Rocco Galatioto, nice photos and good food

Nothing says New York as well as the Brooklyn Bridge. It is a symbol of the Big Apple all over the world.

This delightful woman was the mother of a close friend. We went to see her one day and naturally, being Italian, from the Puglia region, we had to have lunch. It's amazing how Italians manage to feed all who drop by. The lunch was delicious and while she was waiting for the food to be ready she would stand outside the door to the kitchen and speak to us. I took out my Leica M2 that I always carried with me and started taking these candid shots. This was back in the eighties and I'm glad I found these negatives.

This photo was shot on Fifth Avenue near Rockefeller Center. I strongly believe that such a one man demonstration would be impossible today. This poor misguided soul would risk his life. What can I say. Are things better today?

Unlike in the States where many farmer markets are total rip offs catering mostly to yuppies and hipsters, in Italy these markets provide the freshest produce at prices cheaper than at the super markets. This place is wild. There are no lines and one must be aggressive or else the wait is long. It is fun and one meets friends and relatives with whom to shoot the breeze. Located in Piazza Petrolo, Castellammare del Golfo, it is walking distance from my house. Please note the blue sea in the background, priceless. As an interesting note, in the EU one is not allowed to touch the produce. Either the owner or salesperson choses it or in super markets disposable plastic gloves are used. But we are in Sicily and we take regulations lightly so here as in many other stores we are allowed to touch the merchandise. How can you chose an eggplant without touching it? Wash it later. As a matter of fact, in another more convenient store. the owner, as a courtesy, allows me to handle the stuff. It...

These photos date from the early seventies and show a typical weekend day in the spring when everyone was eager to go out and be see. As one can see there were no smart phones to stand in the way of the human interaction. Today this type of scene is not possible. We are all wired and in contact with people somewhere else or we are constantly taking selfies and photos. Sad really; yet many call this progress. Go figure.