Roving Pic: Santa Maria Assunta and the Sea

Santa Maria Assunta and the Sea
July 2011
Photo: Scott Clark

The clouds had cleared leaving behind blue skies and bluer seas. Positano was positively in bloom as we made our way down the steep cobblestone street to the seaside. To our right were shops with hand-crafted ceramics painted by hand, limoncello vendors vending their legendary liqueurs and balconies with the locals' laundry billowing in the lemon-scented breeze. To our left was this view. Heads sufficiently turned, we continued our descent, eagerly awaiting the next discovery Positano had planned for us. 

Roving Pic: Capri's Sandal Maker

Capri's Sandal Maker
July 2011
Photo: Scott Clark

He was jovial for a hot and humid afternoon in Anacapri as he wove leather through his fingers and into art. Part historian, part artisan, part celebrity, he sits outside of his shop among pairs of pre-made footwear perfection, laughing and chatting with passers-by. Dressed in a simple apron with well-worn tools in hand, he works every day, fitting soles to feet and finally, sandals to souls, each pair leaving his hands crafted of timeless tradition and love.

Roving Pic: Lone Boat in Positano

Lone Boat in Positano
July 2011
Photo: Scott Clark

The boat didn't go out that day. It, along with the other Positano residents, stayed safely on shore. Gray skies reflected in grayer seas as drizzle soon turned to drops. Tourists and Italians alike retreated to covered cafes while we wandered ever closer to the white-capped water. Wooden, worn and beautiful, the boat met us where the surf surrendered to the sand and welcomed our brief companionship. As we made our way back from the seaside, we left the boat just as we found it, proud and pure in the pouring rain.

Roving Pic: Night Walk in Anacapri

Anacapri at Night
July 2011
Photo: Scott Clark

We turned off the pedestrian street onto a narrow, residential walkway. Behind stucco walls and elegantly scrolled, wrought iron gates, we could see people gathered together in softly-lit gardens, on balconies and in dining rooms, celebrating a mid-summer evening. Glasses, heavy with wine, clinked together, toasting a beautiful moment in the Mediterranean. Laughter, lovely Italian phrases and lightness filled the air around us. And we walked back towards the main road in the dim light, taking our tiny snapshot of island life in Anacapri with us.

Roving Pic: Lock of Love

Love. Locked.
July 2011
Photo: Scott Clark

We first noticed the locks in Florence and then we saw them everywhere a river flowed. The story goes that lovers across Italy secure their love by latching golden locks to bridges and throwing the keys into the rushing water below, locking their love together - forever. 


Maybe it was because it was almost our 10 year anniversary or maybe it was because we were in Italy, but we were suddenly in search of a lock. One finally surfaced in a city market near its now permanent location. Simple, small and shimmering in the evening lights, our lock was latched together, sealing its fate to an ancient structure and ours to each other. 


It may be a silly, superstitious tradition, but you have to admit, it's awfully sweet. Thanks for stopping by!