One recce down, one to go for the proposed photography holidays; it’s the first time of visiting this part of Italy, and the area that I’m going to, Cilento, sits within a national park, my expectations are high. I was drawn here by my friend who lives here and runs her own wedding business, http://www.italybrideandgroom.com/ For brides, this area must be a dream; blue seas lined by beautiful beaches in a quiet intimate town with a wedding meal at a restaurant perched high above the coast in the hilltop town of Castellabate, more about this town later.
Santa Maria, Cilento, Italy
Though as a photography location or an area for Healing with Photography holidays, is it right? That’s what I’m here to find out. As the plane descended into Naples airport, after an absence for me from Italy of four years, I crane my neck to look out of the window and get a glimpse of my beloved island of Capri. As it came into sight tears pricked my eyes, it felt so good to be back after all this time apart.
I arrived at sunset so daylight the following morning was to reveal the secrets of Castellabate and Cilento. A flat coastline, long sandy beaches, lidos – wooden built cafes – lining the beaches and small harbours revealed possible photo locations.
I decide that the high hills that surround the coastal town of Santa Maria probably hold the real magic of the Cilento area. The hilltop town of Castellabate, with its castle, beguiling alleyways and views across the countryside, captured my imagination and I spent a good few hours exploring around here and taking photos. It wasn’t only my imagination that was fired by this town, a film crew were here too making a sequel to the Italian film Benvenuto al Sud. I have a real soft spot for this little town and the restaurant Belvedere, with its delicious food and wonderful views over the bay and the Amalfi coast below.
A sunset Silhouette
Yet one place doesn’t make a week’s photography holiday. The peaked hills creating a valley around the coastline are either covered in forestry or reveal the parched soil of olive grove terraces. The brown vistas in this part remind of southern Spain. We, my guide and I from http://www.graceescapes.com , visited some hillside towns full of quaint architecture with even more enticing alleyways and some incredibly loud bell towers which ring out on the hour.
So for photography venues I had Castellabate and some other hilltop villages, maybe the temples of Paestum along with the marina town of San Marco, but it wasn’t quite enough. I’ve learnt many things this last week; firstly that seven days isn’t nearly long enough to recce a completely new area. I think at least two weeks is better or maybe even a month so you can start to get under the skin of the place and know it intimately. And secondly, however much you want to, it’s not possible to feel something for a place, as much as you may want to, if it doesn’t grab you by the heart.
Economically it makes good business sense to do tours here; the hotel rates are inviting, restaurants are good and it’s perfect for any non-photographer partners who are sun worshippers as they could lie on beautiful beaches all day. Economically it’s a yes, yet photographically it’s a no, although I think it has real potential for any Healing with Photography holidays.
So, if I only run the one photography holiday in Sorrento next year is it worth the time it takes to organise it? And do I want to pay all the insurances; tour operator and financial security along with personal and professional liability? Or do I put a second Sorrento tour into the place of the proposed Cilento holiday slot next autumn and change the content to make it a completely different tour from that of the spring one? Ah, now that’s set my imagination off and running.
The other question I think about as I’m giving the apartment a final clean is what if my love affair with Italy is over? What if I get back to Sorrento and it leaves me cold? Yet as I am sitting on my balcony writing this article, I glance up and across the bay I can just make out the alluring rocky peaks of the Amalfi coast and I get excited about my recce there later this year.
As an Italian man said to my friend earlier this week “She’s already in love with Italy” It’s true, I am. A presto Capri!
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Living in the beautiful rural county of Yorkshire it was perhaps natural for Ruth to have an affinity with the countryside and its wildlife. Creativity is Ruth’s driving force finding an outlet in television & radio she worked for many years as producer for BBC & ITV.
However a love of photography and for being surrounded by nature called her to go back to her photography training and bring pleasure and joy to people through her connection with our planet.
Staying in the moment when taking her images allows her to experience the natural magnificence unfolding before her eyes. It is this moment of mediation, of gratitude, that she evocatively conveys through her images.