Roma amoR

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LOVE GRAFFITI

I arrived in Italy the 23rd of August and I went straight to my dad's hometown of Montella in the province of Avellino. Right next to my hotel was a giant white wall where huge black words wrote: "Non Partirei. Ti Amo." (I wouldn't leave. I love you.) Knowing Italian I immediately fell in love with what was written for everyone to see from a mile away and from that moment on I knew that Italian graffiti was much different than that in America. 
For this blog I will focus only on, as I call it, "Roman Love Graffiti". While walking through the streets of Rome you can't help but notice all of the graffiti that surrounds you. It's very interesting to see such modern graffiti in such an ancient city. The graffiti that I have noticed that fills the cities antique walls deals with the topics of politics, sports, and tags of course. Italy is a place of hard core politicians and die hard sports fans, so of course these will be the topic of discussion (and graffiti). And of course, when it comes to Graffiti, tags are everywhere in the world. But the most interesting topic of all is love.
Is it a coincidence that the words Roma and Romance (Romanza) are almost the same word (with an exception of a few letters)?

"Giulia, I love you to death"

The past few weeks I have been walking around Rome on a search to find this "Love Graffiti". It's funny that when I'm searching for it I can't find it, but when I am in a hurry to get somewhere and I suddenly look up in front of me, there it is, right there sprawled out across the wall "TI AMO". 
It's also interesting to find that you don't even realize that it's right in front of your eyes everyday. I live on Viale delle Medaglie D'oro and I never realized how much Love Graffiti there is around me. Everyday for four months now I have been walking the same path to school and not ever did I turn to see these romantic phrases on the walls surrounding me.

 Martuccia, you are my life. I love you.

There is a plethora of Love Graffiti that embraces the ancient walls and even the modern walls of Rome. I'm not going to lie, I completely despise the disgusting graffiti that consists of tags, and stupid phrases that don't make any sense. I'm also not a fan of the Graffiti that has to do with Politics or Sports.  I really don't like reading "Lazio Merda" on crumbling ancient walls, it sort of destroys the beauty.  However, I do like the love Graffiti. Maybe this is hypocritical? I'm not sure; but something about seeing "Ti amo" or "Tu sei la mia vita" down the old cobblestone streets just makes me feel  good inside. Maybe it's because I'm a hopeless romantic. Maybe I'm not the only one that feels this way.
Rome could quite possibly be the truth to the stereotype that Italians are the most romantic of the world. Isn't that where the word Roma comes from anyway? 




INTERVIEWS



During my time here in Rome I have met a great amount of new Italian friends. One group of friends include three guys that are my age who attend the University of Rome La Sapienza.
I really wanted to talk to them about the Love Graffiti in Rome so I began like this:
I asked my friend Marco, "ti piace i graffiti a Roma?" Do you like the graffiti in Rome?
And he responded with "No, perche' sporcanno la citta'!"  No, because it dirties the city!
I began asking general questions just to get his general impression of the graffiti in Rome and then I continued like this: (T = Trisha; M = Marco)
T: Ti piace i graffiti d'amore? (Do you like the love graffiti?)
M: No, perche l'amore non esiste. (No, because love doesn't exist.)
T: Pensi che il stereotipo che gli italiani sono romantici e' vero? (Do you believe the stereotype that the italians are romantic is true?)
M: Si, certo. Solo perchè il popolo lo impone; cioe bisogna esserlo per forza qui in italia le donne sono fatte cosi (Yes of course. Only because the population imposes it. There's need for it here in Italy, the women are made like this.)

T: Pensi che i graffiti dell'amore mostranno la cultura della giovinezza d'Italia? (Do you think that this love graffiti demonstrates the youth culture of Italy?)

M: Si, perche sono tutti disperati per l'amore e devono far qualcosa per ottenerlo. (Yes, because they are all desperate for love and they have to do anything to get it.)

In short, Marco's own opinion of Love Graffiti is that he doesn't like it, only because he doesn't believe in love. This answer wasn't very helpful, but interesting nonetheless. What was helpful was that he believes that Italian women have learned to deal with the Romanticism of Italian men and they are made to accept the fact that that is how Italian men are. 

