As we walked we passed one hundred year old villas and mansions in various states of disrepair that are too expensive to renovate because restrictive planning laws insist on exact restoration due to their historical and cultural importance. Instead it is cheaper to build new properties so these neglected fine buildings steadily decay and collapse. One day they will be gone and that will be a real shame.
As the day continued to get hotter, shutters were thrown back like butterfly wings basking in the sunshine, washing hung steaming from open windows and every doorstep had a sleeping cat for decoration.
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Thursday Doors is a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favourite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments’ on Norm’s site, anytime between Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American Eastern Time).
Have Bag, Will Travel 
What a great visit. But I wonder how those crumbling buildings are doing now?
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I imagine that they will probably be exactly the same but with a little less paint on the timber!
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The doors definitely have character but I think I would paint a couple.
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One door seems to have a bit kicked in at the bottom, probably by a German eighty years ago? I wonder if any bits of damage relate to even older events. Did Byron paint the top two panels of the jade green door? Or more probably, the bottom four.
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Abandoned town villas John. Too expensive to maintain and too many official rules about restoration and repair.
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Ah, doors of decrepitude!
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“A thing of beauty is a joy forever”
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Indeed so!
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Andrew, those are cracking examples. No one does really old doors quite like the Greeks. They look as if they’ve been in situ since time immemorial.
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No one neglects things quite like the Greeks. Thanks Sheree.
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My pleasure Andrew
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A photographer’s delight well presented
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It those are the doors I like to see the inside lol!!
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Wear a hard hat!
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Beautiful. Just beautiful
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Thank you!
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Is the village sill occupied, I wonder. Or has it been renovated and revisioned as a brand new tourist resort? A return visit I think is called for.
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This is a big city so I am certain that it remains mostly unchanged. I wouldn’t rule out a return visit however!
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I love the first shot and of course those blue doors. 🙂 Shabby chic is so chic.
janet
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I love those doors. Don’t know when I will see them again!
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Some real beauties in this collection but it’s so sad to see how they’ve been left to decay. The story it tells of the tug of war between the high cost of authentic preservation/restoration and basic common sense is so sad.
I just can’t believe there isn’t a reasonable compromise solution that would allow for affordable restorations 😦
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Ashes to Ashes Norm!
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Heard they have those same restrictions for rebuilding in some other Mediterranean countries ….if this is the island closest to Athens, I have been there:) Clever to post these doors while they haven’t collapsed yet:)
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Syros is some way from Athens in the Cyclades.
Thanks for stopping by.
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These are great doors…so much texture and history in them.
Regards, Teresa
https://mywanderings.travel.blog/
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Thanks for stopping by.
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“and every doorstep had a sleeping cat for decoration.” Love it! –Curt
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Thanks Curt.
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Incredible shots! It is too bad they can’t be restored, but they also have so much character the way they are.
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A thing of beauty is a joy forever!
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Beautiful. I love this texture that the sun brings out of wood.
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Thanks for stopping by!
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