I love how going out to take photos is always an adventure. I didn’t leave our apartment until an hour before the sun set. I kept an eye on the light outside to make sure I didn’t leave the house too late. At times, dark clouds hovered above hindering the sun from shining. I thought that it would possibly rain, but fortunately it didn’t. I ventured out anyway hoping the few clouds I did see were only passeggere (passing by). To my good fortune, they were. The city has been a true pleasure to walk around this week since it has been relatively quiet. With fewer locals around, the traffic has decreased while the number of tourists has increased.
I walked outside and wandered about which direction I wanted to go in. Toward Piazzale Michelangiolo, the Duomo, San Lorenzo, or Ponte Vecchio. I headed west toward the setting sun while most others were heading east to get a view of it from the steps of Piazzale Michelangiolo. I navigated the narrow sidewalk of the lungarno and made my way through the crowds on Ponte Vecchio to the middle of the ponte (bridge) where the statue of Cellini is. They recently placed two large terra-cotta pots containing fruit trees on each side of the statue. I was surprised to see a man playing a guitar and singing right in front of Cellini because I’ve usually only seen him later in the evening after the stores close.
I listened for a little while and took a few pictures along the low wall of the ponte facing Ponte Santa Trinita. When more people crowded around to watch the sun set, I decided to go to Ponte Santa Trinita to take some photos because the sun was setting lower in the sky, not toward the Cascine, but toward the Cestello to the south of the Arno.
Many photographers lined the low wall of the ponte to watch the colors of the sky become more vibrant. I initially stood in the middle of the ponte and then moved around the area to take a few shots of the sunset from different angles.
My favorite shot is the one I took of Caccini’s “Summer” statue on Ponte Santa Trinita. I had to stand in the middle of the intersection to get this shot, so luckily there weren’t any cars or buses coming.
This picture is also significant to me since the end of summer is here. Tomorrow marks the beginning of the rientro (return) of the locals who went on vacation. Florence has been relatively quiet this last week, and that period is coming to an end. The city will soon start up again, and a new season will begin.
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