He goes on to say that “It is principally the pressure of the Italian faithful and the zeal of the Italian clergy which prodded the Church to proclaim dogmas concerning La Madonna, codifying and sanctifying traditions and legends dear to the hearts of simple people.”
Of course at Christmas time, the Madonna is centre stage. She, and of course her new-born son, adorn Christmas cards, postage stamps, nativity scenes, Christmas gift paper, she moonlights in the form of decorations on Christmas trees, and of course, is the centre of attention inside churches.
La Chiesa – The church
La Madonna is, of course, seen in all of Italy’s churches. I’ve often heard people who have travelled to Italy say that if they see another church, they’ll go cross-eyed and perhaps totally mad. But aside from the number of churches, do we know what church we are looking at? Here’s the low down:
There are six main styles
of church architecture in Italy and you can see all of them pretty easily. The Classical period, from 200 to 400 AD,
is exemplified by the Arch of Constantine in Rome. The Byzantine period, from about the fourth to the tenth century,
represents a continuation of Greek architecture, and is characterized by round
arches, the use of brick instead of stone, central plan, domes, and mosaics, as
can be seen in San Vitale in Ravenna.
The Romanesque period, from about eight hundred to the early Renaissance in fourteen hundred, saw the construction of the Duomo at Modena. Probably the best known Romanesque church is the part of the Campo dei Miracoli – the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The best known building that combines Classical, Romanesque, Gothic and Byzantine is San Marco in Venice.
Overlapping the Renaissance style is the Gothic from about the twelvth to the sixteenth century. According to a writer during the Renaissance:
The Renaissance began in Florence, and saw a revival of Roman architecture and an articulation of forms and space based on precise measurements and proportions based on man. Classically styled columns, geometrically perfect designs, and hemispherical domes characterize Renaissance architecture. There are probably thousands of examples of Renaissance architecture, from Bramante’s Tempietto at San Pietro in Montorio in Rome, to Brunelleschi’s dome for the Duomo in Florence and the façade of Santa Maria de Novella also in Florence, designed by Alberti.
The other noticable thing about the church in Italy is that you see so many of it's office bearers in the streets – priests, nuns and brothers of all ages!
Handy links and references – churches in
Italy
Top churches to visit in Rome
Documents over 500 churches in Italy
Lists the different architectural styles
and periods
Paolo Rossi – The most beautiful Italian
churches
Nine amazing cathedrals in a slide show
The number of priests and nuns in Europe,
US and Oceanania
CARA is a national, non-profit, Georgetown
University affiliate conducting studies about the Catholic church.
Street life and la piazza
No matter how small the
place in Italy, whether there is a large population or a small community, there
is always a piazza. Sometimes they are grand architectural affairs with
impressive paving and sculptures, other times the piazza simply occupies open
space between intersecting streets.
Like the beaker on your
bunsen burner in science class at school, piazze
are transparent containers for life in all its manifestations. Friends of all
ages, family, lovers, colleagues, children, and people walking their dogs ––
can be seen either strolling, eating or drinking wine or coffee and TALKING!
Of course, it’s both the
ordinary and the inconguities that make you stop and marvel. For instance, Penelope Green, when strolling around
Piazza di Spagna, enjoys the odd, yet not so odd at all, spectacle of “a tall
Franciscan monk, his chocolate brown robes billowing in his stride, with a
mobile phone in his hand.” Of course we should not be surprised at all – these
people are living in the twenty first centuary like the rest of us.
I saw an amusing scene
once, which caused me to laugh out loud. It didn’t happen in Italy, but it
could have. I was in Jerusalem, just passing from the Muslim quarter to the
Christian quarter where the path widens considerably (if it was in Italy it would
have been a piazza!). I could hear a commotion ahead, before I could actually
see it. Suddenly, rushing towards me was a group of eight or so young Italian priests,
all talking at once, laughing and waving their arms about. Maybe I wouldn’t
have noticed them if I had been in Italy …!
Beppe Severgnini has the last word on the piazza. “An Italian piazza happens. Whenever
we have tried to create one from scratch, the results have been indifferent. To
understand a piazza you have to use it. And you can’t be in a hurry. The piazza
will tell you all sorts of stories, in its own good time.”
In Rome, I always stay at
an unbeatable hotel, for comfort, service and location, the Colonna Palace, in
Piazza Montecetorio, opposite the Chamber of Deputies. The first time I stayed
there I was highly entertained by a demonstration involving students, union
members and ordinary family types. What distinguished this demonstration was
that around midday, they downed their banners and stopped blowing their
whistles, because it was time for pranzo (lunch). All was quiet until about
3.30 in the afternoon, when they put in another bout of placard waving and
whistle blowing until 5 o’clock, when they decamped for an aperitivo!