I had also interviewed my friend Fabio about the Graffiti. His answers were about the same as Marco's except he told me that he actually liked the Love Graffiti. "It represents the Italian Culture very well because we all like to believe that we are the most romantic people in the world. Everything in Italy is always about love and beauty. Why do you think we always use the word "bella" for everything? Beauty and Love in Italy are the most important things. Love is beauty and I think that people should be able to express how they feel about each other on the walls of Rome, it makes our city unique and makes the stereotype a sort of reality".

To get another opinion I also interviewed a few Americans on the subject.
I interviewed a friend that attends the same school as me in Rome. She is from Philadelphia and is used to seeing Graffiti all over the place.
Trisha: What do you think about the Graffiti here in Rome in general?
Tionna: The graffiti here isn't negative. When you see graffiti in America you think that you are in the ghetto or a poor community that has a lot of crime.
Trisha: Is the graffiti in America romantic at all?
Tionna: No, unless you count the love of the gang that they are creating it for *laughs*
Trisha: Do you ever see Love Graffiti in Rome?
Tionna: Yes, there is a lot. It was actually the first type of graffiti that I noticed when I came here.
Trisha: Do you think this graffiti shows a side of Italian Culture/Stereotypes?
Tionna: Yes the stereotype of Italians being Romantic is definitely portrayed in the graffiti. There has to be some sort of truth to the stereotype if there is actually graffiti to prove it!

I also interviewed an Italian-American friend. She is in her late 30s.  She has lived in America her entire life but comes to Italy (Rome specifically) on occasion. (T= Trisha; L= Loredana)
T: When you think of graffiti in Rome what do you think of?
L: It is absolutely disgusting.  I hate walking through the beautiful streets of Rome and having my view be obstructed by the terrible graffiti.
T: Have you ever noticed the love graffiti in Rome? Do you like it?
L: Yes, I have. As I said, I don't like graffiti in general because it is disgusting. I like reading the romantic words of an Italian in love, but I just don't believe that they should dirty the city with their poetry. Why can't they write it in a letter or something?
T: Do you think that it portrays the stereotype that all Italians are romantic?
L: I definitely believe that the stereotype that all Italians are romantic can be brought to life by reading the love graffiti. I hardly ever see love graffiti in America, and then I go to Rome and it's everywhere. I would have to agree that Italians are pretty romantic and love to love. Some of the best poetry and love stories come from Italy so there is no doubt that they are romantic people. 

Will There Be True Love?

SEMIOTICS


On the scientific level of this research I have found that Love Graffiti can be directly related to Semiotics.  I had read "Semiotics for Beginners" by David Chandler for class and learned a lot about how this directly relates to it. 
First of all, in Semiotics there is always some sort of sign.  Whether it be a picture, a sentence or a word.  And there is always a signifier and the signified.  The signifier is the form in which the sign is being conveyed. The signified is the message that is being understood.
In this case the love graffiti is the sign aka the Signifier.  The graffiti is written in word form. The signified is then the actually message that the graffiti is saying. 

For example:

Signifier: Graffiti that says "8 Mesi di te - Ti Amo Loletta" (8 months of you, I love you Loletta)
Signified: A person (most likely male) has been with a woman who's name is Loletta for 8 months and he is in love with her.
 There is a certain process of how this is done.
Initially, of course, is the actual production of the graffiti. A person thinks of what message they want to convey.  They then pick a place as to where they are going to convey it.  Whether it be on a wall in a public area, at a school, in a touristy area, in a quiet neighborhood, etc.  They then need to decide what color they are going to use, how big the letters are going to be, and where exactly are they going to place it on the wall. They then need to decide what exactly they are going to write; if it is going to be a simple "Ti amo" or if they are going to incorporate someone's name, lyrics to a song, or anything at all.
Once they decide all of this and finally create the love graffiti, what's next is for the message to be conveyed to an audience.  The people walking by and looking at the graffiti are the ones that the message is being conveyed to. They will read the graffiti and in their brain they will understand what the believe is supposed to be the message of what they are reading.  If they read one that says "Ti amo Paolo" then they are most likely going to interpret it only as a female who is in love with a man named Paolo; it is pretty self explanatory. On the other hand, if we take a look at the picture I had previously posted that says "8 Mesi di te - Ti amo Loletta" then we can examine how one would perceive it. For example, when I first saw this written across the street from where I live I immediately thought, "wow that is so cute that a man would write that for his girlfriend for everyone to see." I then thought about how it was written in huge bright orange letters. Then I thought, "8 months isn't really that long of a time, I wonder how long ago this graffiti was written and if they are actually still together." Then I also wondered if Loletta ever saw the graffiti. This brings up another point. The graffiti is obviously intended to be seen by Loletta, but I'm pretty sure that the writer also wanted very much that everyone that passed by it knew about his love for this girl. It is interesting to think that so much thought can come out of one simple look of graffiti.




