I went to Church the other day...

[Madrigal Rose]

Not really for the reasons you might suspect. There is an old abandoned church about 25 miles North of here that was completely irresistible to me. It is so overgrown and in such a state of disrepair, I didn't have the nerve to go in. Not this time. Next time I'll scrounge up some courage and take some shots. Snakes love this kind of place. Wouldn't want to meet up with the wrong kind of snake in the middle of hibernation.

The old pews are still in there, covered in cobwebs. Why are such places so irresistible?

I'll post more photos that I had taken with B & W, as soon as I develop them...

[L'Etranger]

Very touching, Rose! I'll come again with more time and look more closely.

[Sailor on the Seas of Freight]

Interesting...the B&W shot looks like it was taken straight from an old Peter Cushing vampire B-movie.

[Madrigal Rose]

I have fallen in love with this old building. I stopped by again this evening on the way home from work, just before sunset, to get another shot or two. Then I went inside... wow. There's an old upright piano, covered in cobwebs, in total disrepair. There are huge rotted holes in the roof, the windows are all broken, but it's still lovely, especially as a photographic subject. It's been abandoned for some 25 years, and it's probably of early 20th century vintage. I can't wait to go back for more.

[Hieronymus]

Really ghostly, Rose. I like it.
Here we have an old little abandoned church which is similar to that one but our is buildt with stones. I think it's of XVIII cent.but I'm not sure.
Its more a chapel that a church and it rises in a valley.

[L'Etranger]

You've hit it off with Hieronymus there, Rose. The Italians love old churches.


(San Galgano in Tuscany)

[Hieronymus]

San Galgano is one of the most beautiful examples of our gothic art L'E , as you know as well and you know also that near it the is the only real "excalibur" , the sword in the stone.
By the way, in my own taste, I loved much more the french and german church in the middle age we are more romanic than gothic...

This church is near my town, it's a medieval complex from the XIII century, in a perfect ( almost ) conservation
http://www.lucacambiaso.it/Giragenov...ore_dei_fi.htm

[L'Etranger]

There are such incredible churches in your country, my friend, very hard to top them.
Here's one in Pisa, for example.

Oops, our Scottie "Kassandra" got in the picture, sorry!

[Hieronymus]

I love this one L'E. It's the "Sacra di San Michele" ( Saint Michael Church ) ir rises on the top of a mount near Turin, and it looks like a fortress
http://www.arengario.net/momenti/momenti37.html

[L'Etranger]

Incredible!

Must go there one day.

[Himiko]

The "Sacra di San Michele" was the model for the monastery of the Umberto Eco's book "The Name of the Rose". Eco in his youth visited it many times because his relative live in the near.

[Madrigal Rose]

San Galgano is one of the most beautiful examples of our gothic art L'E , as you know as well and you know also that near it the is the only real "excalibur" , the sword in the stone.
By the way, in my own taste, I loved much more the french and german church in the middle age we are more romanic than gothic...

This church is near my town, it's a medieval complex from the XIII century, in a perfect ( almost ) conservation
http://www.lucacambiaso.it/Giragenov...ore_dei_fi.htm

Okay, that's it. I'm moving to Italy.
This started out with photos capturing classic scenic Florida in a state of 'decay'.
But I absolutely love ancient buildings. Those churches are gorgeous.
Just stop it!

[Madrigal Rose]

Another thing on my list of things to do...

I would love to attend symphonic concerts in those lovely old European churches. To die for. What better venue for hearing Bach, Vivaldi, Telemann, etc.