Tag Archives: Travel

Tuscan Irrelevancies VI: loss

Posted on by
Reply
A photograph of a narrow, quiet cobblestone street in the small, medieval village on Isola Maggiore, an island on Italy's Lake Trasimeno. The image, with its ancient stone buildings and faded plaster walls, evokes a sense of history and the passage of time.

roman legions trudged through borgetto the evening before
camping at lake tresimano where the next June dawn 
2241 years ago almost to this day 
befogged betwixt the mongrel hordes of Hannibal they were
defeated

cyclists traversing lake‘s circuit criss cross this solo walker
and the lone Kress 1200R robot lawnmower tending its grounds 
should they wish sight of the 258 borgetto inhabitants 
remaining according to the 2001 census they would be 
disappointed

later that day massimo of nearby passignano informs that 
borgetto lies at the intersection of umbria and tuscany
occupies the communes tuoro, cortona and castiglione
to which when property taxes are due they are paid
trisected
A wide-angle photograph of tranquil Lake Tresimano with rolling hills on the far side, under a clear blue sky.
view of castiglione del lago from malpasso gap

Tuscan Irrelevancies IV: EN 60601

Posted on by
Reply
Montepulciano vista
this was the panorama around the corner where
the mandatory defibrillator stood casually by

might such placement be
one wonders
in case cardiac excitation
precipitates a need for 
immediate resuscitation

In 2021, semi-automatic and automatic electronic defribrillators (AEDs) became mandatory in public places in Italy

Tuscan Irrelevancies III: duomo arigato

Posted on by
Reply
An interior photograph of the main altar and high apse of the Cortona Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta). The image shows the ornate chandelier and painted ceiling, capturing the grand and sacred atmosphere of the church.
oh dear it’s not 
Saint Peter’s basilica
the Santa Maria del Fiore 
of flowers in Florence 
the Venice San Marco 
Assisi Saint Francis
or even the Parma 
tailing at tenth
of famous duomos in Italy

the Cortona Cathedral 
on republic day is alive
with real worship
as three pews of
neighbourhood youngsters
earnest with their parents
consecrate themselves in
the ceremony of first communion

and one not yet of age
kneels in anticipation 
of tomorrow’s grace

A mid-distance photograph of the interior of the Cortona Duomo, focusing on the ornate pulpit and a section of the nave. Figures in the pews suggest a ceremony in progress, adding a human element to the grand architecture of the Tuscan cathedral.
A close-up photograph of a young boy in a suit kneeling on the checkered floor of the Cortona Duomo. The image's solemn focus on the child reflects the poem's theme of a 'ceremony of first communion' and the personal significance of the experience.

Tuscan Irrelevancies II: why not Asciano?

Posted on by
Reply
A mid-distance photograph of the ancient Tuscan hilltop town of Cortona, with its historical buildings and bell tower nestled into a lush green hillside dotted with cypress and olive trees. The image's quiet beauty and timeless feel serve as a visual counterpoint to the poem's comparison of Cortona's fame to the historical obscurity of Asciano.
Cortona under cloud
Is it your ancient Etruscan walls, melon tombs 
monumental funerary altar
tabula cortonensis
strategic control of territorial swathe

I too have my Etruscan necropolis, Roman baths
central position
anchoring Creta senesi, River Osborne 
and torrent Copra

weren’t we both then
largely abandoned by history
suborned by wealth subdued by battle
slumbered through a count of centuries


what sly whimsy decreed that you be
favoured destination for spending sprees
while a-straddle the autostrada
i am the one to fade away 

Under the Tuscan Sun

Tuscan Irrelevancies I: roadside encounter

Posted on by
Reply
A close-up, low-angle photograph of a small snail with a distinctively striped shell, moving slowly across a gravel road in Tuscany. The image, with its shallow depth of field, draws attention to the subtle beauty of the snail, contrasting with the poem's theme of a trip to iconic Italian landmarks.

It’s a trip marked fully by the fully marked
Portents abounding from Rome to Florence to Cortona
Every step to the Brunelleschi cupola worn by forebears
Every snap in the Ufizi stale before the iPhone is aimed
 
Sunday afternoon taking out the trash to eco appropriate bins
(Even this task not mundane but meaningfully marked  
so glass does not mingle irrelevantly irreverently with gross)
one finally has a roadside encounter shared only with the divine

putting on the ritz

Posted on by
1

on the red centre way
most crossings are regular
kanga cattle schoolkids
wombats

20 klicks from alice
fashion doesn’t just sit
dandy dessert dressage
prances

A yellow, diamond-shaped road sign on a dirt road in the Australian Outback. The sign features a black silhouette of a horse in a prancing pose, with a distinct top hat on its head. The image is a direct visual representation of the poem's theme of a "dandy" horse "putting on the ritz" and performing a "desert dressage prance.

ormiston gorge

Posted on by
A slightly weathered park sign titled "Great survivors" from the West MacDonnell National Park. The sign features text describing the resilient native flora of the region, including "tough, fire-tolerant mallee and spiky spinifex" found on the limestone. It highlights the area as home to an endangered native mouse. Illustrations of two small, grey native mice are prominent on the sign, one on the left and one on the right, set against a stylized background depicting the local environment. The sign also includes a logo of a bird in flight and the words "West MacDonnell National Park" at the bottom.

in the red centre
hardy survivors
stinting spinifex
miserly mallee
thrifty rockrats
and frugal euro

 

saw the spinifex, mallee and one scampering rockrat
on that ghost gum walk
but no euro
signomi, parakalo

lightbox

Image

Reply
A photograph of a traditional Japanese temple building with a tiered roof, captured in the warm light of late afternoon. A strong, striped pattern of sunlight is cast on the paved path in the foreground, creating a striking "lightbox" effect.

overhang

Image

Reply
A close-up photograph of a porous, cloudy white ice formation hanging from the dark, angled edge of a roof overhang. A single, distinct drop of water is captured at the moment of dripping from the tip of the ice, which is the central focus of the image. The background is a blurry, out-of-focus winter scene.

Swirlwind

Image

Reply
A dramatic sky filled with swirling, textured clouds under a bright blue expanse. The cloud formation appears to be a localized storm or weather event, contrasting with the typically clear or softly clouded skies often associated with the region. Below the intense sky, a flat landscape with some distant trees and possibly buildings is visible along the horizon line, emphasizing the powerful and unusual cloud formation above.