GL 350 Journal Post 4

No matter the culture, people love to show off their best possession in order to impress each other. Americans will often buy nice cars, houses, a new 60 inch HD T.V. or a fancy grill. Oh! Looks like my neighbor Jack just got a 70 inch HD T.V. I guess that means I have to upgrade to an 85 incher with surround sound. You get the picture. Americans love their supersized household entertainment systems and appliances to impress their neighbors, friends and family. Italians are no different when it comes to showing off very ornate possessions; however their method of making a grand impression contrasts from the ways in which I am used to seeing. Barzini hits this point by saying, “when they get their first steady job in centuries, are strictly dedicated to superfluous and gaudy purchases: wrist watches, radios, television sets, and fancy clothes. Apparently the thing they want above all are the show of prosperity and the reassurance they can read in the eyes of their envious neighbors.” Italians wear their money on their sleeve by showing off elegant clothing and watches in a public setting. The prime location for an Italian to strut their sophistication: the Piazza.

Italian homes are small. They don’t have multiple rooms each with their own distinct purpose like an American style home. One room may serve a dual purpose. The dining room could also function as the living room. Muriel Spark lived in a petit flat in Piazza Navona for a year. She described this flat as, “that dark, vaulted, cave-like apartment.” Without experiencing it for myself, many apartments could match this description. Italian residences are usually not made to wow others. Due to this lack of space within the home, Italians will typically go out to meet their neighbors. The homes are compact and close together. This literal closeness with their neighbors eliminates lawns, which every American house owns. Italians can’t invite their friends over and have an Italian style BBQ in their back yards. Instead, Italians meet each other at an open area near their homes where neighbors and families can congregate. This area is a Piazza, and Piazzas are everywhere. This is what drives an Italian to first show off clothing and accessories before flashy cars and beautiful homes. Most of the time, they are meeting neighbors at the local Piazza.

In Rome, many of these Piazzas have amassed a great wealth of history. Some of these gathering points have been present during the height of the Roman Empire. The Piazza del Popolo was the first sight of many who traveled to Rome over a thousand years ago. The Pantheon overlooks a popular Piazza, and the Spanish Steps makes up a large chunk of Piazza del Spagna. Regarding the show of Italians Barzini writes, “In Italy a man is never alone with his thoughts, always feels himself immersed in humanity, everything around him is clear and open. Such picturesque performances by natural elements, landscapes, human beings and architecture constitute a kind of perpetual entertainment. Everything tells its own pathetic story. You are anxious to hear the next instalment.” In a way, the Piazza exemplifies the Italian way of “the show”. Take for instance the Piazza del Popolo. This vast, majestic, oval shaped spectacle displays its rich history in the Italian manner. You walk through a grand archway into an expansive open area with Twin Churches, two fountains on either side, an awe inspiring church in your left, and a daunting obelisk made in Egypt during the height of their empire that is a thousand years older than Rome itself right in the center. This Piazza has dressed itself in thousands of years of history that it flaunts off to those who step through the arch of the Aurelian wall. The Piazzas of Rome pack as much history as they can in these populated areas with the intent to wow visitors all over the world. The Piazza spectacle is just like an Italian; everything has its own purpose, its own story all with the intent to wow onlookers with the display.