tall, older man in a newly pressed military uniform seemed aggravated as he marched forward shouting orders -- not at his artillary unit, but at a hastily assembled band. The ceremony was a half-hour late, but began abruptly when those brightly polished instruments finally started speaking. Responding to the call, the world's shortest parade began from behind the walls of City Hall. Local politicians, looking like beauty pageant contestants with red, white and green sashes across their chests, marched only 100 feet or so to the small podium in the square's center.

When Italy's national anthem began playing a minute later, I worried that in my haste to capture that perfect image, I was being disrespectful by darting back and forth with my camera during this solemn moment. I took comfort as I looked around; no one seemed to know exactly what to do. After the band stopped playing, an uncomfortable silence was broken by the applause of one person. Seemingly the right thing to do, the rest of the crowd on the edges of the piazza joined in.

The short ceremony lacked the warmth of Italian life that I had come to enjoy after a full week in Cagli. One politician after another joined in the ceremonies, but their speeches lacked the usual passion of native conversation. Instead, they read passively from their scripts, and as I walked through the crowd I passed from one detatched conversation to another.

A Cagliese woman watches Republic Day ceremonies from her window looking out on the piazza.

 
 
 

Italy, for all its rich history dating back thousands of years, is still a relatively young country politically, younger even than the United States. After a hiatus, today's ceremony was reinstated as a national holiday meant to celebrate the day shortly after World War II when Italians voted for a republican form of government instead of a monarchy. A good choice, I'd say, but not one that seemed to inspire great patriotism from the Cagliese. The older men seemed upset that they'd been dethroned from their usual perches on the wall of city hall. Younger adults were interested enough, it seemed, but more because the ceremonies were a change of pace from the usual Monday morning activity. I later learned that many Italians perceived the events to be somewhat fascist, which may explain the unease of the left-leaning Cagliese.

The children, however, were enjoying everything from the army and police vehicles to balloons to the music -- as they should. One of the politicians today said the celebration was meant to honor the past, but more so to look to Italy's bright future-- one that these children will play a crucial role in shaping.

The Cagli crowd lined up around police barricades in the piazza.
 
 
 
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