Many apartments are built around the perimeter of a city block, facing outward, leaving a large inner courtyard. Unfortunately, these open spaces aren't usually used for anything particularly interesting. They allow for windows and air on both sides of each apartment and provide a balcony for hanging out the laundry in relative privacy. Well, all the other apartment dwellers can see your socks and underwear, but at least they're not hanging out over the street!
This series of photos was taken around the courtyard behind a friend's house.
Many apartments are built around the perimeter of a city block, facing outward, leaving a large inner courtyard. Unfortunately, these open spaces aren't usually used for anything particularly interesting. They allow for windows and air on both sides of each apartment and provide a balcony for hanging out the laundry in relative privacy. Well, all the other apartment dwellers can see your socks and underwear, but at least they're not hanging out over the street!
This series of photos was taken around the courtyard behind a friend's house.
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8 comments:
It looks like more rooftops below, so no chance for gardens or trees, I suppose.
The unglamorous side of apartment living. At least they have courtyards to hide their washing from the eyes of the outside world!
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this is a problem everywhere when there is lack of space. some of the oldest apartment blocks in my town are built like this, not very pretty, but very functional. i live ina detached house, but that has a lot of maintencance, so an apartment is sometimes more desirable...
So messy looking. It would take me forever to finish laundry if I only had that balcony to hang it over!
This picture reminds me of my grandma's house, it was somewhere on Via nino bixio (i think)
She actually had her balcony enclosed to ensure better privacy! But i remember being able to look down into the courtyard and see one family lay out a bunch of almonds? I guess to dry out... I'm not really sure what they were doing...
It's not pretty, but I like to show all the different sides of Molfetta.
Tanya, you would be miserable here laundry-wise...no dryers! Can you imagine how long it takes to dry a load of laundry when it rains for days.
Historelli, if you look closely at the photos you can see that a lot of the balconies are enclosed. Your grandmother's neighbors were probably sundrying fresh almonds. They can also be eaten fresh off the tree, but if they are dried you can keep them forever (almost!).
perhaps I'm alone but I find these courtyards have a distinct charm - probably because I love to the sight of laundry on lines....
I think it's great that the tradition of hanging laundry out to dry is still alive & well. I grew up in Tuzla, Bosnia (Laundry went out on the balcony of our 10 story bldg, or in the enterance hallway in the winter - needless to say, we didn't do the wash as often then as we do now in the US. Time to rethink what goes into the laundry hamper.) At my grandma's in Pula, the neighboring houses has clothes lines on pulleys.) Thanks for evoking good memories.
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