Positano, Italy

What stands between a mountain and the sea?

Whether in Terracina, Sorrento, Capri, or Positano there are steep slopes with buildings hanging on to them. In the mindset of a real estate agent, I couldn’t help but see potential: lost, found, wasted and yet to be discovered. With a possibly limiting landscape along the Amalfi Coast the people created spaces, homes, and solutions.

Between the top of the mountain and the sea in Positano, there is nothing but 608 stairs… and an entire town.

In Terracina, with the loss of the grape crop they moved on and used the valuable flat land at the base of the old town for development. A once rich expanse of land is now covered with buildings.

In Capri, the people place their homes carefully in the side of the cliff, negotiating with gravity and each other for the best views.

Visiting these towns expands one’s view of what can and can’t be done in a given context.

What’s the difference between a big building and a small city?

The infrastructure and organization of a big building are similar to that of a city but on a smaller scale. Roads are substituted for hallways and stairways, buildings become rooms, public spaces are shared spaces within the building (courtyards). Like cities, buildings are structured for social stratification. Classes are separated into neighbors with in a city. On another level classes within a building are separated vertically by floors. The Palazzo building type is an example of this division within a building. Shops and offices were on the ground floor. Above the ground level is the clean and safe Piano Nobile, reserved for the wealthy family. Attic apartments were separated from the rest of the house and occupied by the servants and staff. As you move from city to city block and finally to the building, scale changes but social relationships are the same. A big building is a small city.

What did one wall say to another wall?

A: We have an important job to do. We have windows that provide light and ventilation to the families that live behind us. And we think you are blocking too much of our view of the city. Why don’t you just shed a few bricks?

B: Without me you wouldn’t even be here. I have spent my whole life protecting you from other buildings, taking their abuse so that you would not have to. If you could see my face you would see the scars that they have left over time.

A: We never asked you to do that. In fact, before now we have never asked you to do anything.

B: Well, you didn’t have to ask. It is pretty clear that you just expect me to take care of everything. And I haven’t heard a thank you.

A: Your purpose was to protect us. There is nothing behind you, no rooms, no garden, or important piece of history. And I am sure you don’t have any decoration. You were never meant to be seen. Now that you have no one to protect us from, you really have no purpose in this city…..

….under the pressure and after years of abuse, a little of his façade crumbled away. He gave the others what they asked for: a better view of the city.

How does a building meet the ground?

The Spanish Steps, built in 1735, were meant facilitate travel between the Piazza di Spagna and the Piazza Trinita dei Monti. However, next to the Spanish Steps, the Rampa Mignanelli accomplishes the same thing while creating an interesting variety in the ground level as it interacts with the adjacent building. The Palazzo Mignanelli was built in 1575 and the Rampa Mignanelli most likely followed soon after. The building meets the ground at the level of the Piazza Mignanelli, at a landing on the steps and finally at the level of Trinita dei Monti. Two former exits from the building seem to meet a ground that is no longer there. The stairs hint at their existence and past by moving away from the face of the building to reveal a lower ground level. How does a building meet the ground in Rome? Wherever it can, as often as it can and however it can. It just has to find the ground. As the ground has been shaped, move, and adjusted throughout history, the buildings seem to be reintroduced to it. There are hints that create a timeline of where each building met the ground in the past.

I know I am in Rome because I can see the layers. There is a context, history and site that are far more apparent when you are here.

I know I am in Rome because a picture could never capture what I see and what I feel. (But I will probably still keep trying)

I know I am in Rome because I can stand at one monument and see across the city to another.

I know I am in Rome because I have experienced the topography that makes the city what it is.

I know I am in Rome because I can imagine what it would feel like to be in the Baths of Caracalla.

I know I am in Rome because I can see all the pieces come together.

I know I am in Rome because I rub my eyes and ….. I’ll let you know when it all comes into focus