A Matter of Perspective
Last year, we took a big three-week trip to Europe to visit family and friends. We spent a few days in Scotland, more days in England and then ten more days in Italy, where we'd all wanted to visit for a long time — us and everyone else in the world.
We travelled first to Bologna, then to the coast where we stayed in the small town of Praiano and then finally to Rome. By the time we arrived in Rome, the temperature had soared to a blistering 40C. Our white-skinned, northern European bodies are not built for scorching sun and hot temperatures. I felt I'd sweated my body weight in water every hour. We started our days early and moved slowly.
Keen as I was to look chic in this magnificent city, my carry-on luggage only allowed me a limited supply of shorts and t-shirts. We looked the same as every other tourist wandering every famous ancient feature.
I kept my photography kit simple for Italy — just my iPhone and my Nikon FM3a, a vintage film SLR I bought new over 20 years ago. Because I'm never completely confident that my film photographs will be successful, I often use my phone as a backup.
When I travelled to Italy back in the olden days, I never visited the Trevi Fountain. I thought I would never return to Rome. There's a tradition that if you throw a coin into the fountain the gods will favour you ensuring a safe trip back to the city. It took me thirty years to return to Rome, not by the grace of the gods but by the hard work of my husband.
It's quite a spectacle as you turn into the plaza and see this enormous piece of sculptural architecture. According to the website Walks of Italy, there's been a fountain in this spot since 19 BC. The fountain as it stands now, in all its Baroque glory, wasn't built until the 1700s — old but not that old.
“The Trevi Fountain stands a massive 85 feet tall and is almost 65 feet wide. With water pumping out of multiple sources and the large pool in front, the fountain spills about 2,824,800 cubic feet of water every day.”
We couldn't get very close to the fountain pool as the crowds filled the space closest to the water. I gave up long ago trying to crop out the people at popular tourist places because: 1. I am usually one of the tourists and 2. the people give scale and atmosphere.
We stood there awhile taking pictures, watching all the people, and enjoying some welcome shade as the sun dipped behind the taller buildings.
One of the horses pulls hard against the chariot where Oceanus stands. He's agitated, raising his head and body out of the water, straining against the triton's hand that steadies it. The drama of the design contrasts with the relaxed hubbub of contemporary activity in its foreground.
I turned away from the fountain to find the sun lighting the top of a nearby building. Across the face of the building, the sculptural crest of the Trevi Fountain casts a shadow. I take one photograph with my Nikon.
Looking at the pictures a year later, I'm struck by how different this photograph is from the others. By looking in a different direction, I'd found a different perspective. I make a note about it. It seems obvious — you can learn something new by looking in a different direction.
All photos by Tanya Clarke 2023
