It's All Relative

Everywhere I see the past manifested in the present. Standing in Piazza Garibaldi, where the Roman forum of Parma used to exist, our instructor Claudio noted chronologically the aged edifices erected in the square. These buildings stood strong and intimidating before us and I imagined them half-completed; imagined the landscape if the tower that used to stand next to the palace was not destroyed in the war. The palace, still painted in the same 'gialla parma' as centuries ago, provided a pleasing background for an aged statue of the Garibaldi, the liberator and unifier of Italy, located in the center of the square. Even as I get accustomed to this new city, the dismissive attitude exhibited by many locals in the face of these historical treasures is still lost to me.

I've never lived in a city that exists so much in the past and yet remains a first-world, forward thinking city. Unlike much of the rest of the world, the United States remains ignorant to the presence of history. Obviously we have history, but the history I refer to reflects the Roman, Gothic and Renaissance influence on Italy. So when I gaze upon the ancient bridges of Commune di Parma, now underground, I cannot conceptualize time. I can understand that these things happened or were built at one point, but a chronological scale eludes me.

I'm getting closer to understanding the historical significance of this city. (The only one that resisted against the fascist regime, holding out for days before begrudgingly cooperating with Mussolini.) The more I learn, the more I'm fascinated. This is all new to me, but the awe doesn't always strike like lightening but more in waves. Either way, it's incredible.