Eugi Gufo's siteEugi Gufo

Christian believers, regardless of the profession they practise, know that the ways of the Lord are infinite. I am an atheist photographer, and the only thing I know is that the paths of light inside a lens are many, but still limited. Be that as it may, due to a series of inexplicable coincidences, on Friday 28 May 2010 I had to go to Lodi for work.
And so now I will give you an account of my visit to one of the strangest cities in Lombardy.

In fact, Lodi is quite a beautiful city.

With elements from the Middle Ages.

With a central square that could be envied by many more famous places. I should point out, however, that Lodi’s cathedral is beautiful only on the outside. Inside it was restored (in the 1950s) in an indecent manner.

The small squares less exposed to the eye have such a special atmosphere…

…that one would like to photograph them in every detail.

Then we can try to head down towards the Adda river.

Where we find the bridge famous for having been stormed by Napoleon’s cavalry.

But time passes, people no longer ride horses and opt for cars instead. So the bridge had to be widened.

Of the castle of Lodi only a few pieces remain. For example: the remains of a gate…

…the remains of the foundations…

…while the only tower to have survived Time is undergoing restoration.

In my opinion there is nothing strange about such decay: many years ago the enemies planted chestnut trees beneath the walls (in the moat) of the castle to facilitate its capture. Once the mission was accomplished, they could do nothing but destroy the enemy stronghold.

But it is not only for its ancient buildings that Lodi is beautiful. It is beautiful, for example, because it considers culture sacred. In fact, the city’s library looks like a church:

While some might like it for its tendency towards socialism.

Others might like it because Inter supporters from Lodi are capable of freeing themselves from the usual colours.

Or for the attention paid to environmental issues. Indeed, the city of Lodi also adopts a «bike sharing» system.

The service, however, is organised in a rather primitive way. First of all because there is no electronic control of the collection and return of the bicycles.

And so people leave them wherever they like. To encourage this behaviour, the shared bikes are already equipped by the Municipality itself with pink or green padlocks. While at the racks people attach their own bicycles.

In addition to this, the Municipality takes care of greenery. Everywhere.

By the way: in the city they have a strange obsession with installing technologically styled lamp posts. I noticed two types. Number one:

Number two:

Whereas the bins have a style that perfectly respects the appearance of the historic centre.

The ashtrays of these bins have an interesting structure, with special holes to throw the extinguished cigarette butt directly into the bin.

Whereas at the railway station the same problem has found an equally interesting solution.

Since I have mentioned the station, I cannot avoid talking about some of its peculiarities. For example, there are televisions hanging everywhere. They work and have a very high volume.

On the columns supporting the roof above the platforms we find signs duplicated also in Braille. The problem is that a blind person has no indication of how to reach the column and find the sign. Should we talk about discrimination?

On the old station building they have attached a horrible canopy.

Behind the station there is a wide avenue that is interesting for two reasons. The first is a bar that made me doubt the true origins of Vasco Rossi.

The second thing is a fenced area left by Letizia Moratti by the Lodi authorities for use by graffiti writers.

And don’t tell me that this isn’t art!

I almost forgot: right there you will also find a slide, for which I congratulate the engineer who placed it in exactly that spot.

But even estate agents amuse us with their mutual assistance.

Well, perhaps I have gone on a bit too long. It is time to go home. Let us greet Vittorio Emanuele II…

Step on a few obscene drawings on the ground…

And say goodbye to the city that is an enemy of the Italian language…

Conclusion. The city is small, and to see it all properly it will take you about three hours. Or a bit more if you manage to get into all the churches: I assure you that you will not be disappointed.