The piazza - social core or romantic anachronism: a culture-historical and ethnographic study in Todi, Italy

Abstract

In this thesis a public piazza in Italy is studied. Traditional urban squares in Europe have had a wide range of functions and purposes over the centuries. Squares were used as a stage to display political and religious power, as a place for trade and commerce, as a center of communication and innovation, and as a location where people could congregate, celebrate, or just enjoy themselves. While the focal point of these functions and uses changed over time, aspects of sociability and communication were always a major part of traditional urban squares. My research addresses the question whether the piazza still functions as the social core of town -- for the individual as well as for the community. In particular, does the piazza continue to be the gathering place where people meet, where they fulfill their needs of sociability, and their desire to communicate. To answer these questions, I examined the social behavior in the main piazza, the Piazza del Popolo, in Todi, a hill town in Central Italy.