Old Italian doors are often featured on calendars and postcards for
they are icons of “picturesque Italy”.
There is more than meets the eye, for original,
antique doors, many dating back 300 to
500 years, give us a glimpse into the past, a look at the
lifestyle and hint at what was important to people in days
gone by.
Sant'Egidio chapel |
The linguist will find a whole
new set of words used for describing doors, doorways, locks and keys .
flowered plant overwhelms this tiny doorway |
The story of an old palazzo in my latest book tells how the
crumbling wooden entrance way leading
down into the cantina where local farmers once stored their products
(oil, hazelnuts,etc.) had to be replaced
in order to become a dignified entrance way.
how my door used to look |
The new door was created by one of
the local carpenters following our own
design. It made a statement, telling all
who passed by that the once abandoned building now had a new owner, one who had undertaken a huge, costly restoration project.
Since then many others (mostly foreign born), have followed suit, buying up and restoring other
historic properties and bringing new life to the town.
new door created by Santucci falegnameria, Vetralla |
Walk along the street and you will see all types of doors from ugly
metal ones added in recent years to this
gem recently restored to its original glory by falegname
Pino after several generations of neglect.
Pino restored this 16th century door |
Note the nailheads
and the tiny door/window which
allowed light in to the dark entrance stairway.
The building dates from 1581 and
Pino guesses that the wooden doorway also
dates from about that time.
Cantina level
doorways can be small and derelict . Most have a sliding bar and system of
closure with a giant iron key and lock.
The holes allow for air circulation for the wine.
cantina entrance near Madonna del Riscatto church |
Instead of
doorbells, gorgeously detailed bronze batocchi decorate most doors in Italian towns.
Palazzo Vinci 1595 |
Baroque doorway |
Besides the practical use of resounding a hearty knock , batocchi reflected
contemporary fashion and family status.
The sphinx-like heads from this door in
Viterbo’s center dates around the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt,
1798-1801.
flowered doorway for a neighborhood chat |
Lovely, Mary Jane! There's nothing more intriguing that the antique doors of Italy.
ReplyDeletewonderful..antique doors and windows are my favorite things to photograph...we have such a variety!
ReplyDeleteI love doors too! Thank you for sharing the photos. They are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteInterestin g post; lovely pictures. Thanks, Mary Jane.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post; lovely pictures. Thanks, Mary Jane.
ReplyDeleteI finally met up with Sari Gilbert, in Bolsena.Small world indeed !
DeleteYou might be interested also in Antique Divani - on my website http://www.elegantetruria.com/antique/antique-italian-furniture-il-divano
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your articles and photos. I spend a good amount of time on the computer connecting to Italian websites to better learn about my heritage. My grandparents are from Carpinone, Ortona Dei Marsi, and Napoli. I have a cousin in Rome and am in hopes of contacting him, but I am not too sure about my Italian so as to conduct a understandable conversation. Donald Antonangeli
ReplyDeleteWe went through CrisRomanGuide and our guide is Marzia Coppari. Paul found several positive reviews.
ReplyDeleteWe have all been researching and one of the hardest things is to narrow down our choices to something manageable with the time allowed.
We are very excited about the trip and sampling as much as possible.
Your web site is great. So much information available. Thanks for the helpful hints.
Elaine
Thanks for the links to more information. I will explore. We are taking the train in to Rome and meeting our guide there. Florence we have planned for a bus in and meander. We will definitely look at your Livorno suggestions.
ReplyDeleteDear Elaine, you will find a bit of pre-trip research will make the days on land richer in all respects. Hope to meet you and your family on a future visit.
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