Lessons from Italy Bike Trip, September, 2012

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1 Lessons from Italy Bike Trip, September, 2012 by Charles Brewer This is one in a series of "Lessons from..." documents I have written after visiting places that are of interest as precedents for Las Catalinas. Some of these towns I have visited before. I stayed in Pienza circa 2004 on a study trip with the Seaside Pienza Institute. Civita de Bagnoregio I visited way back in 1985, inspired by the write-up it received in Rick Steve's Europe Through the Backdoor. But, this is the first chance I have had to visit this region since we began work on Las Catalinas in It is a mother lode of lessons and examples from hilltowns. In this document I will focus on the positive examples. There are plenty of negative examples - things we would not want to emulate. Some of the towns we encountered were too dark, too closed in. Historically, I'm sure they had their reasons. But we are building for pleasure and beauty - we don't need to be a fort as well. I do believe we can take the best from these lessons and then do even better! Step -Ramps. A great way to deal with streets that would be uncomfortably steep to walk on otherwise. Pienza. 1

2 Open Up - one thing that makes Pienza so extraordinary is that much of the edge of town is opened up to be part of the public realm - not all claimed by private houses. Pienza. 2

3 More walls, less windows. Pienza. 3

4 Street lights - keep it simple and mount them to buildings. Pienza. 4

5 Shutters that work. These lower parts that flap up are useful. Pienza. 5

6 Park cars just outside of and below town, head in perpendicular to road. This is the typical pattern of the hilltowns. It works. Trying to park them inside of town does not work so well. Pienza. 6

7 Regular bay structures. Dignified. Attractive. Don't squish the windows too close together. Pienza. 7

8 Signs. Talk about the good things you have. Pienza. 8

9 Real rubble walls - wow. They would just throw whatever they had around into these things. And it's beautiful. Pienza. 9

10 Use the views. Pienza. 10

11 Splashes of color. Potted plants. Outside stairways. Pienza. 11

12 Bikes. They are everywhere in most of these hilltowns. No one locks them, either. I say a measure of a culture's integrity is not having to lock up bikes. Pienza. 12

13 Potted Plants. Step-ramps. Pienza Oddball building shapes and sizes. San Quirco d'orcia. 13

14 Entrance off street level to side, elevated above ground below. This is from an exceptionally cool tiny hamlet called Lucignano d'asso. You can stay there: Signs. Lucignano d'asso. Obviously. 14

15 Door from street, opens to porch that is one storey up from ground below. Lucignano d'asso. This porch, that is. Lucignano d'asso. 15

16 How an up street meets a down street. Lucignano d'asso. More detail, same street. Regular pavement is OK. Sometimes. The lion really adds... Lucignano d'asso. 16

17 Elevated entrance, storage underneath, very Las Catalinas. In a beautiful one-tree plaza. Lucignano d'asso. A cool roofscape foreground can make any view better... Lucignano d'asso. 17

18 The curved wall, the simple entry, the potted plants, the great materials... Lucignano d'asso. Save the very best spots for public places. Montalcino. 18

19 Town Clock. Montalcino. 19

20 Landscape. Man doesn't necessarily make it worse. Outside of Pienza. 20

21 Lots of great ways to do elevated entrances. Monticcheillo. When I visited this area circa 2004 this town was all but abandoned. Not anymore! 21

22 Stair meeting sloping street. Fantastic! Monticcheillo. Same stairs, different angle. Monticcheillo. 22

23 One more time, from below. Worthy of copying. Monticcheillo. Men and women... Monticcheillo. 23

24 Like to hang out in different places. In Monticcheillo these groups of men and women were spending the afternoon with their own gender - nearby but just around the corner and out of sight from each other. Coincidence? I think not. 24

25 The town makes the landscape more beautiful, and the landscape makes the town more beautiful. This is how it is supposed to be... 25

26 Curved building and street. Celle sul Rigo. 26

27 Ninety year-old gentleman showing off his vintage Bianchi. I bet he was awesome in his day. Celle sul Rigo. 27

28 Another way for stairs to meet sloping street. Wall at far end allows horizontal piazza there. San Casiano de Bagni. 28

29 A one bay house. Alerona. 29

30 Sharpen the edge. Nearly all the hill towns we visited have the edges "sharpened" with the addition of man-made walls. Orvietto. 30

31 Funiculars. Many of the towns have some combination of funiculars, elevators, or escalators to help people get into the town from below. Orvietto. 31

32 Terraces. Orvietto. Civita de Bagnoregio. This little town is extraordinarily attractive and is full of lessons. 32

33 Don't be selfish. In Civita the great views are shared between private houses and the public realm. Civita de Bagnoregio. This is a little peek you would not get in most towns. What a difference it makes! Civita. 33

34 A peek into a private garden. OK, I had to stand on a wall... Civita. Civita is mainly one and two story buildings - that helps a lot with keeping the streets light, airy and appealing. 34

35 Underneath passages are much used in Grotte di Castro. This one was particularly appealing. Think of it as another way to get to the front door - a bridge. 35

36 Town on the steep. It about killed me to not ride up into this town, but I didn't have time. It looks like every room in the town has a great view. I'd love to see the plan... On the way to Norcia. 36

37 Loved these tiles in hotel in Norcia. 37

38 The old and the new. This glass wall looking out onto the old passageway is very cool. The passageway narrows moving away from you, which makes things look farther away than they are. "Forced Perspective", I think it is called. I've never seen it in real life so notably. Cool. Norcia. 38

The main piazza of Norcia is exceptional. There are pathways marked out in the pavement leading from the statue in the center. Some lead to the front doors of important buildings.

39 The main piazza of Norcia is exceptional. There are pathways marked out in the pavement leading from the statue in the center. Some lead to the front doors of important buildings. Some lead to streets. I think there are five or six. They are not geometrically regular - they go to where the things happen to be located. Very cool. This church is one of the finest. Relatively simple, but very beautiful. That round window seems characteristic of this area. Love it. Norcia. 39

40 Same piazza. Norcia. 40

41 Signs. Have 'em for streets and piazzas. I liked this one. 41

42 Give ground floor windows security. It makes them much more useable. Ascoli Piceno. 42

43 A clean, well lighted place. Cafes don't get any better looking than this one. Ascoli Piceno. 43

44 The two-bay house. Nobody seems to want to design two bay houses anymore. But they are EVERYWHERE in the great precedent places. Do it. Ascoli Piceno. 44

45 Signs that tell you about where you are. This series of signs in Ascoli Piceno were particularly well done and helpful. 45

46 Classical. this small and very classical building is a great point of emphasis in the more mundane fabric of Ascoli Piceno. 46

47 Hilltowns are even better... by the ocean. From Loretto. 47

Lessons from the Luberon

Lessons from the Luberon by: Charles Brewer, June, 2010 Gordes The towns, houses, and landscape of the Luberon region of Provence are famously appealing. There are a dozen or so "perched villages" in and