Begging eyes

Clearance sales have started

Arona

Husband and wife...

...since the 3rd century BC

Castle of Melfi

Basilicata

Medieval times

The 11th century castle of Melfi in Basilicata has the most wonderful collection of objects which date back to the 3rd, 4th and 5th century BC. Worthwhile a visit!

Melfi

Basilicata

Often loneliness is...

Altamura,

Apulia

Stones and satellites

My 400th photo

This beautiful and incredible site  - under Unesco protection - is called the "Sassi di Matera" (the "Stones of Matera") and is located in the Province of Matera in the southern-Italian Region of Basilicata. Some of these dwellings, dug into the rocks, date back to about 9.000 years ago and are still lived in today...with TV satellites and all!

Matera, Basilicata

Nature is...

Countryside of Altamura,

Apulia

Dear politicians of the Italian Region of Basilicata

You really should spend more time travelling through your own region, like you did when you toured around in cities and villages during your election campaigns, to gain the trust and votes of your people.
Weren't you glad to meet all those people, seeing their smiles when you shook their hands, promising that things would be alright and become better for everybody? I can only immagine what sort of satisfaction it should give to make people so happy.
I am more than certain that you would enjoy that endless and magnificent countryside again, with those softly flowing hills of green pastures and yellow cornfields, those large valleys with olivetrees and vineyards, those magnificent mountains which have nothing to envy to the Italian Dolomites in the north. Please do not forget to visit the two silent lakes of Monticchio again, where you should listen to what they will tell you about Brahmea, the rare nocturnal butterfly which in the world only lives there. And then...remember the "Sassi of Matera"...? No words are sufficient to describe its beauty!
Yes, you would meet all those people again durng your travelling. People who gave you their support. You would have the opportunity to listen more carefully to their cry for support. No, we are not talking about money here, they just want to feel your support again, to understand that your promises are coinciding with their expectations.
They have suffered! You know that! They have been hit hard in their hearts and in their belongings by earthquales, landslides and other natural disasters, but they always managed to build their own daily life up again, without the support they had expected, these silent, stubborn but oh so friendly and hospitable people of the hills, mountains and valleys, who in a most dignified manner often live in self-repaired houses painted in a range of colours which probably do not even exist in the rainbow, when it throws its arch beyond the horizons, after the strong wind has blown away those rainy dark clouds.
They sit isolated in their ivory towers of power, is their answer when I ask them where you are. They do not care about our wines, our chestnuts, our olive oil, They only care about the oil underground...!
You know, dear Politicians, these people know all about the oil drillings which take place in the National Park of the Agri Valley. They heard the Greens talk about the tremendously negative impact on the territory itself, where intensive oil extraction is contributing to a clear degradation of local fauna and flora, where the extraction methods are causing a lowering of the groundwater table, which has triggered hydrological changes. The seem to know that such effects are not always easy to predict but may have far-reaching consequences for the region's future. They fear that Basilicata's renowned agricultural products are at risk because of the concentration of industrial chemicals brought to the region. They see this as a huge barrier to the development of agriculture and tourism in the region. Then they started really getting worried when WWF-Italy stated that the impact of the oil extraction in the region is negative in all its aspects: research, processes, transport and refining, with serious risks to air pollution (emissions of nitrogen, hydrocarbons, sulphur dioxide), pollution of groundwater, the hydrological disruption, the seismic risk, not to mention the problems related to waste disposal and impacts on biodiversity.
Today they heard rumors that further drilling research operations will take place on a larger scale and also towards the "Vulture area", where this generous vulcano has given fertile ground with rich and lush minerals to the cultivation of Basilicata's world-famous Aglianico del Vulture grape which produces top-level exquisite wines and of which the organoleptic qualtities are and have been extolled by world-wide well known prestigeous experts.
They are worried, dear politicians, very worried and they request from you that you do not let all his happen, that oil is not the answer for the future and that you should concentrate on alternative energy with the sun and the wind which are abundant in your area. They have indeed the right to ask this from you, because they have chosen you to make their voices louder, so that they can be heard beyond the bounderies of their magnificent territory.

Yours truly,
One-who-fell-in-love-with-Basilicata.

Serenity is...

Arona

In total silence

The Japanese garden

Clingendael Estate

The Hague

Perfection in the Japanese garden

One cannot immagine that vandals had destroyed this garden last year...just for fun.  

Clingendael Estate

The Hague

Holland

From the intense impressions in China...

...to the quiet surroundings of my original hometown in Holland for a small holiday on my way back to Italy. This beautiful estate is open to the public and contains a spectacular Japanese garden which opens for one month per year only.

The Clingendael Estate

The Hague

Last evening in Shanghai

Driving towards the glittering city centre.

China's tallest building: the Global Financial Centre

Shanghai

New....Yòòòòòòrk

Then it was my turn.

(Photo made by Selim)

Gran Melìa Shanghai Hotel

In the evening, after a hard day's work in the fair...

...my very good friend since many years and excellent photographer, Selim (http://izmirdailyphoto.blogspot.com/) walking up stage for a singing session.

Gran Melìa Shanghai Hotel

Dancing creatures in glass

there is beautiful modern Art in China

Shanghai

A certain symmetry helps relaxing the mind...

...after a long journey.

Hotel in Shanghai

It was a long trip...

...but worth it every moment.

A Chinese mother with her child leaving for China
from Amsterdam Airport

Childhood memories...

...in a wintery Spring

I am off to China and will be back on the 8th May, hopefully with interesting photos. See you then!

Lake-front

Arona

The global crisis...

...has compelled many factories to close and many, while waiting to find a new job, are temporarily reinventing themselves. I do not know if it is the case of this young man, but it may likely not be the future he had in mind.  

Arona

Sun light in b&w

Cannobio