A favourite walk is along
Via Campo de Marzio to Piazza San Lorenzo in
Lucina. There are several outdoor cafés where you can sip on your preferred
beverage and enjoy the passing parade of stylish people, some stopping for
coffee, others having business meetings and some browsing in the windows of the
surrounding shops.
Piazza di Spagna is always
worth a look. Yes, I it can be touristy (although there are lots of Italians
there too) but it is also quite lovely. I love the languidness of people
lolling in the sun on the Spanish Steps. Leading from the Piazza is Via
Condotti, where you can window shop or better still, check out the people
there. One time I saw a discreet limo driver looking the part in a dark grey suit
– with matching BMW 7 series – and Armani sunglasses, parked outside Bulgari.
Bustling through the little cross-streets like via Mario di Fiori, vintage and
new Vespers zoom past, some driven by immaculately dressed young women, no
helmet and wearing heels 5 inches high!
I sometimes take the bus
from via del Tritone, up past the Forum, Colosseum, the Palatine and Circus
Maximus back up to Piazza Navona. I love this spot, especially by November when
the summer hoards are gone and you can have a peaceful view of the fountains
and palaces that fringe the piazza. It’s interesting to watch the waiters in
crisp white shirts and black trousers, plying patrons with plates of pasta,
crusty bread and glasses of vino. One time I listened to a great jazz trio playing
at the far end of the Piazza near Via del Governo Vecchio.
When I stayed in Perugia
for the Italian course, I loved experiencing the changes in the Piazze at the
different times of day. In the mornings, on the way to class at the Universita
per Stranieri, I walked down Corso
Vannucci, past Piazza Danti and Piazza Matteotti. At that time, the air
was cool in the Piazze and Corso, the caffé tables were not yet out and food
and drink deliveries were being decanted from the trucks to the various cafés
and trattorias. The smell of fresh baked bread and coffee filled the air and
the sounds of people greeting each other floated up between the medieval
buildings.
Then returning after lunch,
the same areas were throbbing with people eating, drinking and talking, shaded
by umbrellas now needed to shelter from the hot sun. After class, at aperitivi
time, the same spaces were crowded again, except this time people were
clutching a prosecco and swapping stories about their day.
The buzz of the streetlife
continued in the many streets off Corso Vannucci – the entrance to some marked
by medieval archways, such as Via dei Priori off to the left, where my
soon-to-become favourite deli/mini super was located. Some were looking at the
fashion boutiques, others were planning and buying for tonight’s meal and some
just strolling.
At the end of Corso
Vannucci is the old medieval Piazza Danti, with a 14th century
fountain, and the Duomo. Young people were relaxing on the Duomo steps, dozing
in the sun. Others were crowding the outdoor cafés overlooking the Piazza. A few feet further on is Via Battisti,
framed by Etruscan arches and thronging with students on their way to Piazza
Fortebraccio and the Università per Stranieri overlooking it.
The buzz of modern human
traffic melts into ancient spaces. Modernity with antiquity. On the western
side of Giardini Carducci, is the well used system of commuter escalators (scale mobile) – three sets in all –
which take you from the high position of centro storico down to the modern
town, including the very efficient bus depot. The system is enclosed in
Etruscan Towers, now subterranean!
Like a scene from a movie, Piazza San Marco in Venice is clearly
a well-known hangout for people watching. But there are many other places in
Venice that afford you the opportunity to watch life unfolding before your
eyes. I was once enjoying a coffee and people watching at a nice café in Via
Larga XX11 Marzo – a wide street that functions like a piazza – where I watched
West Africans selling knock-off Gucci and Louis Vuitton bags. Well, that
doesn’t sound so exceptional, but the vendors were positioned right outside a
real Gucci store!! Word that the police were coming buzzed around and the
vendors packed up hurriedly. Some time later four policia, with eyes averted
and examining the prevailing cloud cover and the direction of the breeze,
stumbled along, finding nothing wrong happening at all!! Pa-a-leeze …! The café
staff just laughed and went on with their chores … they said this piece of
theatre happens every day!
No matter where you are in Italy, take the time to sit in a piazza, listen and look, and your spirit will be rewarded.
Links and references – le Piazze
The six best piazze in Italy – covers all
of the main ones
This is a fabulous site and gives
information on many piazze, including lesser known, and in some cases less
touristy, piazze.
Four piazze you
must not miss
The meaning of piazze to Italians and
Italian life
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