Zalipie is a small secluded Małopolska village some 35km north of Tarnów
where you’ll find Polish folk art traditions to be perhaps more alive than
anywhere else in the country. Since the late 19th century the women of Zalipie
have been painting their homes inside and out with bright, floral patterns
making this village one of the most photogenic places you could ever brandish a
camera. The custom developed in the days before chimneys when the smoke from
the cottage hearths would slowly blacken the interior walls. To prepare the
home for important religious holidays, the proud wives of the village would
repaint the
