March 17, 2010
Sicily is an old wall, pitted and crumby as stale cake.
Burning with Pompeian colors.
Glowing with graffiti.
Wrinkled as an ancient face.
Yellowed as old newsprint.
Fresh-plastered walls don’t have half the charm.
UNESCO money has poured into Southeast Sicily’s eight World Heritage towns. Let’s hope restorers don’t get too zealous.
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Love the pictures, Jann! You could do a “Tour of Walls” in Sicily!
Hey, now that is a novel idea!
Jann, I can really relate to your love of old crumbly walls. To that
very point, when our then newly-built poolhouse in the
Napa Valley sprung a leak during massive winter rains producing cracks
in the plaster walls and ceiling, I told the plasterers to only fix the
rain damage, but to please leave all those precious cracks intact!
Someday my walls will look as beautiful and weathered as the ones you
show on your blog.
Funny! You’re a woman after my own heart. We like our walls with character.
very nice post! I too am fascinated with old walls. While not claiming to be a photographer, I do tend to take odd shots when we travel of arches, columns and wall fragments…odd bits that speak to the artist in me. My husband laughed at me when I stopped to shoot the walls in Tangiers when we were in Morocco once. But, I loved the texture and the history that seemed to seep out of the old rock, plaster and paint.
In all its crumbling glory, it is achingly beautiful. Like the wisest old sage, it tells us much.
Yes, the walls speak.
I am really enjoying your blog and pictures, you have an excellent eye. Would love to see more pictures of your house! A very ambitious project…
Hi Cathy, thanks very much for reading and commenting. Yes, more pix of the house will be revealed as progress is made. It’s actually a modest & small row-style house built into a hill (so with 3 floors). I don’t know how a minor house turned into a major ordeal!
Sicily is magical!
Jann, what a charming photo essay. I love your appreciation of the Italian and Sicilian artifacts and find them even in a crumbly wall!! Viva l’Italia, Viva la Sicilia. Antonio
And espresso goes with stale cake!!!!
You are so right! 🙂 Give me an espresso and a crumbly, stale-cake wall and I’m in heaven.