Thursday doors – 23 November 2023, Perugia, Italy

Doors 244 – Perugia doors, Umbria, Italy (Part II)

Having emerged from the tunnels beneath Perugia, we (and by that I mean me and my son, this was a dad and lad day out) were treated to a bustling city, which happened to be hosting a Jazz Festival, filled with music and visitors. Certainly there was a lively buzz over and above the white noise of regular tourists (like us).

These doors are presented pretty much in chronological order, mapping our route through the streets and squares. This was a slightly cooler day, the only one during our week-long trip, and a perfect one for exploring. Let’s cut to the chase… here are some doors:

Door with wooden frame, window and bell, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Door with wooden frame, window and bell, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Six panelled door, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Six panelled door, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Door and balcony above, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Door and balcony above, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Beautiful arched doorway and carved wooden doors, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Beautiful arched doorway and carved wooden doors, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Ancient stonework surrounds a modern door, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Ancient stonework surrounds a modern door, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Grand entrance, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Grand entrance, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Palazzo dei Priori with several doors and entrances, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Palazzo dei Priori with several doors and entrances, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023

Our trip to Italy feels like it was several years ago, so it is great to refresh my memories, digging out these doors for this post. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Another selection from Perugia next week… probably.

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.

by Scooj

Door logo, Thursday doors

Thursday doors – 16 November 2023, Perugia, Italy

Doors 243 – Perugia doors, Umbria, Italy (Part I)

One of the ways to enter the hilltop City of Perugia is via an underground escalator which begins at a car park at the bottom of the hill upon which Perugia is perched. I hadn’t really done much homework about the city and was utterly blown away by what we saw at the top of the series of escalators. You don’t emerge into the blinding light of the Umbrian sunshine, but instead enter a subterranean city, upon which Perugia is built.

I won’t give you the full history as to how this came about, but there is quite a useful quick guide on the Invitation to Tuscany and Beyond website. In short the original 16th century streets were augmented with high vaulted ceilings, on top of which a fortress was built – Rocca Paolina. The fortress was subsequently destroyed following the unification of Italy in 1860, but some of the streets below were left untouched, and this week’s doors, or rather doorways and ghost doors, are to be found in this extraordinary, dimly-lit underground place. Something a little different this week, which I hope you enjoy.

Subterranean archways, gates and ghost doors, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Subterranean archways, gates and ghost doors, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Archways, a ghost door, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Archways, a ghost door, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Vaulted ceiling, archways and doorways, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Vaulted ceiling, archways and doorways, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Two ghost doors, one inside the other, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Two ghost doors, one inside the other, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Archways and doorways, one inside the other, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Archways and doorways, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Towards the gate, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Towards the gate, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Marzia gate and door, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Marzia gate and door, Perugia, Umbria, Italy, July 2023

More to come from the ‘above ground’ city of Perugia next time. May I wish you a pleasant weekend.

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.

By Scooj

Door logo, Thursday doors

Thursday doors – 9 November 2023, Todi, Italy

Doors 242 – Todi doors, Umbria, Italy (Part IV)

This week I bring you the last few doors, and one or two other interesting features, from our visit to Todi in Umbria last summer. Although we only spent a few hours in the town, we managed to cover a lot of ground and see some wonderful things. The temperature was searingly hot, although only a prelude to the heatwave that was to come the following week, and in true ‘mad dogs and Englishmen’ style we arrived just before midday.

Todi is one of several stunning Umbrian hilltop towns, offering everything you’d expect to find in terms of historic environment and culture. The door pictures are only a representative microcosm of the magnificence of the place – I hope you enjoy them.

Fine double doors and hefty stone work, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Fine double doors and hefty stone work, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
What the heck is going on behind these doors? Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
What the heck is going on behind these doors? Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Confessional doors, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Confessional doors, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Fragment of ancient wall, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Fragment of ancient wall, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Grand carved wooden panelled door, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Grand carved wooden panelled door, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Symmetry of wooden door, plants and steps, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Symmetry of wooden door, plants and steps, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
A classic urban Umbrian view, complete with a door through the arches, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
A classic urban Umbrian view, complete with a door through the arches, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023

That’s it for another week – Next time I move on to Perugia and some more Umbrian magic.

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.

by Scooj

Door logo, Thursday doors

Thursday doors – 2 November 2023, Todi, Italy

Doors 241 – Todi doors, Umbria, Italy (Part III)

Once again I find myself under a little time pressure, so I will be brief for today’s door collection. This is a further set of doors from Todi, the first of several towns and cities we visited back in July this year. There is no theme to this selection, I am presenting them in chronological order, which perhaps gives you a sense of just how many great doors there are in this town.

