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Photographing abandoned buildings in Italy is always a pleasure. This country has a special place in my heart, and it is my favorite country to visit. I’ve regularly visited Italy to photograph the amazing architecture of abandoned houses from North to South. During my architecture photography trips, I also gathered a collection of photos of breathtaking paintings and drawings in or on the abandoned buildings. Some of these beautiful paintings even cover the whole room, including the ceiling.

Some of the wall artworks in these photos are described as frescoes. Fresco is a technique where freshly laid, or wet lime plaster, is painted. Water is used to ‘transport’ the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and while the plaster is setting it becomes an integral part of the wall. The resulting wall paintings are stunning.

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#1

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When looking at some of the wall murals I discovered, you can see the high level of craftsmanship. They look amazing and very detailed, even in this state of decay of the abandoned places. In the next years that I’ll be visiting Italy, I’ll make sure to continue photographing the unique artworks I find in abandoned buildings.

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    #2

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    #3

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    sharron lynn parsons
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    With my good imagination, I picture this lovely room furnished in days past !!!

    kathryn stretton
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The last viewers fell through the floor and were never seen again.

    Jo Bebe
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    what is that boxed hole behind what use to be a full mirror?

    Anja Remme
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Where is this? id really love to see it the next time I go to Italy

    LazyPanda
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Just do a little dusting and sweeping and this place will be a place to host small gatherings

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    Abandoned places fascinate me because of all the unanswered questions and the mystery they hold. There is beauty in things that are forgotten, and taking a closer look can be an incredible way to get to learn more about the world around us and how things change with time as history unfolds.

    #4

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    Fabio Nardini
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That's Rovasenda (Vc), Italy, near my town...been inside here lot of time, very nice..I have the very same picture...

    Mama Penguin
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I could picture intricately carved furnitures with soft, warm light radiating from the fire.

    #5

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    Jo Bebe
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Stunning and yet abandoned

    Joseph rick
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The use of the word ABANDONED is completely MISLEADING as it gives the implication that the beautiful buildings are not OWNED and one can just enter at will and snap pics etc. Living here permanently in Italy I can tell you that even in the remote villages where the Mayors are selling houses for a $1..every single dwelling is not only OWNED but owned by a plethora of intergenerational family members..even the corner of a room can be owned by a different family member and they are an absolute nightmare to deal with.

    Joseph rick
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    ...And the above building is a Church and even the de-commissioned ones like this one, have a usury procedure beyond belief. Ive had art exhibitions in churches in Matera, Venice and Lecce and all have involved contact/negotiation with everyone from the local Mayors downward - not to be recommended.

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    Judann Pec
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The floor is very interesting and a complex design.

    sharron lynn parsons
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Wow, overwhelmed with this breathtaking beauty !!!

    LazyPanda
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have to go to Italy and see this for myself this is too good to be true

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    Today, abandoned places all over the world offer a unique glimpse into the past. A source of reflection, perhaps, as they prompt us to think about the future. If, for example, a church, house, or hospital, once an important haven in a community or family, can become a pile of ruins, what does that say about what we hold certain today? These are the traces of the past, and if we follow them, we can see where we all came from and perhaps where we’re going.

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    #6

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    Anja Remme
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I can't fathom how such a building would be left to decay... such a waste of potential

    Valentina Cupido
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Unfortunately here in Italy these places often end up in the hands of the government because who owned them before can't afford them anymore and renovating these places is extremely expensive because of taxes and the fact that you have to do most things by hand with specialized artisans. On the other hand, the government has barely enough money to keep the colosseum standing so they do nothing about it and everything gets ruined...

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    sharron lynn parsons
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have seen these before, wonderful architecture has always intrigued me, as today with all the amazing tools and technology , mostly boring box type houses or buildings are built,so sad for sure,in this post the beauty of architecture and paintings are incredible, so much to view and enjoy !!!

    LazyPanda
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I bet this house belonged to some rich or famous person/people

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    Brenda Pereira
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Damn! If I could afford to heat and cool this big thing, I'd move in!

    LazyPanda
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is a very beautiful place, so why does it look like it has been in a scary movie about nuns? Just asking.

    At the moment, I am working with my business partner Sven van der Wal on a project called Boys with Drones. We’re traveling the world to capture abandoned places with a drone, creating aerial videos and photographs. I am now also in the process of planning to spend 2 months on the island of Bali, to capture and write about the abandoned places on the island. That project will most likely take place in the fourth quarter of this year.

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    #8

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    sharron lynn parsons
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Love this, would be stunning in my bedroom, but lovely in any room !!!

    Pretty Pangolin
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Think of all that work - and there's no margin for error!

    hashwadoobies
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    but.... if they made an error.... they could just..... paint over it :O

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    #9

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    Brenda Pereira
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I can just hear the echoes in this place!

    LazyPanda
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Beautiful landscape just beautiful

    Monika Soffronow
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I wish I had the money to restore the building.

    #10

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    Luna Lovegood
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    How do people abandon this? It's so beautiful.

    Daria B
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Besides wars, politics and change of regimes and laws, it's also because these gorgeous places are too difficult to maintain.

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    sharron lynn parsons
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is quite lovely except for the dark doors !!!

    #11

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    #12

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    Judann Pec
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What is the story painted on the walls? Would have liked to see more of it.

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    #13

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    Jo Bebe
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Is the man on the TV painted too or maybe it's a ghost?

    rai mei
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    this looks like a scene from a Hidden Object game

    #14

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    Jo Bebe
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I would live there and revive that place for free! Gorgeous !

    sharron lynn parsons
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    A beautiful antique on the left, the room is gorgeous , it seems to open to the garden, love it !!!

    Brenda Pereira
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I would live here for sure! That couch would have to go tho.

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    #16

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    Daria B
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    His Last Painting (The nothing in meeee... The apostle in meeee... No interpretatioooooo-oh-on, for the heaaart of me ♬♪ ) Sorry, I had to. ♥

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    #18

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    Jo Bebe
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I would like to know the story behind the floor status

    Nancy Howard
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I want to know the location of each place. How did he find them. They're beautiful this is when I wish the walls could talk

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    #19

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    Anne
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Shame there's water damage already :(

    Nicole Joyce B.
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm lost for words 😶 so many unknown talented artists whose works are just left to crumble 😢 😭 i bet some, maybe even most of these places are haunted 😔

    Nicole Joyce B.
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm lost for words 😶 wow so many unknown talented artists whose works are just left to decay 😢 😭

    Judann Pec
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Bizarre, and seems never completed. The side walls and columns look really interesting and colors fantastic.

    #20

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    Womaninsky
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I love the Juliet balconies on each side!! I could see a family play or opera here, back in the day.

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    #21

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    Astridplayz
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What’s on the floor is there some cool vintage things

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    #22

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    Mama Penguin
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm picturing the lady of the house quietly walking the deserted hallways and rooms looking forlorn, forever waiting for her husband to return from war.

    Luna Crow
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Wow! How is this one not higher?

    #23

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    Womaninsky
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Weird at first glance! Looks like a pool until looking closer.

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    #25

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