Rocco Galatioto, nice photos and good food

Two more from this little gem of a mountain town.

Salemi is a large town atop a mountain. It has become a mecca to artists and avant garde movements. This all thanks of a very free thinking mayor and enlightened administration. The [lace is well cared for and very clean. It has the air of a wonderful place to live and visit.

Two more of the Doric temple pf segesta. What makes it unique isthat it does not have a cella or inner structure. However it is very well preserved although it's about 2500 years old.

Yes indeed, I may have to start working on an ark. With so much rain and my animals, it seems like the only solution. This peonie from my back yard reminds me of spring and it's balmy days. The lens was the Sigma 50mm F 2.8 macro.

As I have stated many times recently, when I travel heavy cameras sort of get in the way. They make a vacation into an assignment..into work and on vacation work should be anathema. My Olympus E PL-2 fits the bill and as it's visible from my posts it is capable of fine quality images. Technically, at least. The viewer must judge on the content and it merits if any. Now with the X-10, Fuji has produced a cheaper and more versatile camera than the X-100 that although has the ability to provide really superb images with it large sensor, it has a non interchangeable lens and is somewhat pricey. This camera has a sensor that is somewhat larger that the typical focus and shoot consumer camera but is still tiny. Nevertheless, if not to mane pixels are cramped, image quality can be good as attested by the Panasonic LX 5. So here we are, another great looking and well built travel and all around camera for the serious shooter who is not intimidated by a camera's many controls. It looks...

Yes indeed. As I'm finally making sense of all my images, on a rainy day that presages fall, I think of Venice with a warm feeling in my heart.

The Olympus E PL-2 still continues to amaze as an ideal travel camera. Light, unobtrusive, and with great IQ. The low light level is good as it is evident from these night shots using the automatic ISO setting.

This is also a place of contrasts. It is not only very old but very modern. It houses a conference center that is used for many international conferences on science etc. Here we see how it's residents live on ancient places using the new technology.

Erice, a true gem of a medieval town located om Monte San Giuliano, the mountain above Trapani, the most western part of the northern coast of Sivily, is always a go to place. A short drive on the autostrada A-29 and then a long and pleasant ride up the funivia, or cable car, it offers a respite from the daily stress that even a vacation can cause. Not to mention that at the Pasticceria del Convento one may savor the most delicious cannoli. The place is truly magical. More postings will follow as to give a better idea of it's true scope.

The Sicilian Cuisine Blog: "Anelletti al forno", our scrumptious baked Sicilian pasta http://galatiotophoto.blogspot.com

The Phoenician city of Segesta, whose history of plotting and counter plotting contributed to the Punic wars and the destruction of Selinunte and the inevitable decline of Greece, is a delightful place to visit. It's Doric temple and amphitheater are among the best preserved Greek ruins in all of Magna Grecia. Here we see a long shot of the temple along with the photo of a man waiting for the bus to take visitors from the theater who uses the flag to shade himself from the super insinuating and hot Sicilian sun. All of Italy is at present replete with flags as the country is celebrating the 150th anniversary of it's unification that began with the expedition of I Mille, "the thousand" led by Garibaldi who landed in Marsala in 1860. As they say, the rest is history but mixed with legend and myths. But we need myths as they make us see something bigger than ourselves. It it's so sad that in our pathetically uneducated world, peopled by those who believe that th...