The Sounds of Piazza Vittorio
There’s more than one Rome. We have the ancient [tag]Rome[/tag], maybe the most famous of them, and probably the reason why you’re [tag]travelling[/tag] here. But the city has also a living face that’s almost as fascinating as its [tag]monuments[/tag].
[tag]Italy[/tag], like most of the European countries is a magnet for immigration from all the continents. As everyone knows, this phenomenon that mixes together people of different origins and creeds often gives place to disputes that show the most intolerant side of a human group. But sometimes everything goes well and the story has a happy ending, as in [tag]Piazza Vittorio[/tag], here in Rome.
Piazza Vittorio it’s one of many roman squares. What makes it different is that in the recent years many immigrant families have chosen to live there. In the streets surrounding the square you can hear Italian mixed with Chinese, Spanish and Urdu. And if you are curious enough to take a look at the grocery stores you’ll find many exotic products to stimulate your imagination.
Maybe Piazza Vittorio would be just another multiethnical place in a multiethnical city if it wasn’t for the “Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio”, a musical group formed at initiative of the Italian musician Mario Tronco, who strived to create a musical ensemble to express the potential of this roman neighbourhood.
The task wasn’t easy, at least at the beginning. Not everyone was ready to accept that kind of project, including the players (to this day Tronco regrets he hasn’t been able to get a Chinese musician to play with them). But the results have been impressive.
One year ago film maker Agostino Ferrente made a documentary that showed to the mainstream audiences the small miracle of Piazza Vittorio, making them popular in Italy, and maybe worldwide: two weeks ago Ferrente’s documentary was presented in the Tribeca Film Festival, in New York, with an acceptance that might set the base for an international success- an even happier ending.
Visiting Piazza Vittorio is easy if you’re staying in [tag]My Hotel[/tag]: Just take the red subway line and get off at Vittorio Emmanuele Station.
If you want to know if the orchestra will play in the square while you are in Rome, visit their site and meet the musicians too!
My Hotel Rome Blog is the guide for travellers that are planning a vacation trip to Rome.