Boys Will be Boys ...... - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

I love it when children are like children, like the ones that chase bubbles with all their lives. What I didn’t realize is that boys will be boys and stay that way for a long time. I had this epiphany while in Arezzo, Italy for its Giostra del Saracino. Over there, I got to observe them doing what they do best.

Boys play:

Drumming-Boy-in-Front-of-Chiesa-di-San-Domenico-Arezzo-Italy-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

Boys fight:

Flagwavers-Practice-Fighting-Arezzo-Italy-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

Boys would be playing to fight:

Team-Porta-del-Foro-Getting-Ready-Giostra-del-Saracino-Arezzo-Italy-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

It seems that they each have a boy in their ever-maturing human bodies, rent free. What I need help figuring out is, at what point, the boy gets evicted. Or does he ever? I mean, do you see a boy lurking underneath this gentleman’s skin?

Old-Gentleman-Reading-Newspaper-in-the-Middle-of-Street-Arezzo-Italy-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

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Winners Find Solutions in Arezzo, Italy - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

In a recent trip to the medieval city of Arezzo in Tuscany, Italy, I got to take a behind-the-scene view of the flag-wavers practicing in preparation of the city’s upcoming Giostra del Saracino (more on that later). Despite the fact that the team has been performing the art of flag-waving since 1960, it’s never an easy task to keep the flags afloat, let alone with grace.

While we as bystanders tend to focus on the time of performance, I appreciated the practice when it reminded me that at times, just like life, things don’t always go the intended way. There are moments when we feel we almost “dropped the ball”:

Keeping-Aloat-Flagwavers-Arezzo-Italy-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

And other times when we are completely swamped:

Flagwavers-being-Swampted-Arezzo-Italy-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

As someone puts it:“winners find solutions, losers make excuses.” I am sure the flagwavers never let the weight of the flag staff or the sun glaring into their eyes become what stands in the way of putting out the best orchestrated show every time, even when it means sometimes blood would be shed, which unfortunately happened in this practice.

Flagwavers-Arezzo-Italy-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

In terms of the small price that I paid to bring back these images? Let’s just say we were in a unique spot (photographically speaking) which happened to be a nice shelter for blood-sucking insects. And, it didn’t help when we were the only two warm bodies there. :P

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B is for Barbiere in Pitigliano, Tuscany - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

I love traveling in Italy.  Most of this amazing country has somehow resisted the influence of industrialization (and hence the outcome of "homogenization") and stayed adamant about its culture in food, social relationship and habits, in a way that I only remember in the country that I grew up in before it was bulldozed by capitalism.

This image was made when I was roaming the streets of Pitigliano in Tuscany (remember the town that grew out of rock?) at the best time of day (in my opinion) - after siesta time.  The whole town came out and the piazzas were filled with chatty men.  I poked my head into every door and window when my eyes were suddenly met with a scene that, in my mind, only exists in an old movie these days.  Time stayed still, no one was in a rush.  The present moment was all they cared about - be it the barber meticulously working on his client or the ones waiting...

Barber-Shop-in-Rock-City-of-Pitigliano-Grosseto-Tuscany-Italy-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

You know you will hear more about Italy's old charm from me in the future. :-)

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