Old walls are often storytellers but each observer may read a different story. The stone patchwork of this house in Honfleur shows a long history of alterations. The blue painted window frames suggest new owners caring for a neglected building but the limp net curtains and shiny red motorbike outside might also suggest that home improvements have been abandoned in favour of new wheels.
These walls in Ventimiglia hint at many different stories. Elegant arches have been filled by mundane store room doors but new windows, smartly painted shutters and luxuriant plants suggest bright and comfortable homes on the first floor.
Rusted machinery and crumbled brickwork tell a story of industrial decline in the Ardennes but look again and you can see new masonry and windows on the old factory building. Maybe there’s resurrection on the way.
The pitted walls in this quiet Barcelona square suggest a dark past. When I looked up the history of Plaça Sant Felip Neri (or Playa de Sant Felip Neri) the first web site I came across described the church walls as being pitted by bullets from firing squads in the Civil War. Following further, and more reliable, links revealed layers of story and grim history.
Apparently, after the end of the Civil War, fascist supporters put around the story that the damage to the church walls was caused when anarchist rebels executed priests and nuns. Retelling of the story shifted the blame to General Franco’s firing squads which was one step closer to the truth. Look again at the pock-marked wall, scarred well above head height and it’s clear that neither of those stories is likely to be true. The facts now agreed by historians are that in January 1938 two bombs were dropped on the square by Mussolini’s air force, in support of Franco’s army. The first bomb killed thirty people sheltering in the church crypt. The second landed as rescuers tried to reach survivors, bringing the death toll to 42. Twenty of those who died were children from a nearby infant school.
These pictures were taken on a quiet morning when I’d wandered into the square by chance. My first impressions were of a beautiful, peaceful place but a sad one. When I walked through later that day without my camera the square was echoing with the sound of children playing. A photo taken on that second visit could have told a very different story.
March 11, 2018 at 5:59 pm
This is such an interesting post, Judith. I spent about a minute looking at the first photo and all the different layers in the wall. And what a sad history the church walls show. I wonder what the younger generations think of it when they walk past or play outside it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 11, 2018 at 6:09 pm
Thanks for your kind comment Celia. From what I’ve read of Barcelona it seems that it’s only recently that people have felt able to acknowledge the history of the Civil War. I guess the children who play in the square know nothing of its story.
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 11, 2018 at 7:36 pm
I know that square in Barcelona too, and I too knew a little of its story. It seemed such a haven of peace at first, but now it’s overlaid with some melancholy. A wonderful set of photos.
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 11, 2018 at 8:54 pm
It’s difficult to discount such a story once you’ve heard it but the square seemed a very cheerful place when it was full of children.
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 12, 2018 at 6:03 am
Very powerful photos and accompanying text. Inanimate things have so many stories to tell, so much history to share…
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 12, 2018 at 8:57 pm
Thank you for your encouraging comment.
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 12, 2018 at 8:08 am
I love the first two, they called me out from the Reader. I see only joy, no sadness, yet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 13, 2018 at 2:02 am
The perfect post. I love these pictures that tell such vivid stories, and to see the layers of history peeled back is a rare insight. More of these most welcome.
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 13, 2018 at 8:28 am
Thanks for your encouragement.
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 16, 2018 at 4:13 am
What an exciting, eclectic selection of beautifully composed photos!
The patchwork wall in Honfleur is a marvel! It is incredible that the different stones are not used & arranged by design!
The last photo in the Square also caught my eye when I first looked at them. I did get the ambience of quiet, melancholy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 16, 2018 at 10:13 am
Thank you for your kind comment. I guess the Honfleur wall has been plastered over in the past so builders /patchers-up didn’t expect their work to be seen.
LikeLiked by 1 person