These two photos of Genoa, Italy remind me of what we need more of here in Los Angeles: calm spaces.

Where in LA would you see find a shady, outdoor cafe that is stuck behind an apartment? Mention eating behind a building in LA and what comes to mind is a filthy alley with garbage cans. I can’t think of anywhere in the Southland that I have seen this set-up, perhaps only Pasadena’s Old Town area comes to mind.

The protected passageway seen in the bottom photo is an example of the high standards of design……. seen anywhere but America. The proportions are classical, and it is a calming space. Compare this to the wretched “Galleria” in Sure-man Oaks: with its packs of fat, poorly educated teens moving through the badly designed corridor steel vaulted cathedral of crap that leads from the parking lot to the escalators.

In all of the Frank Gehry/Toll Brothers/Irvine Company/Westfield/Caruso recipe books, there is not a single place that has as much class or dignity as these two obscure locations in Genoa, Italy.