St. Peter’s Basilica and the Angels’ bridge leading to it across the Tiber (Italian Tevere) river.

The Diana Fountain on Piazza Archimede at night.
Syracuse at night is a photographer’s paradise. The lights of the harbour and the illuminated monuments create a very special atmosphere.
The photo above was taken with my Minolta Dynax 9 in the blue hour on Fujichrome Velvia using the camera flash and a remote controlled flash as fill-in.

The Monumemto Vittorio Emmanuele dominates the Piazza Venezia.
It was built in 1885 as a symbol of the unity of the country. This is one of the quadrigas on the top of the monument.

The cathedral of Monreale was built by king William II who wanted it to be a sign of his power and sovereignty - outdoing the existing basilica in which the bishop (Walter of the Mill, an Englishman) resided.
A few years later, the bishop ordered his basilica to be torn down - and a new one to be erected in its place.
In any case, the cloister of Monreale is a beautiful place - and you can spend lots of time examining the architectural details: almost every column has an individual design..

The Cathedral of Palermo at night

This volcano is still active.

Lìpari is one of the so-called Aeolian Islands to the North of Sicily. Many tourists visit this island - but it is still possible to wander through small streets and discover fascinating views.

A statue in the botanical Garden of Palermo.

As the name suggests, the Greek theatre was originally a Greek construction, but later changed by the Romans.
The Romans built the brick wall that now obstructs mosts of the view of
Mount Etna.
Still, it’s a marvellous atmosphere! The theatre is still used, today.

Another view of Taormina from the Greek Theatre.

The lava fields of Mount Etna, near Catania (Sicily, Italy)

Syracuse is a very beautiful city in broad daylight, but turns magical at night. This is the harbour of Syracuse in the “blue hour”.
Taken with a Minolta Dynax 9 on a tripod on Fuji Velvia slide film.

A few meters away from the tourist attractions.

The “Tonnara di Scopello” is an old tuna factory that was closed down years ago.
Nowadays it’s a good place for a dive.

even though the building may be in bad repair, the flowers are quite attractive.

Typically british? Maybe, however, this tea house is situated right beside the Spanish steps.

Seen in Agrigento, Sicily.

San Giovanni degli Eremiti (12th century) is romantically situated in a very photogenic setting: a small garden that allows for many interesting angles.
Consequently, the entrance fee is a bit steep.
Those interested in the history of architecture will be baffled by the ingenious mixture of normannic and arabic styles.

Taken in Agrigento, Sicily.
Here, I had some difficulties. No technical issues, but as soon as I had mounted the camera on my tripod, a guardian appeared, telling me in Italian that professional photographers were not allowed to take photos without a special permit (needless to say that you would have had to go back to town and surely, the office wouldn’t be open at that time).
Pointing out that I’m not a pro didn’t help either. After all, I was using a tripod!
Fortunately, I had taken a number of hand-held shots before as well as some pictures on the tripod.

Still, if you are the proud owner of a professional looking camera and/or a big tripod, I’d recommend that when visiting historic sites at night you either enquire beforehand whether you would need a tripod, - or take as many hand-held pictures as you can and only then hurry up to use your tripod.

In the anteroom of a small church is one of Romes best known attractions, the Bocca Della Veritá .
The reason for this fame presumably is that, according to common belief, it will bite off the hand of everyone who isn’t truthful.
Of course, I passed the test. Really!
All other visitors did as well. So, mankind seems to be inherently good, after all.

Window of an old house in Rome