by Ilene Modica Blessing
I thought I was alone. All these years I have accumulated thousands of photos of doors and windows in Italy. I love them. I’ll even go as far as saying I’m obsessed with them. But guess what? I’m not alone. Every time I post photos of doors, the comments come pouring in.
There is something about them; perhaps it is what is behind them that interests me? Could it be a loggia or are the stairs right in front of you? The curiosity is always there. I also have to admit – if a door is open, I’m looking inside. Every time.
The other thing about the wood doors is that they are personal. Someone, one day made a decision on the type of door they are going to have as an entry to their home. Some have initials in iron decorating the top portion of the door. Does the person with the initials still live there?
Besides the design or caricature of the wood door, there is the shape, color, accessories such as knockers and handles that intrigues me. I do not recall as of today ever seeing the same exact door. There are some that are similar but definitely not the same.
I have quite a few ideas for these door pictures of mine. I did put a collection for a small coffee table book on Blurb. I created it for myself and have it displayed in our Lucca apartment in two sizes. I wanted a way to glance at them once in a while as they are a collection from around Italy. Yes, a few from Lucca made the cut too.
Other than doors, I also have a nice collection of windows and knockers. They too are so unique. Are you passionate about any of these things too?
Click on any of the images below to see larger pics:
My current obsession is searching for interesting “ferri” or ironworks. There are plenty of iron rings for tieing up your horses, but there are also old light fixtures, banner holders and even a few “cavalli” or carved iron horses. So much to discover on our streets!
Yes, I, as a photographer, have made many many many images of doors and windows all over Italy. I love the fact that no two are alike. All so beautiful!
I think that the windows are even more interesting. So many shapes and sizes with some beautiful wrought iron burglar proofing which depicts the era it was made in. The blacksmiths in those days were very busy people and yet today a profession almost extinct. I am also an avid photographer with the obsession of photographing windows.