Jed

 by Jed

Italian Faces in the Saturday Market

 

Italian Faces

Fragole – © 2017 Jed Smith

The big Saturday markets will never cease to be a goldmine of opportunity for capturing the wealth of Italian faces

Recently, when visiting my dear friends Novelia and Peppe in Sulmona for the Easter festivities, I discovered the huge Saturday market held in the piazza. I had wandered out of my B&B (close by) with my camera to see if anything might catch my attention. Suffice it to say, I was snapping away almost immediately.

Italian Faces

Sisters – © 2017 Jed Smith

Italian markets are no laid-back affair

Wow, there’s serious life going on. The interactions. The commerce. The smiles.

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in Black & White / My Life in Italy 9 comments
 by Jed

My House in Umbria…Heaven on Earth

 

House in Umbria

Dining al fresco – with a view that makes me keep pinching myself.

Welcome to my home away from home.

I’m a lucky man. When I made the journey from a life in the States to a permanent life in Italy, I purchased a house deep in the hills of Umbria, the rich, wild and earthy “green heart of Italy”. Talk about a respite from the noisy and busy pace of life in a larger metropolitan area!

If you’re looking for peace and tranquility, Umbria is an effective remedy.

Why do I call it “my home away from home”? Well, just over a year ago we moved north to Treviso, where we reside most of the time. Treviso is also pretty damn wonderful, but for different reasons. And, living in a city of over 80,000 people, it’s a contrast to the rural life in Umbria.

Just a week ago, we packed up the car (cats and all) and pointed our car south for the three-and-a-half-hour drive to our “country home”. We both needed to relax and “be still” before a very busy month ahead.

Take a virtual tour of my house in Umbria.

I’ve shared so much of my journey to building a life in Umbria. But, I realized I’ve never shared with you, my loyal followers,

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in Buying Property in Italy / My Life in Italy 20 comments
 by Jed

Meet Le Vecchie Guardie – The Old Guard

The Old Guard

Camaraderie. © 2017 Jed Smith

I love these faces. I love surreptitiously watching their interactions, and their steadfast camaraderie. The Old Guard, fondly referred to as “Le vecchie guardie” in Italy, is an integral thread, found woven everywhere in the fabric of Italian culture.

Watching The Old Guard can’t help but make you smile

At least that’s my reaction. If only I could eavesdrop on their conversations to round out the picture. Or, maybe it’s just as well (and more fun) to use my imagination, and focus on capturing the moments

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in Black & White / Italian Culture 8 comments
 by Jed

Is It Buono or Bello? Hmmmm….

Buono or Bello

Deciding when to use buono (good) and when to use bello (beautiful) isn’t so cut and dry.

Do you want to say something is good, beautiful, fine, or well done? Welcome to the world, and the question, of buono or bello. Then, add the word “bravo”, the other positive adjective in this family, and you’ll soon realize you don’t always make an even exchange of these words from English to Italian. Don’t worry, it’s not super complicated, and if you mess up, it’s not the type of mistake that will get you in trouble. But, if you don’t get it right, you’ll be broadcasting that you haven’t mastered some of the basics of speaking Italian. Until recently, I wasn’t getting it right on a consistent basis, which is why

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in Speaking Italian 2 comments
 by Jed

Viva gli Alpini! 2017 Party Time in Treviso!

Viva gli Alpini!, Treviso

Four days of happiness and revelry

 

Benvenuti to the 2017 Adunata Nazionale Alpini – the 2017 National Alpini Gathering

Just over a week ago, this HUGE national event wrapped up here in Treviso. It left me eager to join in the shouts of “Viva gli Alpini!” Each year, this massive gathering and celebration is held in a different city (next year it will be in Trento). I was forewarned that Treviso would be overrun with people. I laughed it off saying to myself, “Yeah, they’re just exaggerating.” Boy, was I wrong. In the video below,

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in Exploring the Veneto 8 comments
 by Jed

Early Morning Life Along the Grand Canal

Grand Canal, Venice

Morning Preparations- © 2017 Jed Smith

Be an early riser to witness a workman’s life along Venice’s Grand Canal

A self-imposed photo assignment, earlier this year, took me to Venice, and required I be up at the crack of dawn. Timing was essential to capture the energy of Venice’s main artery coming to life while not being obscured by massive swarms of tourists. Believe me, as much as I wanted to sleep yet another hour, capturing the morning light, and the workmen starting their day, was well worth it. Imagine the main thoroughfare in your city

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in Exploring the Veneto / A Romance with Venice / Black & White 12 comments
 by Jed

Oh, What Stories Italian Faces Tell

Italian Faces, Italywise

“Immersed” – ©2017 Jed Smith

I love Italian faces. I could spend the rest of my life just working on capturing them in my photography and in my paintings. In this post I share with you four recent images that focus on the weathered faces of seasoned Italian gentlemen.

Italian faces don’t hide or mask one’s disposition

I know this sounds like a gross generality. But, I think overwhelming this is true compared to faces in many other cultures. At the risk of playing into the trite depictions of Italians in Hollywood, Italians are passionate, and they don’t put the reins on letting their emotions be seen. You see it in the animation

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in Black & White 7 comments
 by Jed

Venice’s Anice Stellato Delivers an Amazing Culinary Experience

Anice Stellato

Prepare yourself for a special dining experience

Finding a worthy culinary experience in Venice isn’t so easy.

Why? Unfortunately, the bulk of restaurants in Venice are heavily focused on two things – tourists, and turning a profit. In my opinion and experience, dining well can be more of a challenge in Venice than in other Italian cities, for this very reason. And, this is why I consider having discovered Anice Stellato, many years ago, a gift from heaven.

Unfortunately, most visitors to Venice aren’t willing to venture too far off the well-worn thoroughfares, where experiences like Anice Stellato await. Instead, people find themselves

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in Eating in Italy / Exploring the Veneto / A Romance with Venice 6 comments
 by Jed

Say Please in Italian – Know When and How!

Saying Please In Italian, Italywise

 

When you say Please in Italian, properly, it will open doors and make your experience here go more smoothly. If you’ve been studying how to speak Italian, or if you’re just getting started, it’s easy to zoom past this one and pat yourself on the back for getting it right.

“Please” can be a tiny bit complicated…

It’s not always just “per favore” or “per piacere” tacked onto a request. So, I believe it’s a good idea to delve into this topic more deeply. And, who better to explain the subtleties of this than Manu, of ItalyMadeEasy.com. I admit, until I watched the video below, I realized I was making mistakes that were

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in Speaking Italian 8 comments
 by Jed

The Running Madonna – “La Madonna che scappa”

Running Madonna, Italywise

The big moment

The Running Madonna, The Madonna Who Runs, and The Runaway Madonna – this Easter event goes by several names.

This is a spectacular event, and one of the biggest events in Italy. It’s been acted out for centuries in Sulmona, a medieval city in Abruzzo. If you get the chance, I strongly urge you to experience The Running of the Madonna in person. You’ll find yourself swept along in the weekend’s highly charged emotional events, which all lead up to a singular, breathtaking moment in Piazza Garibaldi.

Book your travel and accommodations early for the Running of the Madonna!

My precious friends Novelia and Peppe (also residents and superb ambassadors of Sulmona) started enticing me to block out time on my calendar, and book accommodations, well over a year ago. Even securing a room at a B&B almost eight months prior to the event before was a challenge. I almost didn’t get a place.

So what exactly is The Running of the Madonna all about?

Much attention is given to the pivotal moment on Easter Sunday when the Madonna races across Piazza Girabaldi,

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in Abruzzo 29 comments
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