A beautiful example of medieval creativity was the design of the shop door known today as a “T” door. When the door is closed, you can see the definite shape of the T.

But when the large upper doors are folded back, medieval shopkeepers had a wide ledge on which to display their goods. Imagine this shop without the glass.

The ingenious little bottom of the T was a separate door which kept dogs and pigs out of the shop and kept your toddler inside.

At night, when all was locked and barred, you could still see what might be going on in the street.

The images above are some I made in Arezzo in Tuscany. Searching the internet, I’ve found a few more pictures of “T” doors, though very few. Most have been lost in centuries of remodeling.

Here are some images from the blog Urbanistica in Italia. Though no longer T doors, they clearly were at one time.

And finally, an interesting variation on the style from Kotor in Montenegro from the blog gallivance.

“T” doors, a perfect example of medieval practicality still in use during the Renaissance and beyond.