Gateway Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

It's time to move up from the river to explore the inside of the town of Ceccano.

From ancient to medieval to modern the city of Ceccano has had a long history. Carthiginian General Hannibal passed this way in 221 B.C. In late antique times numerous barbarian invaders passed by, including Longobards who burned the city down in 752. And in World War II bombs fell on the city. In Roman times it was known as Fabrateria Vetus but in the 600s the city's inhabitants changed its name to Ceccano in honor of Petronio Ceccano, a Consul of Campania. At that time the city was also considered a Domus Culta and was directly linked to the Holy See.

In the tenth century the city's territories extended from here to Terracina on the shores of the Tyrhennian Sea and across the Sacco Valley. The Castel dei Conti dates from this period of medieval prosperity. Situated at the top of the hill on an outcropping of steeply sloping rock, it was built around the 1100.

This is the main entrance to the Castle. High above rises a large former residence that was home to a weather observatory. And through the gate a road winds its way up to the main square beneath the Castle Tower, for years a prison, then bombed and now under renovation.

Walking through the castle is a fun experience. Smaller paths wind around in all directions almost like secret entrances to the Castle. Some go down just a bit to the main square beneath the castle while others take you all the way to the bottom of the hill, a fun trip down but an exhausting trip back up. And all of them are lined with nice old homes and secret gardens and protected by Italy's most common "wild urban animal" the domestic cat.

snuggleaphagus, papagolf21, robiuk, wilkinsonsg, Hanssie, phi729, elihesamian, jhm, bertolucci, maphoto, premels, kajenn, joso, Gix trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

snuggleaphagus (4140) 2005-03-02 3:15

aMAZING COLORS pAUL. THE CHAOTIC appearance of the building is great. I specially lie the open window with the warm glow on the grey building.
I'm quite uncertain about the sky, but everything else is awesome. I think I would crop tighter on top, but it's jus my taste.
Fanstastic colors and textures.

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papagolf21 (56593) 2005-03-02 5:01

Cher Paul,
J'aime cette prise de vue qui est présentée sans fard ; une vue naturelle qui représente la ville comme elle est avec ses défauts et ses qualités.
J'aime l'ancien qui se mêle au plus récent. J'aime cette arche qui incite à aller plus loin pour la découverte de lieux mystérieux.
Merci pour cette réalisation et ce partage.
Amitiés.
Philippe

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robiuk (10763) 2005-03-02 7:38

Wonderful composition and I just adore the effect of that tungsten light in the foreground.
Very good work with colours, Paul.
The note is most informative - great!
Robi

wilkinsonsg (8646) 2005-03-02 11:36

Great colours - almost like a tinted shot - very atmospheric.

Hanssie (9133) 2005-03-02 14:08

Wow, this is all very old, when I read your note ! From Hannibal to WW II....
The picture is full of great details and textures everywhere. Maybe a little dark in some parts, but I like this Italian scene very well, Paul !

phi729 (2099) 2005-03-02 16:25

Hi Paul :)

Here, the strong contrast and the grain nicely reinforce the old touch of this architecture. The path in the semi-darkness behind the arch is mysterious and support your last paragraph in your note. That makes me want to go into it to discover the continuation of the visit. Good play with this tangle of houses's facades too. Nice shot, Paul. And of course, excellent note leading us through the history of this city to the small paths near the castle.

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elihesamian (26091) 2005-03-03 6:06

Great exploring to the town,with your great note,Paul!
great texture you captured and a semi gaphical work you composed,with an irregular geometric which artistically combined in your POV,I like it,well composed and colors are strong point here,too,Thanks,Paul.
Yours
M

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Kenny10pin (19301) 2005-03-03 6:51

very nice work, I like the composition and also the colours are lovely, well done

jhm (83131) 2005-03-03 7:06

Dear Paul, the blue colour tints in the gateway are splendid, I like it brickwork, also the front with the dark yellow colour is nice. Well composition too.
Greetings,
John.

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bertolucci (11990) 2005-03-04 13:33

Hi Paul, This is a lovely and a bit mysterious looking capture of this old gate and its surroundings. I like it very much that you continue your tour.
The Superia colours are again very nice and the rendering of the different textured facades and walls is great. The thing that makes this shot really stand out is that it conveys the gritty and slightly chaotic feel of the town xcellently. Your note is again excellent. Wonderful work!

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alvaraalto (5285) 2005-03-04 18:16

This is a very interesting composition. It is interesting by the different coloured flaks which shove in front of each other.

maphoto (8076) 2005-03-06 0:04

Nice historical shot Paul, interesting point of view, nicely composed making the scene look old. Great details and texture, well done.

premels (2400) 2005-03-06 6:47

Amazing composition where the facades are nested into one another. The arch invites us to enter a mysterious dark path. The colors and textures are very nice.
What I like the most is the lit window on the grey facade.

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kajenn (2325) 2005-03-06 22:28

A nicely composed image, Paul. And it's almost as if the architecture has composed itself - building on through the ages - shown in the different styles cramped together in your image. Colors are a bit smudged, as so often in Italy, and the light is well controlled. I like the glowing open window in the back, but find the lantern at the gate a bit too bright. I'll try a minor WS for that. Your note is, as always, very intriguing and I'm looking forward to continue in through the gateway. Very well done!

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Gix (3559) 2005-03-15 2:48

Buongiorno Paul,
leggo nella tua nota che hai piacere di mettere alla prova il tuo italiano (Mastrogiacomo è un nome italiano) e così ti scrivo nella mia lingua!
Non ho mai visitato Ceccano, ma il misto di nuovo e di antico che ci fai vedere, strettamente addossati l'uno all'altro (quasi in simbiosi) è un classico esempio dell'Italia di oggi. Compresi i tubi del gas e le linee telefoniche che rovinano l'aspetto delle vecchie mura!
Credo che la scelta di accentuare le ombre sia voluta per sottolineare il senso di antico, e mi sembra che funzioni bene. La cosa che più mi piace è che la foto rende perfettamente quello che si vede guardando dalla finestra in quasi ogni città qui, in particolare nel centro Italia.
Molto ben visto e realizzato!
ciao, Giorgio