GL Prompt: Italian Culture

How does the piazza provide a lens towards Italian culture? An interesting question. One thing that I have noticed since being in Rome, and that we discussed in class, was the absence of yards. In U.S. neighborhoods it is common for people to get together either inside someone’s home or, when it’s nice outside, in the yard. These open green spaces are our meeting places to discuss the latest news, who moved where, and anything else that would come to mind. However, here in Rome, people do not have yards, they have the piazzas.

 So far I have seen a fair number of piazzas. The ones that I have seen in Rome are full of significant churches, cafes, fountains, statues, and other buildings. They are elaborately decorated and are full of people, Italians and tourists alike. All of the showiness brings to mind passages from the book The Italians by Luigi Barzini. He said that when it comes to outward appearance, whether that be in dress or in the style of the piazza, Italians like these things to look nice, to almost distract from other negative aspects of life that are not controllable. However appearances are. When he spoke of St. Peter’s Barzini said, “one begins to understand, at a certain point, that it is not only a great basilica, a place of worship, the seat of the Holy Roman Church, but also the dramatic representation of all this. One discovers that it is not merely designed to inspire religious emotions but also to impress the onlooker with the power, the majesty, the wealth and the solidarity of the Church and, therefore, the glory of God himself.” He moves on from this example to point out that there is a second level to everything, much of it is done to impress, at least according to Barzini.

On the other hand, I think it is difficult to gain insight into the Italian culture from observing the piazza. In many of these there are so many tourists that they almost crowd out the Romans themselves. And along with the tourists are those who are constantly trying to sell products or draw someone in to their restaurant. Piazza Navona comes to mind. The square is adorned with three fountains, beautiful churches, cafes, statues, museums, and people. So it is easy to see what Barzini talks about as far as trying to make an impression goes, but yet part of me wonders if this is really the Roman culture. If there were not so many blundering tourists would the café owners and employees behave in the same forward way? Would there even be men following people around saying “Selfie? Selfie?” It makes me wonder about the less crowded areas of Rome, or the smaller towns around it like Castel Gandolfo. In the square in this small town, it seems to be quiet normally. Of course there are people, but most of them seem to know each other. The restaurant and café owners do not try to lead you inside their buildings, they may say bonjourno and leave it at that.

It’s hard to compare the piazza of the big city to the one in the small town, but still it all makes me wonder…is one more authentic than the other or do they both equally represent the culture of Italy?