Showing posts with label historic center. Show all posts
Showing posts with label historic center. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Osteria

This small restaurant is located in the historical centre of town on Via Piazza. I took this photo through the glass of the front door. What you see is what you get, the photo shows the entire establishment and its four tables.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Duomo


This is one of the twin towers on Molfetta's Duomo (or cathedral) taken from the rear of the church. The church is in the old town and the streets are so narrow that the wall of the building I was backed up against to take this shot has snuck into the photo.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Renault 4


An old car is parked on an even older street, Via Mammone, in Molfetta's historical center.
A "mammone" is a mommy's boy or also a sort of mythical monster. Not sure what they had in mind when they named the street...

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Stone Carving

This face is carved on the rear wall of the Duomo, Molfetta's first cathedral, built in the 1100s.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Take a Break

A gaggle of gulls take a break on the breakwater off the south side of Molfetta's historic center.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Historic Center - Via Amente, 4

This is the Baraka Pub & Wine Bar located just down the street from the home shown in Saturday's post. I haven't been there in about 10 years, so I can't exactly recommend it from personal experience. In any case, it's nice that there are businesses in the old town.

I have been having technical difficulties both with the computer and my camera. I not only forgot to post my book photo for theme day, but I was unable to post anything at all yesterday! That's the first day I've missed since I started this blog! Anyway, things seem to be working a little bit better today...




I have received the Kreativ Blogger award from both Nobu of Funabashi Daily Cell Phone Photo and jm of Oeiras and environs daily photo. Thank you so much, both of you!

They have asked me to list six things that make me happy. So...

1. hugs and kisses from my children
2. jogging
3. taking photos
4. reading a good novel
5. talking with friends
6. chocolate chip cookies

I now happily pass this award on to six other creative bloggers, please go visit...
Takeyoshi, Tokyo City Daily Photo
Jelvistar, Port Angeles Daily Photo
Sean, kyle, texas daily photo
Alejandro, unafotopordìa
E.K. Bensah, Accra by Day & Night
Elier, Lima - Peru' Daily Photo

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Historic Center - Via Amente, 3

This photo fits into yesterday's just to the right of the imploded building. It clearly shows the curved nature of the old town's side streets.

If you enlarge the photo and look down Via Amente to the point where the two sides of the street seem to merge, you can see a building that looks as if it's all wrapped up in plastic...it is covered from top to bottom by the scaffolding that is used in renovation projects. That is then covered by a net-like material that serves to hold in all the debris that inevitably falls down during the work. It holds in big chunks of stone and wood, but I can assure you that it does nothing to contain the vast quantities of dust that are kicked up during these projects. I know, because during the 11 years I lived in Molfetta Vecchia there was never a time when someone wasn't restoring a building nearby.

Pointless to point out the green shutters...I'll just note that the home in the center of the photo has natural wood shutters which some people have preferred when renovating.

p.s. Best wishes to everyone! Today is All Saints' Day...so it's everyone's feast day!

Friday, October 31, 2008

Historic Center - Via Amente, 2

Further along Via Amente, the street widens a bit, not because it was designed that way, but because in the 1960s an entire building fell down from lack of upkeep. At that time, Molfetta Vecchia was determined to be an unsafe place to live and the majority of the inhabitants were moved out and settled elsewhere in public housing. That just increased the situation of neglect and many more buildings fell down, or imploded (see photo above) over the years.

An interest in gentrification began to grow in the 1990s. My husband and I lived in a renovated home on Via Sant'Orsola (see yesterday's map - go to the end of Via Piazza and turn right) for 11 years. We were the first family to renovate and move into that part of the old town. Now there are many renovated homes and even shops and coffee bars throughout Molfetta Vecchia. It's not touristy, but at least it's not as abandoned as it used to be.

Today's photo shows a row of homes in the open area halfway down Via Amente. Looking from left to right you see an empty building, an inhabited building, an imploded building and an inhabited one (you can tell it's inhabited by the satellite dish on the roof!).

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Historic Center - Via Amente

Molfetta Vecchia (or Old Molfetta, as the original city center is called) was an island. Its layout was designed in the shape of a fish spine, with one central street down the middle, Via Piazza (see map below) and other streets shooting off perpendicularly to the left and the right. It was walled by virtue of the buildings all being attached to one another all the way around, and was surrounded by the sea on all sides. The only entry at that time was through the main arch (see yesterday's post) so that when invaders arrived (which they often did) the main door could be closed to keep them out. If they did get in, all of the side streets were closed off so that the pirates or Normans or whomever were blocked on Via Piazza and could be attacked more easily by the citizens. The Molfettans would throw rocks at them or pour down boiling water or oil.
Today's photo was taken at the corner of Via Piazza, looking down Via Amente, the first street to the right. It is a bit dark, but that's the way it always is there. The houses are built so close together that not much sun gets down to street level.
Today is my 100th post...wow! ;-)

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Historic Center

I haven't shown much of Molfetta's historical center yet, and it is definitely worth seeing. The old town was originally a round island. It has since been annexed to the "mainland" by landfill. The view above is from inside the main entry arch looking out. The area where the cars are parked was once water, from what I understand. In Medieval days there was a giant wooden door that was closed at sunset and opened each morning. A defensive measure used in most walled cities in that period to keep the bad guys out.

p.s. For all of those kind people who sent me good wishes for my son who was not well, I just want to let you know that he is doing much better. The doctors scared us silly with all kinds of dreadful possibilities, but all tests were negative! Thanks so very much for your concern!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

The historic center

This is the backside of the historic center. The famous view is around on the other side where you can see the port and the duomo. Molfetta's origins can be traced back to the 4th century BC when a small fishing village was located at this site. The town was dominated first by Byzantines, then Lombards then Normans and was repeatedly attacked by Saracens. The old town used to be an island with a passageway over to a single entry gate. It is laid out in the form of a fish spine, with one central street down the middle and other smaller streets that branch off perpendicularly.