L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 10 THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2020 L'Italo-Americano way back in time. Urban a r c h a e o l o g i s t M a r y Shepperson states that t h e f i r s t b a l c o n i e s w e r e p r o b a b l y b u i l t a r o u n d 3000 years before Christ, in what we know today as Iran. In those exotic lands, the Mesopotamians used to build "overhanging para- pets" to create shade on the streets. Some 1500 years l a t e r i n G r e e c e , t h e Myceneans would add bal- conies to their homes to increase ventilation and light into them. As the smart, creative innovators they were, the Ancient Egyptians under- stood how balconies and t e r r a c e s c o u l d b e c o m e essential instruments of p o w e r , a s n o t e d b y a r c h a e o l o g i s t B e r r y Kemp (his research is also mentioned by Traverso in her article). When added to the pharaoh's palace, they were theatre stages, upon which a never-ending saga of power and divinity was played by the pharaoh himself and his family. The Romans fully embraced the idea with the creation of t h e m a e n i a r u m , w h e r e Emperors could watch the games and be seen by their adoring subjects. W h e n y o u t h i n k o f i t , b a l c o n i e s d i d m a i n t a i n their theatre stage allure throughout history, with recent examples given by Mussolini and his speeches at Palazzo Venezia's bal- cony during the ventennio, the British Royal Family appearing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on every important occasion, the Pope stepping out for the first time after election on the balcony at very cen- ter of Saint Peter's façade. A n d d u r i n g t h e l o c k - down, as you all remember, balconies became stages for us normal people, too. Italians stepped out to sing and play music, many arti- sts performing bona fide concerts: we have all been touched by some of those performances, not only for their beauty, but also for how they managed to bring the community together, in w a y s o u r f a s t p a c e d modern, globalized lifestyle no longer allowed us to do. Because balconies aree t h e p a s t ' s o w n s o c i a l m e d i a . Y o u c o u l d b e distant and still see one a n o t h e r , b e h o m e a n d w i t h i n t h e w o r l d a l l a t o n c e . T h e d i f f e r e n c e i s , from balconies, the world is multidimensional and engages all senses: gone is the flat, aseptic perfection of the computer screen, in are the sounds, scents and colors of reality. Gone is the opportunity to fake our mood, personality, appea- rance, in are our true sel- ves, with all their quirks and idiosyncrasies. And that's why balconies a r e m o r e t h a n a s i m p l e e x t r a r o o m , m o r e t h a n additional space to clean and use for storage, more even than the perfect loca- tion for al fresco dining a n d r e l a x a t i o n : t h e y remind us of the reality of life, of the essentiality of being part of a community w h i l e m a i n t a i n i n g o u r independence and space. They bring us back to sim- pler times, where social relationships were made of voices and smiles, not of pings and recorded messa- ges. Think of it, the next time you stepped on your b a l c o n y f o r a b r e a t h o f fresh air. Continued from pg 8 LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE The balcony can be your sitting room, your kitchen and even your local café, if you happen to have friends living in the same building, or the one just opposite (Photo: Dreamstime) During the lockdown, the balcony was crucial for many of us: it was our only link with the world outside (Photo: Dreamstime)

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