Earthshine Moon Above Salemi Castle

A photo composite of multiple exposures. From the photographer: “The ashy Moon rises behind the Castle until it touches the tower on whose summit the Italian flag flutters against the light. The Norman culture has been handed down over time, enriching Sicily with history and making it a micro crucible of cultures and experiences shown here under a single sky to remind us that borders are only constructs built by man.”

About Salemi castle (From castelli di sicilia) :
Salemi, most likely founded on the site of the ancient Elymian citadel of Halicyae, in the heart of the Belìce Valley, develops around the Castle built by Frederick II of Swabia in the 13th century, from whose crenellated terrace it is possible to admire a breathtaking panorama that embraces western Sicily to the sea.

A local legend is linked to the origin of the Salemi castle. Two brothers and a sister (the latter named Halyciae) who competed for dominance over the territory of Salemi would have decided to settle the dispute by building, each on their own, a castle on three different sites. Who among all had completed the construction first would have warned with a bonfire and the other two would have recognized him as the only winner. So one of the brothers chose the hill of Mokarta, the other that of Settesoldi while the sister preferred the hill on which ours is still located today. However, the woman would have lit the fire long before her construction was actually completed; but the overly confident brothers, believing that they had now been irremediably beaten, gave up on the undertaking, leaving their castles unfinished and the field free for their smart sister.

The sources, despite the differences, agree in dating the construction in the Christian era and, precisely, after the Norman conquest of Sicily. Some tell us of a construction made in the name of Jesus Christ by the “Comes” Roger the Norman and, therefore, before 1130, the year in which the Grand Count was crowned Rex Siciliae … ”

Technical details: Canon 6d, sigma 150-600mm @600mm

landscape: HDR, iso 200, f/6.3, from 30 to 5 sec
Moon: tracked moon starting from the final position above the castle, 10 shots, iso 400, 8 sec, @fornaxmount lightrack II