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Oh Exit my Exit |
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written
by joeplumb / 10.24.2005 |
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Assignment |
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| http://www.holidaym.ru/italy/images/via_veneto_1_b.jpg |
| The Real Via Veneto |
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| http://ironworks.cc/kevin/album/italy/images/spanish-steps-2-750x500.jpg |
| Spanish Steps |
| How do you tell a spanish step from a normal step? Normal steps don't have mullets. |
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| http://www.stuardtclarkesrome.com/CAPUC2.JPG |
| The Crypt |
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Santa Maria della Concezione is about a journey. It is a journey through a sacred place for the journeys sake. There is no reason to enter the crypt but to see the monks who comprise it. It is a personal journey for those who come to honor these souls. It is also key to note that the decoration of the crypt is not only on a wall far from the visitors, but also hanging right above them. This is so important because it involves visitors in the crypt, a message which is echoed by the fact that there is only one way in and out. The message here is clear: This is a place of such honor that we will not trivialize it by making it a passageway, it is to stand alone to show the importance it deserves.
The Spanish Steps, however, are vastly different than the crypt. The Steps are about the ebb and flow of movement. They are really just a passageway from one place to the next, yet they give a place for people to come together as well. This is very different from the crypt, which is an individual experience. The Steps are a the stage for human interaction, but they themselves do not really encourage this. Instead, it is the people who wish to take a seat on this passageway which give it the social attribute. The Spanish Steps are also a space of freedom, which no constrictions whatsoever, it is an empty space for the most part. The crypt seems very boxy and enclosed, the effect of which is only heightened by the fact that there is no exit.
The Via Veneto is not appear like either of these places at first glance. It is a road; granted a road with enormous history, but the space itself is that of a road. The Via Veneto, however, is more of a destination than anything else. It is the place to be. In this respect it is very similar to Santa Maria della Concezione. Both are places which serve to draw people to them. The Via Veneto is a space where people gather, like the Spanish Steps, but the Via Veneto is concerned more with who exactly is there. This street has been known for it’s celebrities, but not for its groups of people hanging out. To be on Via Veneto means you are somebody, or are looking for somebody. This is reflected in the fancy old hotels which line the street. It is interesting to see this type of reflection at work, as we see it here at Via Veneto but also in the crypt of Santa Maria della Concezione, where those visitors to the holy site would likely also be monks of the same order which hung on the wall.
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