Italy Road Trip – Damon Beckford

The amazing Lago Di Braies, shot with the Pro Portrait Tele G4 lens!

Story and photos by @damonbeckford

I’ve always dreamt of going to Italy. To see Venice and Rome, the Amalfi coast and eat Italian food while sipping on some Italian wine. One day we were thinking of what to do on my girlfriends Pihla-Sofia’s one week holiday in September, and the idea of finally going to Italy quickly came to my mind. Next day we had our flights booked to Milan and out from Rome.

To make this trip a bit more adventurous, we rented a car and packed a tent with us, so we could save some money and see more than one city. Italy road trip, here we come! Images are shot with iPhone 6 and Black Eye Cinema Wide lens.

We arrived in Milan, picked up our rental car and drove to the center of Milan for a quick visit to see the famous Duomo di Milano cathedral and to have a taste of authentic Italian Pizza!
We arrived in Milan, picked up our rental car and drove to the center of Milan for a quick visit to see the famous Duomo di Milano cathedral and to have a taste of authentic Italian Pizza!
The amazing Lago Di Braies, shot with the Pro Portrait Tele G4 lens!
The amazing Lago Di Braies, shot with the Pro Portrait Tele G4 lens!
We spend a lot of time experimenting with different images and angles at the lake.
We spend a lot of time experimenting with different images and angles at the lake.

From Milan we drove 400km north to the Dolomites and slept few hours in our tent! We both really wanted to go and see the picture perfect Lago Di Braies and we heard to go there as early as possible to beat the crowds. So we went there for sunrise and it was totally worth it! One of the most stunning lakes we’ve seen, surrounded by epic mountains and beautiful nature. We did a hike around the lake and then had to start driving to Venice. But I think we both could’ve spent the whole week just exploring and hiking in the Dolomites, we need to go back there again!

A church on the way from the Dolomites to Venice.

A church on the way from the Dolomites to Venice.

Venice is very beautiful and picturesque..
...and has amazing colors too!
...and has amazing colors too!

We arrived at Venice in the afternoon and checked in to a campsite 10km from the center of Venice. From there we could easily reach the center with a bus. It was so cool to finally witness Venice with my own eyes! The weather was not on our side as it was raining for the two days we were there, but it was still a nice experience. We also took a ferry to the Island of Burano, which is famous for its colorful houses. Must visit place!

Levanto of Cinque Terre int he soft evening light
Levanto of Cinque Terre int he soft evening light

After Venice, we drove our Fiat Panda another 400km to the west coast of Italy, to a village called Levanto in the Cinque Terre region. We camped here for two nights and explored the beautiful villages of Vernazza and Manarola. Finally, we had warm weather and sunshine, and for our surprise, there was even possible to surf in Levanto! Too bad we didn’t have time for that. We both wished we could live here!

The mighty colosseum of Rome!
The mighty colosseum of Rome!
And the great Vatican city
And the great Vatican city

After Cinque Terre, it was time for the last leg of the journey. One more 400km drive to Rome, where we dropped our car at the airport and continued with the train to the city for two nights. Rome was hot and touristy, but it was so cool to see all the history and buildings the city has to offer! Two days was not enough, but we had time to visit the Vatican City, went on top of the St. Peter’s Basilica where you could see the entire city of Rome!It was a dream come true to finally visit Italy and I really fell in love with the country. It amazing how much this country has to offer. Stunning mountains and nature in the Dolomites, beaches and the picture-perfect villages of Cinque Terre and the history and architecture of Rome and Venice. And of course the delicious food, wine and the coffee culture that any Finnish person will appreciate!

I was very happy with the results that the new Cinema Wide and the Pro Tele lens gave us! Very sharp for a mobile lens, easy to clip on and the best is that there is no corner distortion! It’s a perfect lens to have with you on a trip like this.

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