The Piazza: The Italian Living Room

by Hayden Haynes

Throughout the day you will find the people of Cagli gathered around the piazza, which is a town square in the center of town. City Hall consumes one side of the square as gelato shops, cafes and pizzerias fill the other buildings. In the center a tall fountain stands alone. People are not watching TV or playing with cell phones; they are talking to each other and reading the newspaper. The scene can be compared to a living room in the U.S. in the 1920s where family and friends were the entertainment.

From breakfast shops in the morning to sandwich shops at lunch, but almost a ghost town when 1 p.m. rolls around in observance of pausa the piazza activities change throughout the day. Everything begins to open back up around 3 in preparation for dinner when no cars are allowed in the piazza. When night falls, the cafes turn into bars. It is fascinating how this one area can play so many roles.

 It can even be a a calcio (American soccer) field where you see Italian children kicking a ball end to end. Another evening it was even transformed into a racetrack, where you see the children racing their bicycles around the fountain. Sitting in the piazza provides a welcoming feeling to international visitors such as ourselves, just like sitting in our own living room.