This is an extraordinary piece from TEAone for Upfest 2022, and one of my firm favourites this year. From a distance, the piece has a photorealistic quality, looking like an old photograph from a scrapbook or something like that. The effect is quite amazing.
TEAone, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
TEAone manages to create an incredible atmosphere in this scene with what looks like a continental street. It is set in a warm climate, with the air conditioning units and washing hanging out to dry, and the archway and shopfront and awning have all the hallmarks of a European country, and the word Cucina suggests it would be Italy. I absolutely love this piece… it fills my nostrils with the smells of abroad and a longing to be where this is. I can lose myself in this piece and forget that I am standing in the middle of Bedminster. Bravo TEAone.
Doors 172 – Holiday doors, Umbria and Tuscany, Italy 2018
I have decided to join in with Dan’s suggestion for this week’s door theme and bring you some of my favourite doors from a holiday we had in Italy in August 2021. You might well have seen these doors before, but I don’t think that matters too much. In these pandemic days we can only dream of future overseas holidays or reflect on holidays past.
I hope you enjoy this selection:
Double door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy, August 2018Graffiti door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy, August 2018Door of the dead, Corso Cavour, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy, August 2018Grand door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, ItalyAnother green double door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, ItalyGreen double door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, ItalyDouble door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, ItalyDoor, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy, August 2018Brick wall, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy – HaikuDoor in Cortona, Tuscany, ItalyInteresting door, Via Dardano, Cortona, Tuscany, ItalyDoor in Cortona, Tuscany, Italy
It is actually rather nice to unearth these doors for you and this post inspires me to keep hoping that our trip to Italy in 2018 will not be our last.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.
Norm has suggested that we post a review of our door year and I am a bit of a lazy so and so, so I will simply post my top 5 doors from the year…the ones that did it for me.
The featured image, the door of the dead in Citta di Castello would have come in at number 6.
Number 5 – Montpelier, Bristol
Door, Montpelier, Bristol
Number 4 – Fowey, Cornwall
Fancy Fowey doorway, August 2018
Number 3 – Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Door with plenty of character, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Number 2 – Barcelona, Spain
Door, Barcelona, March 2018
Number 1 – Bristol
Door, Bob Ballard, Bristol, Thursday Doors
There is a theme here, which perhaps defines my kind of door, can you see what it is?
So there it is. My favourites for the year. I look forward to viewing contributions from other interweb ‘doorsters’.
Thank you Norm for orchestrating Thursday doors and this querky community.
Only one door for you this week, but it really is a pretty special door. Sited at the base of the ‘prigione e torre dell’orologio’ (prison and clock tower) at the north end of Piazza Fortebraccio in Montone, this rather small ancient door opens into a prison cell.
I am not sure how old the door is, but the tower dates back to the 14th Century.
Prison and clock tower, Piazza Fortebraccio, Montone, Umbria, August 2018
Prison door, Piazza Fortebraccio, Montone, Umbria, August 2018
Flag waving at the festival of the donation of the sacred thorn, Piazza Fortebraccio, Montone, Umbria, August 2018
Prison door, Piazza Fortebraccio, Montone, Umbria, August 2018
Prison cell, Piazza Fortebraccio, Montone, Umbria, August 2018
Prison cell, Piazza Fortebraccio, Montone, Umbria, August 2018
The final instalment of doors from Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy, where I (not so recently any more) spent a week with my family on our summer holiday. ‘Citta’ was the nearest city to where we were staying and is a place that we have visited many times over the years. This area of Italy is a particular favourite of ours, but this is the first time I have visited with a ‘door chip’ inserted. There is a little more to some of these doors than first meets the eye.
This door was the entrance to some apartments and played host to tons of small tags and graffiti. Most of the other doors on this main shopping street were not afforded the same attention.
Graffiti door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy, August 2018
Double door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy, August 2018
There are many views and scenes in Italy that unsurprisingly remind you of some of the great Italian artists – the door below and the archway leading up to it and all the colours and shadows screamed Giorgio de Chirico to me.
‘De Chirico’ door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy, August 2018
I did a little research on the next door, because there was something about it that was rather special. It is in fact a door of the dead, and thanks this post on the fabulous website Experience Tuscany and Umbria, I can tell you a little more about it. The door dates back to medieval times and would usually be set to one side of the main dwelling entrance. It was only ever used for taking a deceased body out of the home in a coffin, after which the doorway was bricked up on the inside to prevent death from returning. I believe that many of these doors can be found in old Italian houses.
Door of the dead, Corso Cavour, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy, August 2018
The final door is another rather peculiar one which was in the wall of the crypt of the Cathedral of St Florido and Amanzio by the exit. It was an iron gate, not very special in its own right but it was what lay behind it that was a bit creepy.
Cathedral of St Florido and Amanzio, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy, August 2018
I have been to catacombs and many crypts and have seen many skeletons and relics and expect this kind of thing in Italy, but this display was simply weird. The cellar room had a scene reminiscent of Pinocchio, presumably something for children to look at, but in my view the stuff of nightmares. Interesting nonetheless.
Cathedral of St Florido and Amanzio, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy, August 2018
And that’s it from Citta di Castello…more Italian doors soon.
This is the second instalment of doors from Citta di Castello in Umbria and a nice reminder for me of our recent summer break – I must try to hang on to that holiday feeling for as long as possible to see me through the winter. Some nice ones here, I hope you enjoy them.
OK, so it’s a window pretending to be a door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Graffiti and tags door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Door with plenty of character, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Double door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Double door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Main door of the Cathedral of St Florido and Amanzio, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
I hadn’t realised that I had taken so many pictures of doors in Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy during a recent holiday there, so I have had to break down this post into manageable chunks. This is chunk 1. Enjoy.
Entrance to the Commune di Citta di Castello
Steps and door inside the Commune di Citta di Castello
Double door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Hosta in a pot and Double door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Green double door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Another green double door, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Doors and door at the end of the street, Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
Wall, Door. That’s about it. Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy.
Natural adventures 