Recessed door, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Recessed door, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Old door within a door, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Old door within a door, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Doorways and doors in the Piazza del Popolo, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Doorways and doors in the Piazza del Popolo, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Three fine entrances and doors on the Duomo di Todi, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Three fine entrances and doors on the Duomo di Todi, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Central door of the Duomo di Todi, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Central door of the Duomo di Todi, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Internal door of the Duomo di Todi, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Internal door of the Duomo di Todi, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023

That’s it for this week. Short and sweet I’m afraid. Next week will be the last set of doors from Todi and after that I move on to another Umbrian gem. Have a great weekend.

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.

by Scooj

Door logo, Thursday doors

Thursday doors – 26 October 2023, Todi, Italy

Doors 240 – Todi doors, Umbria, Italy (Part II)

This week I am sharing some more doors from our summer trip to Umbria. I fear that I am becoming a bit of a compulsive door collector and bore. The family have stopped waiting for me when we walk through towns together, instead I have to take pictures and then do that funny middle-aged jog kind of thing that is actually no faster than walking, to catch up with them. On the odd occasion, one of them will say – ‘hey that is a great door, why don’t you photograph it?’… but it is rare.

Todi is door heaven – like so many Italian towns and cities, and one or two of the doors in this selection rank in my top ten all-time Italian doors. I hope you enjoy these now as much as I enjoyed them back in July.

Ghostly ghost door, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Ghostly ghost door, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Three front doors of Chiesa di San Fortunato, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Three front doors of Chiesa di San Fortunato, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Impressive central door and stonework of Chiesa di San Fortunato, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Impressive central door and stonework of Chiesa di San Fortunato, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Five doors of the Teatro Comunale, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Five doors of the Teatro Comunale, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Door to the Teatro Comunale, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Door to the Teatro Comunale, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Wooden panelled door between two ghost doors, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Wooden panelled door between two ghost doors, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Old door within a large ghost door, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Old door within a large ghost door, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Arched door and impressive stone steps, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Arched door and impressive stone steps, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023

Another week has passed – this year is unfolding at an alarming speed – and I wish you a happy weekend.

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.

by Scooj

Door logo, Thursday doors

Thursday doors – 19 October 2023, Todi, Italy

Doors 239 – Todi doors, Umbria, Italy (Part I)

I am currently at an event in Cheddar Gorge in Somerset, and have written this post in advance. An English autumn and a summer in Todi are worlds apart, and it has been something of a pleasure sorting out the doors this week, recollecting those parched Italian days, whilst sitting in a dark centrally-heated house in Bristol. The large family gathering we had near Massa Martana was a very special holiday and will remain with us forever. The location of the villa was close to Todi and to several other towns and cities in the west of Umbria and for the next few weeks of Thursday doors, I intend to share some lovely doors from the trip back in July.

This first set of doors is from Todi, on a day that was unbelievably hot and we were wilting in the midday sun – we managed to find some respite in the shady back streets. I hope you enjoy this modest selection that I hope will whet your appetite for more:

Restaurant door, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Restaurant door, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Attractive wooden doors and iron work over the lunette window, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Attractive wooden doors and iron work over the lunette window, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Austere iron doors, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Austere iron doors, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Archway, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Archway, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Door panels in an arched doorway, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Door panels in an arched doorway, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
A well-used door and patterned render, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
A well-used door and patterned render, Todi, Umbria, Italy, July 2023

That’s yer lot for this week, but there is plenty more to come from this trip. Have a great weekend.

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.

by Scooj

Door logo, Thursday doors

Pigeon pair

Pigeon nest, Santa Illuminata, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Pigeon nest, Santa Illuminata, Umbria, Italy, July 2023

.

Privileged access

a new life begins, one waits

birds-eye view of nest

.

by Scooj

Glow worm


.

Glow worm, Santa Illuminata, Umbria, Italy, July 2023
Glow worm, Santa Illuminata, Umbria, Italy, July 2023

.

A light in the dark

pure bioluminescence

naturally bright

.

by Scooj

Silver-washed fritillary


.

Silver-washed fritillary, Santa Illuminata, Umbria, July 2023
Silver-washed fritillary, Santa Illuminata, Umbria, July 2023

Momentarily

incarcerated before

a tender release

.

by Scooj

Weightless

.

Love will lift your heart

take you on new adventures

gifting weightlessness

.

by Scooj