Some years ago, I can no longer remember where or when, I bought a Penguin book of DH Lawrence’s travels in Italy, it was published in 1972 and I obviously bought it second hand somewhere with the idea that sometime along the line I might read it. I picked it up to read for the first time last week and started to read his reflections on the town of Volterra in Tuscany I was brought to a stand by his description of the Porto dell’ Arco the famous Etruscan gateway into the town.

Here I must digress.
While we were doing up Le Presbytere we found at least two doorways which were not cut straight through the wall but set in an angle through it.
One of these is now internal so we made an unusual, if slightly oddly shaped, display cupboard for some of my glass collection.
We had a Swedish Urban Archichect visiting a few years ago and he was taken by the angle of this doorway. He explained that they were a feature of some of the older (16th, 17th, century houses in the area) but he had no idea what was their original purpose.

However it appears that thanks to Mr.L awrence I have at last found the reason for these doorways. I quote ;
“It is a deep old gateway, almost a tunnel, with the outer arch facing the desolate country on the skew, built at an angle to the old road, to catch the approaching enemy on the right side where the shield did not cover him.”
Thank you Mr. Lawrence.

The Off-Set Door as it is now

As we discovered it

Door to our Cellar

Door in the Jewish Quarter of Pezenas