Just a simple door, but the more you look, the more you see.
I took this picture one day at the foothills of Mosor Mountains, in a deserted small town called Skocebi (hope I say it well).
The place is reachable by car and foot, and worth an hours walk to see and feel a bit of it's history, however it's without inhabitants today.
During the industrial revolution many people were invited to move to the coast, where the former socialist government had planned and built factories.
Clever indeed, they offered modern housing, with tap water and electricity, a giant improvement for those who were used to catch the rainwater whenever they could.
Not to mention electricity or heating in cold seasons.
Life up there was harsh in those days, with no other transport than feet or donkeys, and whatever needed had to be grown, harvested and preserved in and around the house.
Still today it's a regular habit for many people around us to be as self supporting as possible, growing their own vegetables, grapes for wine and olives for oil.
Having chickens is a normal thing, mostly for the eggs, sometimes for their meat, and many (not all) keep pigs from autumn to winter.
Just yesterday at many homes around us the pigs were slaughtered and the meat prepared for excellent pancetta and prsut (the delicious smoked dried ham).
But today that's more a good tradition than a must.
And don't forget that many (if not most) places today have good roads, electricity, telephone, internet and tap water.
Many times when walking or driving around I am impressed by all signs in the landscape from those days when people worked all those small patches of land, higher on the slopes, moving stones, building walls, carrying water when needed, to grow whatever was needed to feed the family.
And again, those slopes are pretty hot during summer days, and cold as ice during winter season.
To me it's all beautiful to see, great to look around, discovering details you might not even think of.
A simple wooden door it is, but look a bit better to see that little cross carved in the wood.
Think back for a moment, to when some man (I guess) carved it, to ask for a blessing for his family.
Just a door indeed.
Just ????
(click on the picture to enlarge it)
