Square view, a photo from La Romana, East

Photographer's Note

A new pic from this very nice village. This time I show you a view of the square in front of the church, taken from the top of the bell tower. In the background you can see the Chavon River and the green forests surrounding it.
The biggest attraction in La Romana, Dominican Republic, is Altos de Chav, a re-creation of a medieval European village conceived from the imagination of Roberto Copa, a former Paramount Studios set designer, and Charles Bluhdorn.
Its construction began in 1976 when the construction of a nearby road and bridge crossing the Chav river had to be blasted through a mountain of stone. Charles Bludhorn, chairman of Gulf+Western, had the idea of using the stones to build a sixteenth century Mediterranean village. Construction was completed in the early 1980s.
It was built as an 18th birthday gift to his daughter, Dominique, who is the current president of the Altos de Chav Cultural Center. Narrow, cobble-covered alleyways lined with lanterns and shuttered limestone walls yield several good Mediterranean-style restaurants, a number of quaint shops featuring the diverse craftwork of local artisans, and three galleries exhibiting the talents of students from the on-site design school (an affiliate of Parsons School of Design in New York City). Notable attendees of the Altos de Chav Design School have included Lisa Thon and M僘 Lourdes Taveras Lez.
Adding authenticity to the entire fantasy is the charming St. Stanislaus Church (Iglesia San Estanislao de Cracovia in Spanish) with its plaza and sparkling fountain that is a popular wedding venue. The Church of St Stanislaus was named after the patron saint of Poland in tribute to Pope John Paul II, who visited Santo Domingo in 1979 and left some of the saint's ashes behind. It was in this church that Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou married Venezuelan heiress Maria Margarita de Vargas y Santaella on November 6, 2004.
A Roman-styled 5,000-seat amphitheater hosts 20th century musical acts裕he Pet Shop Boys, Frank Sinatra, and Julio Iglesias to name a few謡hile G駭esis nightclub provides a popular dance venue for guests from the Casa de Campo resort nearby. Visitors shouldn稚 miss the Regional Museum of Archaeology (El Museo Arqueolico Regional), an astonishing collection of pre-Columbian Indian artifacts unearthed in the surrounding area. Altos de Chav overlooks Rio Chav and the Dye Fore golf course of Casa de Campo; both built by former Gulf+Western chairman Charles Bluhdorn. There are reports that Apocalypse Now was filmed on the Rio Chav, but most authorities on the subject agree that the movie was filmed in the Philippines.

VISTA PIAZZA

Una nuova foto da questo villaggio molto affasciante. Questa volta vi mostro una vista della piazzetta antistante la chiesa, scattata dalla cima del campanile. Sullo sfondo potete vedere il fiume Chavon e le verdi foreste che lo circondano.
Altos de Chavon e' un villaggio creato sullo stile di un pueblo spagnolo del Cinquecento. E' opera di Roberto Coppa, che ha lavorato anche per Luchino Visconti. Situato in alto sulla collina, ha case in pietra dorata, e il panorama sul fiume Chavon (dove sono state girate scene di Apocalipse Now di Coppola e di King Kong) e' eccezionale. Altos deve la sua fama per essere il paese degli artisti. Qui, infatti, artisti di ogni nazionalita' vengono ospitati gratis per tre mesi a condizione di allestire delle mostre o degli spettacoli. Da vedere: il Museo Arqueologico, con una collezione di piu' di duemila reperti degli indios taino (scoperti e catalogati dal bibliotecario Samuel Pion); la Galeria de Arte, dove sono esposte le opere degli artisti presenti; il Craft Center, con le opere realizzate dagli studenti della scuola d'arte, che e' sorta qui ed ha ormai fama internazionale; l'Anfiteatro, sede di numerosi concerti di artisti di fama mondiale. Numerosi negozi, boutique, un'ottima pasticceria e romantici ristoranti.

LuisGustavoLima, bukitgolfb301, pierrefonds, ikeharel, papagolf21, mohammad_H, Fis2, snunney, alvaraalto, holmertz, rychem, cornejo, dale54, macjake, PaulVDV, fritzi007, mcmtanyel, worldcitizen, Royaldevon, mehrdad-t, clic, adramad, swapankumarroy, PiotrF, COSTANTINO has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

LuisGustavoLima (5184) 2017-06-29 16:36

Ol�, Luciano!
Excelentes cores, a vegeta鈬o est� muito bonita! A nitidez tamb駑 � boa. Lugar interessante! Parab駭s!

bukitgolfb301 (54014) 2017-06-29 16:43

Hi Ciao dear Luciano

Great bird view image via nice panfocus appraoch. So wonderful all in one shot in the best framework as usual.

