Archives for July 2012

Really lonely house on one of the isles of Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland.
Shot through a plane window.

At a height of 4,003 meters on a rocky ridge of the Matterhorn, Switzerland’s iconic, triangular peak, is the Solvay hut, managed by the Swiss Alpine Club. It has room for only ten daredevils who will have to venture uphill through the most inhospitable terrain. The steep, icy paths and frozen breath and sweat will improve your appetite considerably.

Tired of those pesky neighbors? Here’s the solution! The aptly-named Just Room Enough Island in Canada’s Saint Lawrence River has just enough room for a single small house. When the water is low, the owners can put their lawn furniture out on the porch and get some sun.

Photo by Ian Coristine.

As you drive for the first time over the Passo Pian delle Fugazze in Italy, between Vivenza and Rovereto, you are due for something of a surprise. The Leno valley of the Trento province is home to the Hermitage of San Colombano. You would expect a hermitage to be somewhat off the beaten track, but this takes isolation to a new height – literally.

One hundred and twenty meters up a cliff face, seemingly carved into the side of the deep valley, the Hermitage is in clear view. Yet it also sends a clear message that it was built for a specific reason – to move its inhabitants far from the madding crown below. The house was built almost seven hundred years ago, in 1319.

The Holy Trinity Monastery is an Orthodox monastery in central Greece. The monastery is one of six functioning monasteries in Meteora. It is the oldest among those present there, having been built in 1476. This monastery sits on a 400 m. (1,300 ft.) high rock.

In the old days, access to this monastery was via a net and rope ladder. Today, entrance to the monastery is gained by climbing 140 steps cut into the pinnacle rock. It was richly decorated and had precious manuscripts; however, these treasures were looted during World War II.

This amazing residence stands on the highest site of a mesmerizing island located several miles away from Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching out in an area of 137 square meters, the main building includes a beautiful living room, a guest room, with a kitchen and glass doors leading out to large a bridge deck, a sauna and much more. But more important, you won’t be disturbed by neighbors!

This is Katskhi Pillar. It abruptly rises 40 meters (130 ft) from the hills of Central Georgia and looks similar to a giant’s club. In the 4th century, Georgia adopted Christianity as its state religion, and Katskhi Pillar became the site of a small church first built in the 7th century. One Georgian monk has been living in it for nearly 20 years now. It is also interesting that women are not allowed to climb to the top.

This house is definitely tired of civilization.