Italy and Italians

First of all, thanks to you all for partecipating with so much amazing photos. It was very difficult for me to choose the top ten, and as you can see, I gave priority the pictures capturing the genuine atmosphere of Italy, going beyond the stereotypes. This beautiful image, taken in the village of Calvanico near Salerno, is an evocative tale of daily life. A young man and an elder, two generations, are on the threshold of the Social Circle of the country. Social Circles are institutions founded between the late XIXth and early XXth century all over Italy; they were the main meeting place for the people (men), where they entertained themselves, playing cards and making decisions about the politics of the village. Now there are only a few survivors, almost all in South Ialia.

This suggestive shot catches in full the atmosphere of a great city of South Italy, what Naples is. Animation, color, atmosphere. It seems to me to feel the smell of coffee and hear the sound of voices! My best compliments for this shot!

I loved this picture as soon I saw it, not only for its technical perfection. And it is actually perfect, but what mainly strucked me was the incredible quantity of books stored in a narrow local and the man focused in reading. This small bookshops are a peculiarity of Venice, a genuine tradition, very far from the usual, touristic image of gondolas and masks. Thank you so much for this shot!,

At the first glance this amazing picture could be similar to many others of Venice. But there is a substantial difference that makes it unique: the small figure smoking on the bridge. This lonely presence in the night, made me think about a lot of misterious histories rattling around that man. Thank you so much for making me dream!

Chatting with friends in the street is a custom in Italy, even at night. This very suggestive photo depicts an alley of the center of Rome, far from the tourist places, with in the foreground a so called 'Nasone' the famous standpipes of the Capital. Thank you so much for this amazing shot!

A lovely shot, with a very effective black and white. It depicts another italian custom: having breakfast sitting outside the cafè. Someone looking the passings, someone chatting, someone controlling the smartphone, someone thinking. Thank you so much for your partecipation!

This picture shows a little known part of Venice, far from the touristic flows, the souvenir shops, the gondolas and so on. A place still inhabited by the venetians with the normal life of a normal place. Thank you so much for this shot!

This photo, shooted in Positano, catched immediatly my attention and I've watched it again and again. I was struck because there is nothing of artifact, all is very joyful and spontaneous. The two girls have been suprised in a moment of cheer and their happiness is infectious. The only defect of this image is the cuspid of the dome cut in part . Otherwise a fantastic shot!