All the best and have a good day! Takero

pierrefonds (114584) 2017-06-29 16:45

Bonsoir Luciano,

La rivi鑽e envoie mon regard au loin ce qui donne de la profondeur � la composition. La prise d evue permet de voir les d騁ails ce cette partie du village ancien. L'image est claire et nette. Bonne soir馥.

Pierre

pajaran (116041) 2017-06-29 22:02

Dobar dan.
Lep pogled i trenutak, interesantan i dobar tekst ...
Dobar rad, lepo pokazan trg ispred Crkve, dobar kontrast i perspktiva, lepe boje, lepo uhvacen trenutak sa posetiocima. Lep trg i arhitektura, lepa reka i zeleno drvece.
Imajte lep i uspesan dan, sve najbolje.
Paja.

Good day.
A nice look and a moment, interesting and good text ...
Good work, beautifully presented square in front of the church, good contrast and perspectives, nice colors, nice moment with visitors. Nice square and architecture, beautiful river and green trees.
Have a nice and successful day, all the best.

jemaflor (147270) 2017-06-29 23:06

Salut Luciano,
Une belle composition avec cette architecture en premier plan et la vue vers la rivi鑽e au loin et en contrebas, bon effet de profondeur. Cela me rappelle de bons souvenirs de visite en ces leiux.

dkmurphys (79209) 2017-06-29 23:31

Ciao Luciano,
How great this place is! You get quite an amazing view from there. I like your POV, good shot.

Daniel

emka (158204) 2017-06-29 23:34

Ciao Luciano, It seems HDR-ish. Strange to see this medieval European village, a trap for tourists. But it looks attractive. Perfect composition, stunning sharpness. Some red accents do not harm

Have a nice day

MAlgo

everlasting (19680) 2017-06-30 0:04

a well presented image and fine note. great pov and sharpness

ikeharel (113483) 2017-06-30 0:42

Interesting reading about the place, Luciano, and a magnificent view from the top of the tower.
Actually, you had divided the scene into two subjects, and nicely combined. The Church which is built upon an elevated ramp, and its beautiful stone-work, people/tourists in action and than - looking to the far side forest and river scenery which is marvellous sight by itself.
Buona giornata,
Ike

papagolf21 (152607) 2017-06-30 0:44

Bonjour, cher Luciano,
Un cadrage judicieux permettant de plonger notre regard sur le premier plan tout en continuant de regarder jusqu'� l'horizon guid� par la rivi鑽e.
Tr鑚 bonne mise en image.
Amiti駸.
Philippe

mohammad_H (10178) 2017-06-30 1:10

Hello
Very beautiful of a church, light and eye-catching colors
Attractive with good picture quality
best wishes for you

Tue (92514) 2017-06-30 1:13

Hello Luciano,
The composition is excellent, it is nicely divided between the old stones and bricks of the house and square in the foreground, which by the way add some really attractive textures, and the wide landscape and the river in the middle in the background. The people throughout the photo animate the view.
Lars

jmdias (115312) 2017-06-30 1:42

luciano

amazing the structures of the area, recreated as in the medieval times. I liked the way the building was positioned, facing the canyon. very beautiful image catching the cross, the river and even people enjoying the time. TFS.

hugs

jorge

Fis2 (170919) 2017-06-30 2:27

Witaj Luciano!
Curious POV and composition.
View makes impression.
Good colors and sharpness.
Interesting place.
Nice day.
Krzysztof

snunney (130967) 2017-06-30 3:08

Hello Luciano,
I like the point of view looking across this interesting square towards the river, which serves to draw us further into the scene. The visitors enliven the scene and supply scale. Very good rendering of the textural detail.

alvaraalto (42804) 2017-06-30 3:22

Hello Luciano
You had a remarkable POV for this composition. It has a lot of nice details that makes the picture even more interesting. Good quality both in sharpness and colours.
Excellent work, have a nice day, Groet Rob

Nicou (193806) 2017-06-30 5:36

Hello

Quelle vue sur ce square sueprbe quel rendu ocres sur le toit ce rendu au sol noir et gris ces personnage cette grille et la colonne ray馥 sueprbe.
Bravo et amiti�
Nicou

Sergiom (117241) 2017-06-30 6:35

Ciao Silvio,

J'ai eu le grand plaisir de visiter cet endroit. C'騁ait tout simplement magique de voir ces constructions sortir litt駻alement de la jungle. Tr鑚 beau point de vue en plong馥.

