Today I went to the parade that commemorates the Festa Della Republica or Festival of the Republic. June 2 is a national holiday that happens every year in honor of the anniversary of Italy taking on a republican form of government. For the past week I Roma getting ready for the festivities which began with a bike race on Sunday. All along the Via Fori Imperiali (the major street that runs past the Colosseo) there were bleachers for people to sit and barricades to keep the crowds out of the streets.The parade today was a long march of all the military branches in Italy. Before the parade began I happened to shake hands with the Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, as he walked by the crowd. I did not even know that was him until I showed my professor a picture in class and asked who he was. It was funny that I was right next to him and had no idea (or maybe it was sad)!
The onlookers of the parade clapped and cheered for the different branches of the military as they marched by. There were marching bands strategically placed between the shouting marchers that loudly played Italian anthems. There was one group in particular that I found the most amusing - they had feathered heads and were running past the front of Il Vittoriano while skillfully playing instruments. Today made me want to become an Italian citizen; the moral was inspiring.
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