This is Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the four major papal basilicas in Rome and the largest church in Rome dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was right outside my hotel door—or, I guess I should say, the rear of the church was right outside my hotel door. For some reason that I can't recall, I was too lazy to walk around to the front and take a picture, even though I had to do this to go inside.
(Which I did. I have several interior pictures to share over the coming months.)
In any case, which side of the church to photograph is sort of a crapshoot. From the front, you can't see the domes and there's no obelisk in the piazza. On the other hand, from the rear you can't see the bell tower or Fuga's famous loggia. As with so many things, the only way to encompass the whole thing is by helicopter, which I am routinely without.
This image was the product of one of my periodic bouts of messing around in Photoshop. Mostly this produces dreck, but occasionally I like the results. This one I like.
However, for those of you who think this is stupid, the original photo is below it.
quadcopter drone = affordable aerial photography platform
The top one is how vampires see at night.
I like the Photoshopped one. And I am sorry to hear that your helicopter is routinely out of service.
Original is really nice. Photoshopped one is a little off for me.
The photoshopped one has the feel of a painting.
You could achieve those rich colors and make night look like day, but without the artefacts of excessive Photoshop filter use, if you did long exposures (IOW ≥20s) in the middle of the night.
The 'feels like' temperature has gone down but the actual temperature has gone up, so --yay?
The Photoshopped one looks like paint by numbers.
Where were you staying? Not the Hassler I take it. The Radisson?
The top one looks like the Disney version.
Es with Ally Sheedy in the Breakfast Club, I prefer the original.
It highlights the orange phallus, to the extent that is a good thing.
I'm not much for traveling but Italy seems like a place worth the effort to me. Maybe when all this pandemic nonsense is under control... or should I say if.
I stayed at a hotel across from the other end of the church in '99, and dined several times at La Vecchia Conca, which I hope you stumbled across. Got some interesting evening photos from the hotel's roof garden, but that was B.D. (before digital). A week was nothing like enough.
Nothing better than that night sky, with some illumination added.
Hmmm... A thin orange cock with two huge white balls. What's not to like?