Imperia Maurizio

The guidebooks overlook it, but I found Imperia to be a gorgeous little town.

There are lots of mansions here, belonging to old merchant families, and they've mostly fallen in disrepair with the declining fortunes of this town. They create a unique look.

Check out the doghouse. It's hard not to fall in love with such a town.

An old summer palace, now being used as a house, complete with a clothesline.
In the US, this place would be on some official registry of historic monuments, have a $14 entry fee, and
would have an attached gift shop.  

Someone did a nice job with the pedestrian zones.

Wish I had a folding bike in the mini.

How many generations of kids have grown up in this house?

Cool doors.

In case anyone had any doubts about what country they were in, here are some helpful clues. How many can you spot?

Answers, from most subtle to less so: (1) Italian-style narrow matrix gridiron work, (2) Italian shutters that open in two directions, (3) swirls on the building, (4) Italian text on the marble plaque, (5) flag, (6) undershirt out to dry just like in a Fellini movie. I thought hard about the relative order between item 5 and 6, and I think I got it right. Italians love to hang their underwear in public.

I initially thought these guys were having a big fight. Then I realized that they were good friends in violent agreement with each other and upset at some external thing that I couldn't quite figure out.

Not sure if this is an Italy-wide practice, but the town posts the obituaries in kiosks near piazzas.

Random shots around town.

I think this shot captures the spirit of this city. Dense, yet mostly empty, with allusions to past grandeur.

Sundial does not know about modern inventions like daylight savings time

I'm a sucker for well-lit churches