L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano T he piazza is as Italian as it gets: not as an archi- tectural or urban f e a t u r e , b u t rather from a cultural and social point of view. In small villages, it's where people meet, discuss and buy food, w h e n i t ' s m a r k e t d a y . I n cities, the piazza is the equi- valent of a grand palace's living room, the place where you show the best your home has inside. We look at them, artistic wonders of our tradition, and we are in awe. But how sur- p r i s e d w o u l d w e b e i f w e knew all that lies beneath them! Yes, because some of Italy's most popular piazze have been there, at the heart of our towns, villages and c i t i e s , f o r e v e r , b u t t h e y haven't always looked the way we know. That's when archaeology comes handy, and that's where we'll go today, underneath Italy's most famous piazze, to see what their past can tell us. Let's start from an easy o n e : P i a z z a N a v o n a i n Rome. Everyone who's been to our capital knows this f a m o u s g e m o f b a r o q u e a r c h i t e c t u r e , m a d e e v e n more precious by Bernini's works, has a glorious impe- rial past. If you looked at it from above, you'd immedia- tely notice its elliptical shape, which is a dead giveaway for what it once was, a Roman s t a d i u m . I n d e e d , P i a z z a Navona was, at the times of o u r g l o r i o u s a n c e s t o r s , k n o w n a s S t a d i u m D o m i t i a n i , D o m i t i a n Stadium, built in 85 AD to host athletic games, known in ancient Greek as Agones. This is why, initially, the sta- d i u m w a s k n o w n a s i n Agone, which then turned into in Nagonis and, in time, into "Navona." Vestiges of its past are found in the name of one of the churches in the square, Santa Agnese in A g o n e . R e m a i n s o f Domitian Stadium are still there, underneath the square, and they are well preserved. If you ask me, Lucca is one of Italy's most beautiful t o w n s . I t m a y n o t b e a s f a m o u s a s o t h e r T u s c a n jewels like Florence or Pisa, but it is so breathtaking. Its c e n t r a l s q u a r e i s c a l l e d Piazza dell'Anfiteatro (amphitheater square) and that should already tell us something. Indeed, the squa- re took the place of a Roman amphitheater and, in the M i d d l e A g e s , w a s c a l l e d Parlascio, which comes from the Latin paralisium which m e a n s , y o u g u e s s e d i t , "amphitheater." Just as for Piazza Navona in Rome, a quick look from above gives away the classical origin of the square: it is shaped like an amphitheater indeed. A l w a y s i n T u s c a n y , w e find another magnificent town, Siena. Known for its palio, my memories of Siena are of awe, especially of the incredibly powerful balance of gold, stone and color of its Duomo's façade. Now, its main square, Piazza del C a m p o , i s w o r t h s o m e words, too: to begin with, it developed with a slight incli- nation, which is very unu- sual; then, it has a very pecu- liar pavement of medieval origin, that looks like a shell. But the shape itself of the square, a semi-circle, is even more unique. Once upon a time, this area was marshy and known as Campus Fori, h e n c e t h e w o r d " c a m p o " (field), in its modern name. It l a t e r b e c a m e t h e c i t y ' s market square and we can still see that in its shape, because all the buildings o v e r l o o k i n g i t w e r e b u i l t respecting the disposition market stalls would take nor- mally. If we move North, more precisely to Veneto, we'll find another square with an inte- r e s t i n g p a s t i n P a d o v a . Prato della Valle is not only the largest square in town, but also one of the lar- gest in Europe. Its structure and organization, as we know it today, come from the 18th century, but the area has been at the heart of Paduan life for much, much longer. In Roman times, it was called Campus Martius, in honor of Mars, the god of war, and was used for military purpo- ses. Because it was often floo- ded, the area wasn't used during the early Middle Ages, but it is in those centuries it gained the appellative valle, "valley," as in a low place prone to, we said it, flooding. A r o u n d t h e y e a r 1 0 0 0 , Paduan people rediscovered t h e c h a r m s o f t h e v a l l e , reclaimed it and turned it into their market square; in Latin, that was called pra- tum, hence its modern name, Prato della Valle. The last stop in our short trip through the secrets of Italian squares bring us all t h e w a y t o t h e q u e e n o f southern baroque: Lecce. P i a z z a D u o m o i s v e r y peculiar because it is a "clo- sed square," where access is guaranteed by only one nar- row alley. In the past, Piazza Duomo was at the heart of a military citadel and we can still see it clearly in its shape, which is perfectly squared. All the buildings overlooking P i a z z a D u o m o f o l l o w t h e ancient lines of the citadel's walls and it is believed that the beautiful baroque belfry of the Duomo itself stands w e r e , a t t h e t i m e s o f t h e Romans, a watchtower stood. Beautiful squares with an incredibly interesting history, just like so many places in our country. LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Piazza Prato della Valle in Padova (Photo Antanovich1985/Dreamstime) What hides underneath Italy's most famous piazze? GIULIA FRANCESCHINI

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