A storey and a half

Quite a few lovely courtyards among the old streets of Bergamo - like this one.  I had to poke the camera through some rather impressive wrought iron gates to get this, mind you.

HP5+ on Ilford Warmtone fibre paper

So what’s going on here then? Tradesman's entrance vs Gentleman’s entrance? Who knows...but the doors are very close together and only one half-storey apart. If I’m being honest, at the time I just liked the scene in front of me.  Looking at it now, I’m intrigued - What’s the inside like?

The Old City (Citta Alta) sits high atop a promontory (as the Italian suggests) - the newer city (Citta Bassa lies below).  The old part reminded me of Bath a little - beautiful to walk around but I'm not sure I'd want to live there.  Mind you, the transport is so good there's no real need to - the bus journey from Bassa to Alta is frequent and cheap.  For the likes of us tourists, there's a funicular railway linking the two parts as well - which we used but it's a very short ride in small, cramped carriages.  It was impossible to see anything other than fellow tourists so it was a bit disappointing.

Pizza by night

OK spot the deliberate typo in the title - not pizza but Piazza. Funny what a little ‘a’ can add to the meaning. Anyway, Piazza Vecchia is where it all happens in Bergamo and it's a rather pleasant place to find yourself in at any hour of the day.  This is it by night:

Piazza Vecchia on Ilford Warmtone fibre paper

Can't remember if it was the 35mm or the 21mm on the M6 but I'm favouring the former.

Mettle testing

On our last full day in Bergamo last month it was a bit dull and damp.  Still warm, though - and as a result still quite pleasant.  The ladies in my life were having a lie-in but once I'm awake I usually get up, whatever time it is, so I took myself off for a dander.  The nice thing about being on my own is not having to feel guilty about my wife or daughter wondering when yer man is going to catch up.  That's not terribly fair, as they are both very supportive (and patient), but still, at times I'm sure their mettle is tested to the limit.

Bergamo, HP5+ on Ilford Warmtone fibre paper, light sepia tone

Looking down this street I was struck by how positively lovely it was, steeped in shadow, a bit dirty...and just so authentic. Pity the wires were crossing it but I couldn't do much about them.  I overprinted it by a good half a stop, maybe more, as I wanted to give it a light sepia tone.  The bleach stage brought it back to life and then a dunk in some very dilute sepia tone just lifted the grayness a little. It still maintains an air of mystery, which was the plan.

Steps

No, not the pop-group that gave us such memorable hits as "5, 6, 7, 8" - the steps at the base of the Fontanone Visconteo, not far from the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiori in Bergamo:

Stone steps, Bergamo.  Lith, on Foma paper.

The Fontanone Visconteo is, as you might guess from the name, a 'fountain' built to supply water to the town in the 14th Century.  1342 or thereabouts and that's a fair while ago by any reckoning.  Now I'm not sure the steps date back that far, but they weren't constructed recently, that's for sure.

If you want a grittier version - here you are:

Both are lith prints and untoned but the second one was actually the first, done when I was 'getting my eye in' and it was massively over-exposed under the enlarger.  Rather than bin it, I threw it in some bleach (either standard sepia bleach or PotFerri, can't remember which) and let it sit for a while. Interesting how it turned out - losing all the warmth that usually comes with lith & the Foma paper (that you can see in the other print).

Fake

Here's another one from the Nikon 85mm f/1.4:

By the River Bann, September 2019.  Barclay graded paper.

It was quite a pleasant morning a few weeks ago that my wife and I went for a wee stroll along the Bann.  This is one of the few country (ish - it's only just out of town) walks you can do without getting very muddy this time of year, since the path is made from hardcore or cinders - something solid, anyway.

Actually this is fake.  The print actually looks like this:

The real thing.

Perhaps as we read from left to right the first is slightly easier on the eye.  But of course this is down to the power of software so therefore is unworthy of consideration.

Intruder

It's hard to go wrong in a country such as Italy, where it seems that around every corner lies a thing of beauty.  Particularly somewhere old such as the Citta Alta of Bergamo.  And the added bonus is that lovely soft light.  Bergamo lies just at the foot of the Alps, which might have something to do with it - we had a superb view of them as we flew over from Belfast, not a cloud in sight.  Fast forward 5 days and the flight back was the opposite - a thick blanket of cloud stretching pretty much all the way home.

From the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiori looking towards the Cathedral.  Lith print, Foma paper.

