"Liberty" House on the via Brennero

There are many of these turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses in Lucca. They are called "liberty" after the London department store that first sold the designs of the movement. (Tee shirts are sometimes called "fruiti" because the first seen in Italy were made by Fruit of the Loom.)

Each house is very different. Some are sedate; others are flamboyant. This one is shuttered and, I believe, belongs to the Guardia Finanza. I like its simplicity and the gold leaf decoration at the top.

To the right is a more ornate one but the view of it is blocked by evergreen trees. To the left is a modern building which replaces a lovely liberty house torn down to make way for office space. It ruins the entire street. So much for progress.

Morning traffic was roaring past when I took this picture. I would have preferred to stand in the middle of the street for a less distorted view but it would have been suicidal. The biting, icy wind is not visible either, but the leaden sky says it all.