Budoia - Windows and Doors
While in Europe, I spent most of my time north of Venice in the countryside. It was quite peaceful and as I would assume is true throughout most of Italy, had some amazing food. Being from the US, it’s impressive to me that other countries have buildings older than our country itself. I stayed in the town of Budoia which has archeological finds dating it back to the Neolithic Age which makes it (approximately) a mere 11,750 years older than our 250 year-old country. I’m relatively certain that the buildings I photographed weren’t that old but, if you’ve been to Europe you know, towns that are older than our country tend to have some very marvelous architecture.
I’ll start with a close in shot of the cover photo though both images have their own value. The colors of all of these windows are simply fantastic. I assume the sun has faded the green to yellow where it can and has made this beautiful washed look. The contrasting red around the windows is a nice touch as well. The single window image is a little odd because of the green line looking thing at the bottom. This was hard to deal with and I think may have been better if I just kept part of the street in the scene but I seem to have cropped that out in the field. This window is a, rather rounded, corner of the building. This is hard to see in the image but a bit easier to imagine when looking at the bit of green on the bottom. Cropping this off made for too tight of a photo but I feel like this is ‘artistic’ enough that it works.
One morning, I wandered around the town. It was a cloudy and drizzly morning so this image has been color corrected a bit. I do wonder how many businesses have occupied 14 Via A. Cardazzo. It does seem like the most recent one was a Gelateria but the graffiti on the front feels like perhaps it’s no more. I did try a square crop to cut off the graffiti and rightmost window but it felt off balance. The variation of the texture and shapes of the doors and windows is what drew me to this scene so I’ve kept them all. I like that the windows are off center from the door and clearly different. In processing, I noticed that someone has cut a hole in the panel of the door for the handle. This would’ve been interesting to focus on and get a closer-in shot had I noticed while I was there.
Wandering down Via A. Cardazzo, I came to number 17. I simply could not love this door more. The weathered look is one thing - one glorious thing. But what does it for me are the shapes of the wood used to construct this door. I have absolutely no idea who constructed it this way or why but I’m glad it was not me. Cutting those seemingly random angles to fit together looks like it would’ve been a complete nightmare but the previous hard work makes for a beautiful door, now, however many years later! I’m not entirely sure if the red box in the upper right is part of a gutter system or what but it offers some contrast here that would be needed otherwise. So although I haven’t a clue what it is, I am grateful for its placement!
Last one here in Budoia before I tell you that I had one more from outside Budoia that I couldn’t resist… One morning we took a hike through the woods to get to the next town over. We had to walk to the other side of Budoia to start the hike and on our way we passed this entrance. I love the weathered look here. The geometry also seems slightly sagging towards the center. The door jam has a chunk taken out of it that you can see the grass in the courtyard beyond and the scene is made slightly more modern by the intercom system on the left. I’d love to see this door open large enough drive a car in (if it still can).
I’ll come clean and say that this image is not from Budoia. We tripped up the mountain to Lago di Barcis one day. We were all dragging a bit (or that’s what we told ourselves to justify more delicious European coffee) and so we had to stop. As we were sitting at the table outside, about a block off the lake, I looked up and noticed this contrast. I can’t remember how I felt about the photo in the moment but after getting it on my computer and processing it, this has turned out to be one of my favorites taken since starting this hobby. The slight off kilter feel due to the slanted pipe with its shadow doesn’t seem to bother me much and I think it’s because the windows, themselves, are not at the same level. The bold contrast in this photo is very pleasing to me.
I hope you’ve enjoyed windows and doors of Budoia (and Barcis). I would love to return one day, though, there are many other European countryside towns that I’m sure I’d enjoy just as much. I think this post wraps up my 2024 photography (yes I know it’s August 2025). I’ve had plenty to photograph in 2025 so far and there’s no shortage of blog material. Only time - life is short but oh so good!