Week 5

Italian Leisure

While strolling along a small portion of the Villa Borghese property earlier this week, which consists of about 148 acres, museums, fountains, statues, and various other attractions, I was able to observe Italian culture in a casual manner. With park benches lining the sides of the park's paths, people-watching was made quite convenient, though I found it most interesting to walk along with the people who strolled along, or to do what most came to this gorgeous park for, to find myself away from the bustle of the city.
Couples could be seen walking hand in hand, or sitting along the edges of the ancient Roman amphitheater ruins while people jogged around the track below. A game of soccer went on in this spot as well, and along the sidewalks which were lined by bushes and twin fountains, people biked along - either singly or in bikes made for two or four - an amusing thing to see for the first time. Dogs were walked and people hummed along to the music in their heads, much like happens in public parks in the United States.
My class had been told to find the differences and similarities between Italian leisure and American leisure, and so I watched, mentally tallying the number of those who read, sang, ran, laughed, or kissed. I found that the majority of those who came to the park, did so not for aimless wandering but for exercise while enjoying the scenery. The paths were made wide enough so that this could occur without trampling those of us Americans who came for leisurely walks, enjoying our time in this park which seemed as if a world of it's own. I strolled, turning politely from the couples who kissed, and moving aside for the children and dogs who wandered by.
I found myself, at last, as I journeyed into a clearing in the woods which was decorated by an ornate stone fountain surrounded by four stone and mossy benches which curved in the same circular way. It was here that I sat a while and thought of how I spent my wandering times back home, in the public parks I loved to visit in the Autumn, Spring, and Summer months. While at home, there were also runners and people willing to exercise their children and pets, there seemed a far more amount of people willing to sit and read a book on a bench or stare at the sky. It seemed, to me at least, that Italians would have considered this wasted time. I wondered, also, how I would change when I would return home. Could I do as I have always done, and enjoyed a park as a place to escape headaches and the modern world - or would I instead, do as the Italians and rush through the park, my eyes forward, my feet speeding to a beat that meant I was running? Considering it now, also, I think of how in Italy, we walk an average of six or seven miles a day, whereas back home, I would have been surprised to get half. So, will I then have to replace my leisure time for exercise to keep up with all I have accomplished here?
These questions I seem to ask myself daily, but in the end, I think what I have always thought about the beauty of the outdoors and the wonders of leisure time, and that is that it is deeply needed, for myself at least. While others may feel refreshed and alive after a jog, a run, a game of soccer, or just fresh air - I need the time to clear my head, to think of nothing but the changing leaves - or the good book I'm holding in my hands. Italian leisure is to be appreciated, but is not for everyone, I would say.