The Italian war on banisters
Italy has a lot of hills and a lot of old buildings built on a grand scale, and it has a great many staircases both inside and outside.
Many of the staircases have old steps that slope downwards, made of slippery material like marble or stone worn smooth. In addition, the depth of the steps is often rather shallow, without enough room for the feet.
Uphill is tiring, and it would be nice to have a banister at times. Downhill is both tiring and somewhat frightening without same banister. And yet Italy is very very banister-challenged.
I don’t know why it’s so, but it’s so. Has anyone else noticed this, or is it just me?
when those structures were built, people didn’t need banisters. The crippled didn’t survive and everyone (almost) was dead by age 35.
whenever I see photos of all those old stone buildings in Italy, I say to myself “what a maintenance nightmare!! Imagine the fricking expense!!”
certain things are luxuries..
they have costs
itally was a backwards state when el duche did his thing
but also, it comes from prior history where YOU are responsible for YOU
the owner is not responsible for YOU… and so, dont climb and go someplace else is the idea of old freedom… or climb… its up to you… but try to sue them for not having a bannister and see..
being litigous is also a luxury
Actually, most people weren’t dead by 35. The average life expectancy was low mainly because of extremely high infant mortality dragging it down.
Those who survived into their teens lived to an age not much different from what we experience today.
What has changed is that these old steps have eroded away from centuries of use, causing the steps to droop downward. They weren’t built that way, hundreds of years of use and soil subsiding have done that.
As to stair railings, I’d not be surprised if they existed at some point but were lost, either removed when people needed the materials for something else during hard times, damaged and not repaired for whatever reason, etc.
Think of it as evolution in action.
Neo—During my couple of days in Rome on a recent tour, I did note the following.
Footing in Rome is treacherous, especially for someone in his 70s like me.
Sidewalks, paths, and floors in old (and some new) buildings are uneven, and all of the aids to safe walking we take for granted here—things like railings on steps—especially alongside of steep or uneven steps, good indoor lighting, yellow tape to mark step downs, grit strips to make for better footing, warning signs, etc.—are just not there.
Pushing out a few inches into the already pretty narrow and uneven sidewalk in the block where our Rome hotel was, there was even a dark, open set of steps going down to a store that was below street level—no lighting focused on the area around the opening, no barriers on either side to let you know the steps were there, no warning signs, no cones, no yellow tape—nothing—just a gaping hole with a raised lip that it took me a few seconds to even notice; obviously an arrangement that would be pretty easy to trip on and stumble down, especially if it were dark, not to mention if you had a glass or two.
“Survival of the fittest” indeed!
P.S. We very much like to watch an Italian cop show, “Inspector Montalbano,” on a European TV show channel called MhZ–a totally different pace and sensibility than on our much more hard-edged American cop shows. The pace is a lot slower, they take their time to develop the characters and the plot, not so much violence and graphic` bloodshed, and there is a lot of emotion, warmth, and humor.
And we find the couple of old Sicilian towns the story is shot in, in present day Sicily, to be particularly beautiful, and sometimes haunting.
But, Oy, the steps. Steps everywhere, and lots of them, sometimes dream-like, almost Escher-like steps.
Sweeping stairways full of many, many steps, steep steps just to get up to the entrances of buildings, very steep steps that travel up and up, higher and higher into the midst of these very congested, ant hill-like old cities, a flat space, a little plaza, then other sets of steps that continue upward.
Since, despite the tons of pasta apparently consumed, there are not a lot of overweight people shown in this series, I’ve wondered if that it partially due to all those steps.
Not all that long ago we spent close on a month exploring the eastern half of Sicily before we had to be in a small town in Umbria for a wedding. Before we left the States, a friend recommended we purchase a good pair of sneakers and try them for footing here in the U.S. on smoothed stone steps found around town, particularly after a rain.
We never had a better suggestion for travel, particularly in the older towns.
The university at which I work has a remarkable building by an eminent architect. One problem, however, is that the main stairs are slippery marble and the banisters are interrupted by large columns. In other words, one can be walking down the stairs, slippery with rain or slush, and have to take one’s hands off of the railing and reach around a column before reconnecting with the railing. And this is a new building, perhaps 20 years old, so we can’t blame a medieval Tuscan lack of OSHA regulations.
That’s kind of common in Europe. Actually, I’d say that Italy isn’t the biggest sinner, but Nederlands (which has even a historical reason for it, since taxes used to be proportional to the width of the house).
> Those who survived into their teens lived to an age not much different
In the later empire, enlistment in the legions was for 20 years, so I figure 35 is on the low side. But I do think we have gained about 10-15 years in longevity, from late fifties early sixties up into the seventies for men.
I read that originally as ‘War on Barristers’, and thought “Good on Them!’ But, no, handrails. The Department of Antiquities or whatever they call it there will not allow such modern conveniences. If it was good enough for Romulus and Remus, it’s good enough for you. Get a donkey! Or rent one from one of our colorful vendors! The Spanish steps are, by recent communication now the Spanish Ramp on the side nearest the retaining walls.
Your mention of the tread-to-riser ratio is noted. Most of my experience is in Colonial Mexico. Folks had itty-bitty feet, most unlike mine, which are a size 13 on the left and a 10-and-a-half on the right. It’s sub judice, no more explanation can be given until I gets my money!
My wife and I were able to climb to the top of Pisa’s Leaning Tower before it was closed to climbing. Talk about no bannisters ! We were plastered to the central tower as we climbed.
I really never appreciated banisters until about the age of 70 or so. I was shocked when we sold our house in Virginia and had to install one on the stairs to the basement. Having been said, I endorse the concept of banisters.
On the other hand, Italians are understandably torn between the idea of preserving antiquities and modernizing.
Personal–my squadron CO and his wife were unimpressed with Italian antiquities; and commented that if you really wanted to visit such, you should go to Greece. Antiquities competition is rife. On the other hand, in Italy, you can enjoy Italian food,which can really be exqusite; and Italian red wine. Greek food had no character, and their wine, with high resin content does not compare.
Hey, Oldflyer! I like greek food. It’s more.I dunno. flamboyant, then the eye-ties. This is just me, of course (wanders off after working as chef de cuisine at a place given 5 stars by Osservatore Romano).
Removed by socialists in an attempt to reduce “cradle to grave” health care costs.
Ben David voiced what I’d been thinking. It’s a feature, not a bug.
Only the dexterous survive.
According to the New York Times this morning, you’re part of the problem, neo –
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/29/technology/technology-overtourism-europe.html
😉
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I could have sworn I read “barristers”.
The lack of bannisters, or of life preservers on kids hanging on the sides of boats in canals of Venice, or of endless warnings such as we have in the US is refreshing. If it’s left more or less as in the past, then as you walk along you maybe get a better sense of past lives, which surely is an aim of tourism.
Visit Iceland. When you go to the big waterfall, and you will, everyone does–you will find you can walk a narrow dirt path up to and onto a big rock in the middle. There are no warning signs. There are no handrails, anywhere. And be careful on that path. If you slip and fall in the wrong place, well, you won’t survive.
It’s amazing what prevails when the ADA doesn’t apply.
This is what Hillary Clinton encountered in India:
https://nypost.com/2018/03/13/hillary-clintons-india-trip-begins-with-double-slip-on-palace-stairs/