Fairytale Sicilian Abandoned House in Taormina

by Silva Wischeropp

This urban city shot was taken in summer 2015 during my photo trip to the island of Sicily in southern Italy. It was taken with the Nikon D90 in the early afternoon of 17 July 2015.

This photographic image shows the morbid charm of an abandoned house with typical, Sicilian balcony railings, rotten, peeling paint, washed-out wooden doors on the island of Sicily on the east coast.
This mysterious house facade stands not far from the tourist town of Taormina. The picture motif was taken during my photo trip to the east coast of Sicily.
The typical, iron balcony shapes are a classic feature for the region of Sicily. The crumbling house façade as well as the peeling paint on the walls give the motif an irresistible charm. A colourful, enchanting wooden door in dark brown tones lends the image expression a very special vintage character. These charming urban facades tell a piece of Sicilian history and culture. Behind every wooden window, and every gateway, the secret of this Mediterranean island in the south of Italy is hidden.
Sicily enchants visitors with its special architectural features and different building styles, which give the island a unique fascination.
The small town of Taormina, high up on the mountain, which Goethe already discovered on his Italian travels at the end of the 18th century, attracted numerous artists and celebrities at the end of the 19th century, including Oscar Wild, Thomas Mann and Richard Strauss. Even Empress Sissi of Austria stopped by, and the Taormina-Giardini railway station was even extended in her honour.
The foundations for becoming a fashionable coastal resort were thus laid, and more celebrities arrived in the following decades, including Greta Garbo, Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor and many more.