When we woke up this morning...

...it had snowed in the sweet muscat-grape vineyards of the village of Rasei, in wine paradise.

Codevilla

The jewel

First I had noticed the tree, then the windmills on the edge of the horizon, only then little town of Ripacandida (Basilicata), between the tree and the horizon, set like a jewel in this magnificent landscape.

Autumn leaves...

...was one of the many songs I sang during last saturday night's Jazz concert organized by Winery "Eleano" in the municipality of Ripcandida (Basilicata - southern Italy) accompanied by the professional Jazz Quintet, Mr. Grant's Band, and what a thrill to receive such a great response from the public!

Before the weather turned bad

Madonna of the Lake,

Arona

Addicted to Dawn

While you were all still asleep this morning

Arona

The Scream

Only twice was I thoroughly impressed by “a scream”: the first time when, at the age of ten, I saw Norwegian Edvar Munch’s painting “The Scream”, and the second time a few weeks ago, when I saw these remains of a tree trunk, which also seems to express sheer terror! Too much uncontrolled deforestation for speculating purposes is taking place, and those who allow this, will not receive any benefit from it either…in the end!

Arona

When the lights were still on...

...this morning

Arona

The old courtyard...

...at dawn

Arona

Dawn

Fishing harbour

Arona

Arona is...

On the left: 16th century based church "Saint Anna", on the very right: 14th century "Broletto", what used to be the House of Judgement. Throughout the centuries Arona grew from a simple fisherman's village on the lake, into today's well known "Pearl of Lake Maggiore".

Arona

The great conductor

This is how Italian painter, Nicola Pankoff, of Russian-Italian origin, living and working in Arona, sees the world. Yesterday I was present, together with many other Aronians, at the opening of this magnificent exhibition, in the Castle of Galliate: a world of poetry and tales.

Galliate

Welcome Autumn...

Arona

A splash of colour...

...which I invented myself by taking a photo of a "Murano" glass sculpture distorting its immage in photoshop. It has been chosen to become a decorative panel for a large white wall of a modern apartment.

Fish

Let's avoid emptying seas, lakes, rivers and ponds on an industrial scale, to feed mostly those who can afford them. It would turn against us all in the end.

Arona

My thoughts go out to all of those who lost their lives in the nine-eleven event and to those who lost their loved ones. May such horrible actions never ever happen again, and may reciprocal respect and understanding be the start of a true democracy in the years to come.

Nature is warning us

What remains of an important glacier at 2.200 meters height

Macugnaga

The mountain hut

Mountain hut "Zamboni Zappa" is located at a height of 2070m above the community of Macugnaga (Province of Verbania) at the feet of the magnificent 4635 m high mountain "Monte Rosa". After one and a half hour's drive from Arona, two ski-lifts take you all the way up to "Belvedere", where on a clear day (which unfortunately was not the case the other day), "Her Majesty Monte Rosa" shows herself in all her glory with spectacular glaciers. From "Belvedere" it takes an hour to reach the mountain hut. After a short lunch we descended by feet all the way down to Macugnaga with a height difference of 760 meters, which took us 3 hours. A wonderful day of natural beauty and fresh air.

Macugnaga

The swimming pool

Codevilla

Summer light...

...in black and white

Arona

Evening light...

...with a touch of photoshop

outside Arona

Patience...

Arona