Rome is full of piazzas, and piazzas are full of Rome.
In a Roman Piazza of today, one can observe all kinds of culture. Some is interesting, some desirable, and some utterly grotesque. Any way you look at it, a piazza is the “place-to-be” if one desires to observe culture, or even simply to socialize with friends, neighbors, and strangers. The reason that piazzas are such cultural centers is that people of all races, classes, nationalities, and ages gather in them. One can see a great variety of confrontations and communication. Whether it be outsiders struggling to carry on a conversation with a native, gypsies tricking a group of tourists for their money, or simply children of various nationalities playing a game together, each shouting in their own language, yet somehow understanding one another. Rich and poor alike have an espresso in a nearby cafe, or have their merenda (snack at 5pm) while seated at the base of a fountain. These are all parts of the daily function of a piazza.
But first, what is a piazza? In the dictionary, “a large open square in an Italian town.” From what I’ve seen so far, a piazza is a town square, usually with a fountain or other architectural feature in the center. The square is surrounded by small shops, restaurants, outdoor cafes, churches, and other buildings. Day or night, piazzas are always full of people. During the night, bars and discothèques come to life, filling with tourists and natives alike. There is always an abundance of culture in and around the piazzas of Rome.
"Day or night, piazzas are always full of people', I completely agree with this statement. In fact, Piazza Maria de Novella (sp?) in Florence was ALWAYS filled with people. Because our window was right towards the piazza, I definitly heard people loud and clear until about 3a.m. I think its wonderful that piazzas are free places for people to sit and talk and for the most part feel comfortable. Generally there are enough people in a piazza to feel safe about being there. I wish we had piazzas at home!
ReplyDeleteNick,
ReplyDeleteWhen the sun sets, the piazza transforms into a new place. I loved walking through Piazza Novona at night. The natives were everywhere attempting to persuade tourist’s to buy everything from paintings to glow in the dark toys. As you mentioned, the piazza is flooded with people; this results in an atmosphere that cannot be found anywhere in the world (from my experience at least).