January 22nd 2019

A Taste of Italy in Chattanooga

Traveler: Paul Haislmaier
Destination: Chattanooga, Tennessee

A drive north from Atlanta landed Paul Haislmaier and his family in Chattanooga, where they explored the city with no particular itinerary.  To his delight, Paul came upon the city’s Bluff View Art District, a historic neighborhood complete with a city block that cheered “benvenuto”!

 

I enjoy weekend adventures with family and one day we decided to head north to explore the north Georgia mountains and Chattanooga.  While in the city, I was fortunate to stumble upon a Mediterranean-inspired block that looked like it was born in Italy, so I grabbed my camera and snapped a few details to share:

This was an entryway for one of the units, an artist’s studio. A closer look at the door revealed some substantial ornate iron strap hinges.

The soul of the place was in the details, including the red accent tiles, thin metal windows, and the wood trellis. Even a simple wall offset became a fun and quirky element with its own clay tile roof and downspout!

Like every good Italian courtyard, this one had lots of fun elements to discover, like a winding stone staircase, stucco niche, and a small frog-themed fountain. My architect-in-training was most interested in the fountain and frogs!

My favorite part was the courtyard entry, pictured here at sunset with its wrought iron gates and hanging lantern inviting you in from the street. If you happen to be in the neighborhood, be sure to come hungry and stop by Tony’s Pasta Shop and Trattoria right next door for a delicious traditional Italian meal!