Amicalement

Serge

holmertz (102834) 2017-06-30 7:21

Hello Luciano,
A very interesting view of the square and the nearest countryside. The two parts of the photo are so very different. I like the contrast of the grey and light red foreground and the green tones further away. In the foreground there are so many details to watch including quite many persons, while the more distant area is such a quiet and untouched countryside. I also like the superb sharpness and the fine light.
Kind regards,
Gert

rychem (72187) 2017-06-30 8:22

A beautiful view of this village, a very good high POV, the photo consists of two parts, both are very sharp, perfect depth
regards Ryszard

Silvio1953 (221771) 2017-06-30 9:24

Ciao Luciano, gran bel POV, piacevole composizione con la deliziosa piazzetta, splendida luce, ottima nitidezza e magnifici colori, bravo, buon week end, ciao Silvio

Cricri (176) 2017-06-30 10:31

Ciao Luciano
Bonne prise de haut, int駻essante architecture avec les personnes par ci , par l�, tu a vu que le monsieur dans le coin de l'image semble te regarder :-) ....belle vue sur la rivi鑽e et le paysage vert
Belle soir馥
cricri

cornejo (61504) 2017-06-30 11:20

Ciao Luciano, molto buona immagine di questo spazio pubblico interessante con vista, molto ben catturata in questa immagine interessante con una buona nitidezza, profondit�, luce, colore e qualit�. Molto buona e interessante lavoro perfettamente realizzato, le mie congratulazioni mio amico. Grazie per aver condiviso questo bel lavoro.

Buona sera e week-end felice.
Cordiali saluti da sud della Spagna.
Angel.

dale54 (17768) 2017-06-30 12:06

luciano hello...well this is one fantastic view-scene from up here..excellent POV& color to this shot! tfs dale

carlo62 (81265) 2017-06-30 14:48

Ciao Luciano
eri nel posto giusto, in mezzo a tutti gli artisti, il pi� grande fotografo di Cuggiono e provincia.
Eccellente punto di ripresa (ma non soffrivi di vertigini?) e ottima prospettiva.
Buon we
Carlo

macjake (98456) 2017-07-01 2:47

Hi Luciano
hmmm....what are we looking at here...i'll have to read your note.

and yes, I see the Golf course on the left. Glad you were able to climb the Bell tower, thats always fun. as i look at that deep forest, i wonder how many dangerous insects and snakes live in there haha. Don't want to get lost in there!

really like the strong contrast between forest/stone in your scene, and the green/red contrast too. This was an organized outing from your resort? I see children as well.
cheers
Craig

PaulVDV (63010) 2017-07-01 11:21

Hello Luciano,
I recognize the river and the landscape from one your previous pictures.
You've also presented this church before when you've visited this place on another holiday.
This is a very beautiful view of the square and the wide sourroundings, a very nice panorama. The red tiles and bricks make a good contrast with the green landscape.
I've always heard that Apocalypse Now was filmed in the Philippines.
Nevertheless, the right bank of the river actually gives a good jungle impression.
This village seems to be an important tourist place in the Dominican Republic. For sure it looks very nice there.
Best regards, Paul

fritzi007 (14698) 2017-07-01 13:27

Hi Luciano,
Interesting scene, photo and comment, well done!
Best regards
wolfgang

mcmtanyel (68679) 2017-07-01 19:19

Hello Luciano,
This is an impressive view of the square in front of the church and the river beyond. That monument made out of layers of rock and brick is pretty.
Regards,
MT

worldcitizen (16108) 2017-07-01 20:21

Ciao Luciano,
Beautiful combination of architecture and nature. I like the POV looking down, and all the interesting stonework. There is so much greenery around the river, and it looks so lush. It's a nice composition. :-)

Royaldevon (85932) 2017-07-02 2:25

Ciao Caro Luciano,

It is good to get above the ground to get a completely different aspect for a photograph. In this way, we can see way beyond the attraction of the church yard but get an understanding of its setting and the land beyond.

