07.17.08
Tri-Cultural Windows
A friend of Marcus recently took us on a guided tour of Ancona. I’ve lived here for over two years and hadn’t ever done any kind of tourist things, and was kind of looking forward to learning some new things.
As we winded our way through some of the historical streets on Ancona, we came upon a building I had driven by, but hadn’t ever noticed. It’s very ornate, and over the years has been the home of many rich merchants. Our tour guide explained a very unique feature of the windows. First, they have rounded arches, which are very typical of Roman architecture. But they are also double windows, which are typical of Venetian architecture. But they also have pointed tops, which are typical of Arabian architecture.
Ancona has been influenced by all kinds of cultures over the centuries. The ruling power of the time left its mark on the economy, the language, the government, or in this case, the architecture.
I immediately thought of the church. Right now, we have Italians, Americans, and Romanians who are all active participants. We’ve had Irish and French visitors. Sometimes the cultures clash a bit, but for the most part they all come together and make a really beautiful thing.