San Giovanni Church

San Giovanni Church (also known at St. John's Church)

After looking at several photographs of the dolomites, it became apparent that several picturesque churches would you be found in the valleys and on the peaks. This particular church got my attention and I wanted to find out where it was.  After a little bit of research I discovered it is in the Val di Funes.  This is a short trip from Bolzano.  That is not to say it is a straight path.  Following GPS instructions I was led on several winding roads, sharp turns, small streets that seem to be designed more for cows than automobiles.  The farther I traveled the more beautiful scenery became.

Me and my family had this lovely valley to ourselves.  A few cows joined us.  As you can see in the photograph, there had been a storm.  In fact it was raining when we arrived.  The rain was very light and I took several photographs, not knowing what the scenery might be later.  After we hiked on the Zanes trail, I returned to this church and took several more photographs in better light.

Val di Funes after a storm

I utilized my 70-200 mm lens.  The farther I got away from the church, the longer the focal length I could use in order to make this wonderful scene more compact, bringing the mountains in closer if you will.  The church itself is very small but decorated beautifully with painting and architectural detail

After wandering the wet fields getting different viewpoints, my shoes, socks and pants were saturated from the knees downward.

Getting low to get the flowers in the shot