The tiles have been used to create a whole host of patterns which could not have been appreciated so effectively at ground level, and we can see how they link with the vertical elements.
I like how you have used the staircase from the corner.

Have a good Sunday,
Bev :-)

kasianowak (17676) 2017-07-02 3:25

Ciao Luciano
Great view of this beautiful and peaceful place. You found the best possible viewpoint to show the square and also the scenery in the distance. The river leads the eyes to the horizon.
Best wishes
Kasia

mehrdad-t (4812) 2017-07-02 5:15

Hello,
Excellent capture.
Regards,
MEHRDAD

ChrisJ (171888) 2017-07-02 8:52

Ol�, Luciano!

A superb birds eye view of the courtyard from this elevated vantage point with good sharpness and excellent color and saturation. The couple bottom right have spotted you! Tfs!

mkamionka (74607) 2017-07-03 13:14

Ciao Luciano,
great work. the POV from above works so well here. It is hard to guess at first what it is. Nice square with so many decorative elements. People add some life to the scene as well. What I like most is how the amazing landscape with the river opens just behind the square.
Fantastic destination for holidays although when I get there I will probably spend most of my time on the beach...
Great work,
M

gervaso (28177) 2017-07-03 14:26

Hello, Luciano!

I wanted to go to this place after visiting Isla Catalina, but as I hadn't arranged to do so before, I was not able to go at the end. And this village must be fantastic, as you show us here in your photo, from an interesting POV including the river! Excellent light, colors and sharpness! Beautiful job!

clic (76) 2017-07-03 15:38

Ciao Luciano Mes recherches sur Google Earth m'ont permis un voyage virtuel gratuit � l'Altos de Chavon et j'ai vu ce petit clocher adjacent � l'馮lise St-Stanislaus qui vous a servi d'駘騅ateur pour caper une magnifique vue de ce quartier la Romana dont l'ensemble, � vue de satellite, me semble aussi construit de pierres r馗up駻馥s. ﾉtant donn� que la plaza de l'馮lise coupe abruptement sur une vue bucolique, j'ai eu l'illusion d'黎re sur la plate-forme d'envol d'un porte-avions coinc� dans une rivi鑽e 騁roite!
Magnifique exemple de r馗up駻ation ! Saluti

batalay (41261) 2017-07-03 16:26

Ciao Luciano,

The bell tower offered the perfect vantage point to offer this photo of the square in front of the church, and the River Chavon. However, the question that comes to mind does the river veer off to one side or another, or was the church built over the river in the form of bridge.

Warm regards, Luciano,

Bulent

sacimar (38173) 2017-07-04 7:11

Hello Luciano,

good image of this square, the point of view is excellent, I also like the background with the river and the vegetation, well done,

Best regards,

Sergio

adramad (73030) 2017-07-05 8:55

Hello Luciano
Fantastic composition, with a great view of the river between the high banks. The colonial remains are present in the beautiful building that has a high appeal, with that kind of obelisk in brick and the beautiful square.
Splendid color that enhances the image.
Good lighting management and superb sharpness.
Very well done. My congratulations.
All the best and have a good day.
Luis.

swapankumarroy (3769) 2017-07-07 8:17

Namaste Luciano,

You have beautifully captured it from a high position with great sharpness and well managed color, depth of field is superb, well done my friend.

warm regards,

swapankumarroy

PiotrF (54850) 2017-07-12 14:51

Hello Luciano,
Interesting capture from this very nice village.
Thank you for informative note.
Perfect captured , beautiful composition and good sharpness.
Fine presentation.
Regards
Piotr

Miguel82 (47110) 2019-07-30 12:36

Luciano, the church bell tower offers a stunning view on its square, the river and the green tropical rainforest. The colonial building is very old, the square has benches to take rest and an old fountain out of order. The pov gives a deep field of vision. Fine colors, very sharp shot.

COSTANTINO (116644) 2020-07-13 22:40

Hello dear Luciano
excellent chosen point of view
presenting so many details from
this village
the view is really amazing
with hundred of nice details
regards
costantino