This happened last June when a visiting friend pointed at the Forte Filippo fortress above Porto Ercole and said: “Let’s go up there.”
F
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Private fortress Like a mistress, a miss in stress, the fortress, a fort in rest, hovers above town, taking the heat for it. We, the visitors, wish to visit, but we can’t. Private property, proper privacy. We can only circle it, observe the idle cannons, look down all around, and leave. Not our bells, not our flats, not our fortress, not our flag.
Can you see it, up on the right? That’s where we headed. 
Not our flag. But we saw some umbrellas too and thought it was a bar. 
It was worth it for the view. Yesterday I posted three more views from here. 
The idle cannon with oleanders. 
That’s a lot of apartments. It isn’t us they are waiting for. 
Quite an entrance to your holiday home. 
The path around the fortress was a bit spiky, said bestia. But this is where we returned after making a full circle. 
Parking is secured too. 
It made me wish to hit all the bells and make a prank delivery. 
We witnessed a man leave through here and he confirmed it: Private property. No bar. No entrance. 
Stop or my dog will shoot. 
My friend is thirsty but nobody wants us here. 
Lots of spaces left. (We parked on a dangerously steep incline in front of the fortress. This parking is under lock, I suppose.) 
It would be fun sending postcards to friends from my humble summer abode. 
So we circled it. 
Grateful that it is well made and sturdy. 
Catching butterflies with the camera. 
I know, a door and it’s not Thursday. 
Leaving thirsty and hot but rich for a capitalist experience: when you have so many fortresses that you can rent them out. 
The door from the other side. Stay locked and loaded, fortress.
In response to Patrick Jennings’ Pic and a Word Challenge #274: Fortress
This day in my blogging history
2014: Romeing 
2014: Green Zone by Jacques Prevert
I put my helmet in the cage
and I left with the bird on my head
Hey
do we not salute anymore
demanded the sergeant
No
we don’t salute anymore
replied the bird
Oh I see
sorry I thought we were still saluting
said the sergeant
That’s okay everybody makes mistakes
said the bird.
2016: When Banksy was on sale again 
2016: Curve, fattorie and other false friends (compilation of curves) 
2017: Fok-us (photo couples with different focus) 
2018: Yet another collection of favourite Weekly Photo Challenge posts
Manja Mexi Mexcessive (closed) 
Red, orange, Yellow, Green etc…..
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Ahh, you know, Sue! At first I thought that you were counting colours in my photos. 😀 I forgot I had asked… I wouldn’t know it without blogging and an old Weekly Photo Challenge.
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😊😊😊😊😊
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Great wordplay! 😄 💛
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I’m glad you enjoyed this one, Sunra Nina. It just rolled out this way. 😀 Thank you!
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This is such a witty post Manja😃. I enjoyed the poetic captions with the photographs. The first stanza was the killer – ‘a miss in stress, a fort at rest.’ Loved it!
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Ahh, thank you, Smitha. 🙂 Glad you call them poetic. Sometimes it just roll out like that…
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