A photographer travelled all the way from Scotland this week with the aim in mind of finally capturing images of the double sunset when the sun drops down behind the mountains and then shines through the natural arch of the Monte Forato.
Monte Forato is a mountain in the Apuan Alps which has two peaks of similar height and size, little more than 1.200 mts but the feature which gives the name of this mountain is the presence of a natural arch between the two peaks formed by the erosion of water and wind on the limestone .
The hole measures about 30 meters in diameter and the thickness of the rock which forms the arch is about 8 meters.
It is therefore considered one of the largest natural arches in Italy.
If the conditions are right* and you are in the right place at the right time, it is possible twice a year, on the 30th – 31st January and the 11th – 12th November to see the doppio tramonto – the double sunset viewed from outside the Duomo in Barga Vecchia.
This eagerly awaited event generally draws a crowd at the Duomo as they wait for the sun to dip below the horizon, only to re-appear seconds later.
Martin Sproul is part of the centuries old Scottish connection with Barga (his wife and relations are all from Barga ) and has been coming to Barga for decades to photograph the city but finally he managed to get the image that he has been after for so long – a time lapse video of the double sunset.
Martin Sproul
I have been taking photographs at various levels since I was 14 years of age – that’s a long time. I started with a cheap and fully manual SLR camera which forced me into a steep learning curve to ensure I didn’t waste every roll of film. Yes, film! I used rolls of film at first then progressed onto shooting and developing my own slides following a photography college course. That was me hooked for life. In 1992 I began to explore the new territory of digital photography and have been continually expanding my knowledge ever since.
I have sold several hundred photographs over the years and been honoured to photograph many couples’ weddings as well as being commissioned for commercial and promotional work. A lot of this work has been in conjunction with Tom, and for the past few years we have worked and collaborated on many photographic projects.
For the past 10 years or so, I have been designing and building websites for photographers. For me, this is a natural progression of my knowledge and skill base to the digital photography workflow. A large part of this service has been teaching the photographers how to update and maintain their website without relying on web companies and being burdened by the costs this maintenance service can incur.
I am a qualified instructor and have over 8 year’s experience as an industry trainer, which when coupled with my knowledge, experience and passion for photography, ensures that all our courses are meticulously designed and delivered with enthusiasm. It is always a joy to further people’s knowledge and inspire their photography.
His site can be seen here
- a quick look through the barganews archives here can show just how many times this incredible natural event happens and just how many times obstinate cloud obscured the view.
