Annalia S.'s photos with the keyword: Tuscany

Didn't make it in time to post an HFF yesterday, but still wanted to say hi to everyone and wish you all a happy new year! In the photo, a persimmon tree against winter fog.

Sometimes on one bank, sometimes on both, structures that were once water mills punctuate the course of the Arno River. Over the years, they have often gone through various transformations (factories, granaries etc) and this one has more recently been repurposed to become a hotel, called - what else? - Il Mulino di Firenze. I took this shot just before the wind picked up and ruffled the water surface of the pool created by the milldam. In the pips a different format in color of the same site, the "twin" mill on the opposite bank (now a residential complex) and a closer view of the milldam.

Looking for a road that would let me explore the left bank of the Arno river, I got lost in a maze of narrow side roads, most with walls on both sides protecting the privacy of well to do estates and interrupted here and there by custom made gates in various styles and tastes. The afternoon shadows were interesting though. In the main image shadows of trees, wall and gate seemed to form interesting lines and designs. In the first Pip the gate that produced the shadow and in the second Pip another take on the shadows of a border wall and trees on the opposite wall. Can you find me in one of the photos? Have a great Fence Friday, everyone, and a sunny pleasant weekend with lots of photogenic subjects to enjoy!

Weathered and peeling but still securely locked, an old farm gate blocks access to a sunlit field at the outskirts of the hamlet of Girone. Shaded by nearby trees, the fence lies in darkness, while the last light of the afternoon bathes the landscape beyond. From nearly locked down Tuscany, I wish everyone a HFF, a good weekend and the strength we need to deal with these sad, scary times.

A feast of golden fall colors reflecting in the Arno River upstream from the city.

By the last house of the Village of Il Girone as you walk upriver, a fellow stroller walked into a spotlight created by the westering sun.

A small hamlet just a few kilometres from Florence, Il Girone (Italian for "the big turn") looks on to a bend in the course of the Arno River, in a spot where one of the old river dams hinders the water flow creating a pool that makes for very pleasant reflections. The villa that can be seen in the distance is Villa la Massa, currently a 5 star hotel. I don't know what created the mist/smoke behind the Villa. Perhaps a field cleaning fire or possibly just the humidity from the river beginning to raise as evening approached.

Someone came up with an unusual way to secure the gate ... Happy Fence Friday, everyone!

Below a timeless country lane in the lazy quiet of the afternoon, with no one around but me and my bike. Above, the busy beltway to the E35 speedway.

A guesthouse just outside Florence used old rusty rebar to create an artsy fence and completed it with an equally rusty but rather elegant and very Tuscan logo. A clematis vine clearly thought this made for a perfect trellis :) In the pip a frontal view. HFF everyone!

A view of the hills above Sesto Fiorentino as the sky threatens to bring a downpour (which never materialized). The sunlit building is the convent and church of Santa Lucia alla Castellina. On the more distant hill a cluster of communication relay antennas.

wild carrots and wild garlic swaying in the summer fields. In the PIPS a wider view of the fields and close ups of the wild flowers and garlic seed heads.

On a bike ride on the hills just outside Florence, I found this uncharacteristically wide open gate and just had to investigate. A handwritten sign on the wall just outside the gate said: Doorbell out of order, go ring the bell at the end of the "viottola" (Tuscan for lane/path). That fully explains the open gate: it would be quite a trek to go open the front door otherwise :D

Sunbathers enjoying the last of the sunny afternoon on the river banks by the milldam of the Molino di Sant'Andrea a Rovezzano.

People enjoying their recent release from lockdown on the Arno River banks by the "Molino di Sant'Andrea a Rovezzano".

Part of the complex of the old mill at Sant'Andrea a Rovezzano, just upstream from the city of Florence.

Now residential, this was once the grain mill and drying terrace, part of the complex of the Molino di Sant'Andrea a Rovezzano.

Should I ever be reborn as a rich woman, this is the house I would buy. A complex made up of several structures, including a tower (see PiPs), "Molino di Sant'Andrea a Rovezzano" was once one of the mills on the Arno River, later converted into a factory, then a hydroelectric plant and now a residential complex housing several families. The milldam that once served to divert water for the mill now attracts sunbathers, families on outings and generally anyone looking for a fresh air walk by the Arno river. I shot these on one of the first Saturdays after Italians were released from lockdown, when I was one of many strollers eager to enjoy the newly regained freedom. The (clickable) PiPs show different parts of this extensive complex, from different angles. As you can see, I would have to be pretty darn rich to afford buying the whole thing! :D