[architecture] Vatican

A note reflecting on memories of a trip to Italy 20 years ago
Last time, I summarized my thoughts on Florence

Next, I headed to St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
I wanted to see the architecture that serves as the headquarters of Christianity with my own eyes.

I walked forward, filled with anticipation as the basilica gradually drew closer.
My memory is a bit hazy, but I feel like I just wandered into the grounds before I even realized it.
It was fine that I just wandered in, but I was stunned by the sight that greeted me.

That massive structure and the vast square at its center.

The power of the decorations, sculptures, and architecture was impressive, of course, but I was overwhelmed by the sheer scale of this vast square.

Thinking about how people crowd into this space during events, I couldn't help but feel the cultural differences compared to Japan.

There are many squares in Europe. Italy, in particular, has many famous ones.

Piazza di Spagna
Piazza San Marco
Piazzale Michelangelo
and so on...

A vast, empty space.
This square is an indispensable place for Western people.
It is a place that people can use freely in their daily lives. You can take a nap or have lunch there.
Street performers put on shows, and small shops sometimes open up. It can also be a place to display or create art. While it is usually used freely as a place for people to interact, it transforms into a gathering place for everyone during festivals and events. It is also used for politics and religion.
The Piazza del Campo in Siena, Tuscany, is famous for being a square surrounded by buildings.
There, an event has been held since ancient times where the square itself becomes a horse racing track.

On the other hand, the culture of the 'square' hardly exists in Japan.
Or rather, the reality is that even if we build them, we don't know how to use them. You can see public facilities built as 'squares' that are unused and look like ruins all over the country.
While squares in the West were places for people to interact and gather,
the places for interaction in Japan were, as the saying 'idobata kaigi' (well-side meetings) suggests, shrine precincts or small spaces like the side of a road. Perhaps Japanese people have always liked to gossip in small, intimate places.
It is a unique Japanese trait that we cannot make good use of large, open spaces.

As seen in how squares are used, there is a major difference in mass consciousness between the West and Japan. I don't know which is better, but even if you build a square in Japan, Japanese people can't use it. Recently, there have been attempts to rethink how streets should be by opening up roads and alleys as extensions of shops, or by placing benches on the streets. Having experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, there is also a history of re-evaluating the value of spaces outside shops, namely the streets.

The term 'idobata' (well-side) is well-chosen; for Japanese people, the place for interaction is indeed at the well-side. It seems to suit our nature to form communities by enjoying chatting and gossiping while doing laundry at the well-side.
Such cozy, small-scale well-side gatherings are disappearing in the modern age.
Thinking about it, perhaps there is something to learn from Western squares that have been used by people for hundreds of years.

See you later.