An afternoon in Piazza della Rocca

The VIgnola fountain in Piazza della Rocca

By Phoebe Meg Ellorin
Università della Tuscia

As the clock of the 18th-century gate “Porta Fiorentina” struck 4 pm, I noticed that the oblong-shaped Piazza della Rocca suddenly turned to life. At the heart of it, three holm-oaks, which stand resembling three musketeers respectful of their queen, and a cedar tree that everyday generously casts its shade on thousands of yellow, white and pink newly bloomed flowers at its feet, transformed themselves into silent spectators of the on-going reality show in the piazza. I joined this unusual crowd by taking a seat on the only empty stone bench I found.

With a 2 euro cup of baby yoghurt topped with Nutella, wild berries and candy sprinkles, I watched a group of teenagers and an old man with a newspaper sitting on the other two benches next to me. A cellphone rang and one of the teens answered “Oi, stiamo qui in piazza, ti vuoi sbriga…”. It was clear that they were waiting for someone. The man on the other hand, was intently reading his paper when an old lady with a dog approached him. “Buona sera”, she greeted. “Oh, chi si rivede!”, he joyfully replied.

A group of what seemed like university students caught my attention. They were entering the imposing fortress that overlooks the piazza. The massive Rocca, built in 1354, was destroyed and rebuilt over the past centuries but at present, it houses the National Archeology Museum. I followed them into the internal courtyard and after three floors of Etruscan relics, find myself admiring the square from a bird’s eye-view.

View of Piazza della Rocca from the top of the Archeology Museum

The piazza seemed like an elongated onion bulb to me! The outermost layer consist of a news-stand, a bakery, a flower shop, a gelateria, a Chinese clothing store, 2 hair dressers and 2 bars. The next ring is occupied by the rotatory road where the afternoon traffic appeared incapable of hearing any sort of story the piazza was about to tell. Another ring inward, I noticed a not-so-empty parking space while next to the core of green grass, lies a cobble-stone pavement with one of the biggest fountains of the Viterbo in one of its end and a tourist map near 3 public phone booths and a parking meter on the other.

Out of the museum and into the square once again, I realized that this piazza is a blend of Beppe Severgnini’s Italian piazza classification. The shopping mall format makes it a commercial piazza. The various casual and fixed meetings, afternoon strolls and couples’ public display of affection on the steps of the Vignola fountain make it a social-sentimental piazza. The museum and tourist indications turn it into a touristic piazza while the people drinking an aperitif in the bars or those who eat gelato take turns in being spectators or actors in this theatrical piazza. Beppe said that to understand a piazza, you have to use it; at the end of the day I understood that Piazza della Rocca is more than just a simple square 2 meters from home.