PORTICOES

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PORTICOES

After reading about Bologna’s porticoes I had mixed feelings about them, thinking they would make for a dark environment. But after 6 days, 3 with rain, I have become a fan of these architectural umbrellas. They don’t cast a dark pall over the street, just a shadow to protect the sidewalks from direct sun at least part of the day. But in addition to protection from the weather, which encourages outdoor seating in the cities too numerous to count cafes, they also create an atmosphere that is both intimate and cozy for the shops and the pedestrian.

This age old tradition is also seen in the newer construction, though not with the same antiquarian flare. They are everywhere in central Bologna, and as these pics reveal, come in all sorts of sizes and styles. And they are home to hundreds of small one to two room shops...more about them in a later post.