Brick walls and dish

Mondoví, Italy (Aug 14, 2006)

One of the things I like of European towns is how the old can coexist with the new. US cities are renovating themselves all the time. Old buildings that have ceased their function are razed to the ground, and new buildings are erected in their place. This is also true for private houses, especially the wooden variety present here in New England. Each time a house is renovated it is torn apart, and little of the original structure, if any, is still there after the job is done.

In Europe it is not so. When a house needs renovation, only the strictest minimum is replaced (city laws ensure that). The rest is just adapted and repaired. Windows are filled with bricks to make a new wall, new openings are made where necessary. The end result is a patchwork of the old and the new, where often the old can be a few century old, if not more (I have seen houses build around medieval or roman walls).

The photo above was shot in Mondoví, a nice town near the Alps in northern Italy. I think it represent well how old houses, perfectly confortable and modern in their interiors, are still kept alive across the centuries. I don’t know how old those brick walls are, but the satellite dish hanging from the balcony certainly ain’t that old!