Street Phoneography: Going Postal

Like Jack Reacher, author Lee Child’s fictional one-man wrecking crew, I’ve decided to get my hands a bit dirty, but not bruised, for this week’s Phoneographic Challenge by taking the blinders off and venturing into the shadows of Vicenza, Italy to investigate a part of my adopted city’s underbelly.

It’s the part of her anatomy where grunge trumps elegance in the centro storico (historical center), best known for its pristine monuments and palaces designed by master Renaissance builder Andrea Palladio and recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, and the subject matter that I regularly photograph.

Today, I’m taking a stab at street phoneography with my iPhone 5, not Reacher’s foldable toothbrush, and seek out something within the city center that suffers from what he would describe as a permanent “bad hair day.”

I didn’t have to venture too far to find a worthy photo-shoot target: Vicenza’s main l’ufficio postale (post office) in Contrà Garibaldi.

A Fascist-era building from the 1920s, the main post office, which services postal code 36100, sits catty-corner to Il Duomo, Vicenza’s centuries-old cathedral, and just a few paces away from iconic Piazza dei Signori, the city’s “living room.”

But, what a difference a little bit of distance makes.

Countless locals anonymously pass through the main post office doors daily, including me, to take care of their 36100 business.

One look around and you can see that everyone’s turned a blind eye to the building that has become the epicenter for late-night taggers as the marble-stucco facade of the interior portico is filled with graffiti, none of which, by the way, proclaims disdain for the services rendered by the postal employees inside or the institution they represent.

I’d suggest post-it notes as a possible solution to the urban hieroglyphics problem, but, because I don’t cast an imposing shadow through an open door quite like Reacher, the idea would probably fall on deaf ears. Worse, the postmaster, more than likely, would be steamed by this expat’s bravado, and I’d be blackballed and future mail deliveries “accidentally” sent to the faraway island of Lampedusa.

Sorry Reacher, this isn’t our fight. Best to simply walk away and not go postal. Whaddya say?

Reacher?

R E A C H E R !

To view the works of more dial-tone shooters entered in this week’s Phoneography Challenge, just click HERE.

If you occasionally shoot with an iThingie, why not join in the fun and hone your craft. There’s a rotating Phoneography Challenge each and every Monday. For details, visit Sally’s Lens and Pens by Sally.

Until next Monday, let your iThingie be your lens.

©The Palladian Traveler | ©Tom Paladio Images

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