The main square in Bergamo is rather nice but the real gems lie just to the Southern End - the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiori and the Cathedral.  We did the Cathedral first, which dates back several hundred years and is every bit as impressive as you might imagine.  Inside is a treasure-trove of artefacts and statues which reflects an incredible level of skill by the stonemasons and artists of the time.  We actually walked past the nearby Basilica the first time we were there but the Old City isn't that big and on our next foray we realised there was another building open to the public and so we found ourselves in the Basilica.  It's on a smaller scale than the Cathedral but more impressive for it, I think.  The walls are lined with centuries-old tapestries and it's just a lovely space to find yourself in.  I didn't feel too bad taking a few shots with the Leica as the shutter is whisper-quiet.  Not sure how well they came out though since I was hand-holding at some ridiculous speed.  We'll see.  As I wandered around, somewhat in awe, I spied a separate room off to one side and entered through the large glass doors.  There's probably a proper name for it but I'm not big into my organised religions so that didn't stick in my head - most likely a space for private prayer and reflection away from the main area.  It was deserted - or so I thought.  I was admiring the centrepiece of Christ on the Cross and instinctively reached for the camera...as I did so I turned slightly and got a tremendous shock for out of the corner of my eye I noticed a very old clerical gentleman, dressed as usual in black robes and just sitting in the corner in quiet contemplation.  He didn't acknowledge me and was (I imagine) clearly there to get away from the hordes of tourists (with their damn cameras).  I felt like I was intruding. I put away all thoughts of taking a photograph, sat down in one of the chairs at the back and just enjoyed the space for what it was.  After what I thought was a decent few minutes I made my exit, leaving the gentleman alone to enjoy his peace and quiet.

At times like that it's hard not to wonder about the difference in people's lives.  I was going to write 'in the way people choose to live' but I'm not sure that's the correct way to put it.  I mean, I'm guessing the priest made a conscious decision to wear the cloth etc and I'm sure somewhere along the way I chose the Family Life but like the song (Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime) sometimes it doesn't feel that you get where you are today completely by choice.  It's just where we find ourselves. So there's me - family man, flying in from Ireland for a few days sightseeing and eating before returning home to School Runs, trips to the supermarket and my usual stuff.  And there's the priest with his life in Bergamo and all that entails.  Our paths crossed for a few moments.  Funny old game, isn't it?

Caffe Poli

This was taken at the entrance of the Flea Market in Bergamo - although I must confess to moving the cup a little to get some of the early morning sun.  Not sure what I must have looked like to the people going in and out but I'm kind of past caring what anyone might be thinking about me these days.

As usual the print is a bit richer than what you get here on screen but anyway:

Entrance to Flea Market, Bergamo.  HP5+ on Ilford Warmtone fibre paper

It didn't really work as well as I wanted - the flower pot is just plain dull and boring.  I might have been better taking it off the table and just making do with the cup and the ashtray.  Or maybe not bothering at all...

In the clink

Well that's not strictly accurate, since 'the Clink' was a prison in Southwark, England and this shot was taken in Bergamo, Northern Italy where I found myself last week for a short break with the family (it being half-term, y'see).

Old prison hospital, Bergamo, 2019.  HP5+ on Ilford Warmtone fibre paper.

As we wandered up the main drag (via Bartolomeo Colleoni) there was a sign for a 'Flea Market' and we followed it, as both my wife and I usually love a good dig around such places - you never know what you might come across.  Downstairs was a bit disappointing, though - rails of clothes and some hand-made jewellery bits and pieces.  Neither really my thing, to be honest, but at the end of the hall was a sign for 'Experimental Art', leading up some very old stone steps.  I dithered a bit, as they looked a bit dodgy (no handrail, either) but in the end I ventured forth.  And it was a good decision. The steps led up to an old abandoned prison hospital.  Strangely, there wasn't much experimental art on display (none, except for a few not terribly impressive photographs) but the rooms were simply amazing to walk though.  Thankfully they hadn't renovated anything - it looked like it had just been opened up after years of lying empty.  Very sad it was, to think of the lives of the inmates that spend part of their lives living in those conditions.  I took a few shots and this was the first that I printed this morning.  I was a bit rusty in the darkroom but I was happy with this one. Others will follow.

Bergamo is a must-see, by the way.  I'm a sucker for anything old and Italian and slightly off-the-beaten-track and I have to say, this place is the real deal.  Even better as we could fly direct from our local airport.  At the other side it was a short bus ride to the old town (Citta Alta) and about a 3 minute walk to our hotel.  Couldn't really ask for an easier journey than that.