this as we stayed for 4 nights.

One of the best things about our photography is that we can revisit scenes time and time again, and even if we initially took them in a rush, remember, we have frozen a moment in time that can live with us forever.