I have also taken into account the fact that maybe a lot of tourists or foreigners are not able to understand this graffiti because it is in Italian. If you don't understand the Italian language then it is obviously a lot harder to connect the theory of semiotics.  Therefore, if you don't understand the language then you obviously have a signifier, but there is no signified portion.


It is also interesting to think about gender roles in this topic of love graffiti.  Before actually looking into love graffiti I automatically assumed that it was all written by men. Pretty quickly I realized that this was not the case. 





ITALIAN CULTURE


I believe that love graffiti plays a huge role in Italian culture today.
Ponte Milvio is one of the most famous bridges in Rome. It is also known as the "love bridge".  The reason for this is because there is an old story that two young lovers came to this bridge with a lock that represented their love. They attached the lock to the lamp post on the bridge and wrote their names on it and then threw the key into the river signifying their eternal love. For this reason many people come to the bridge still today to follow in the footsteps of those young lovers. 
The movie "Ho Voglia di Te" which came out in Italian theaters in 2007 has a scene in which the two protagonists go to this bridge and put their own lock on the lamp post and throw away the key. The movie is a very famous one among teens and young adults in Italy, and it is said that since the movie came out many people (especially tourists) come to this bridge for their shot at eternal love. 
Not only has there been a huge influx of locks on the bridge, but also love graffiti. To me it is obvious that this love graffiti is extremely popular amongst young lovers. I would probably say that most of the graffiti on Ponte Milvio comes from teens to young adults. 
Because of all of the popularity of Ponte Milvio, there is actually a website that allows couples to go on and create a virtual lock and put it on the virtual bridge. The website is www.lucchettipontemilvio.com

Ponte Milvio

The love locks on Ponte Milvio

 From the movie "Ho Voglia di Te"

On the bridge

"They say that Rome is the eternal city... Who knows if it's really this word that brings luck. Because with all of my heart I hope that what is between us lasts forever."

In the movie "Scusa, ma ti chiamo Amore" there is a scene in which the main character is at her highschool. We can see in the background the tons of love graffiti. It is evident that love graffiti is extremely popular among young Italians. The scene was actually filmed at the real highschool Giulio Cesare in Rome, and therefore all of the graffiti that you see in the film is real.
Although I have not been to any of the highschools in Rome, my friends tell me that the schools walls - inside and out - are filled with love graffiti.
I'm pretty sure that at my highschool we could only find graffiti about how much school sucked or how much someone hated a certain teacher - never "you make my whole life worth living for each time i see your beautiful face, mary". 


This love graffiti is obviously a topic of discussion amongst Italians because it is used in attracting tourists.  While looking around in the little touristy shops I noticed a bunch of magnets with different pictures of love graffiti on it - most of them were pictures of random walls in Rome with the words "Ti Amo" written on them.
While I was shopping around for a postcard to send back home I found one that was a picture of love graffiti.  It said "Ti Amo. Lo Hai Capito?" (I love you. Do you understand?)
The Italians are obviously aware of the fact that tourists appreciate the love graffiti, and it is evident that it fuels the stereotype that Italians are romantic.  So, whether the stereotype is true or not, they are definitely trying to keep up with that image.






TI AMO VS TI VOGLIO BENE

Another thing that I believe is very important to mention is the fact that there is a huge difference between the two phrases "Ti Voglio Bene" and "Ti Amo". 
Ti Voglio Bene is used towards friends and family members. It literally means "I want you well". It is used to express that you truly care about someone.  Ti Amo on the other hand basically means that you are madly in love with someone. You wouldn't want to say "Ti Amo" to your grandmother.  I am certain, though, that you can use "Ti Voglio Bene" towards a boyfriend/girlfriend because it shows that you truly appreciate them for everything that they are and you are not only just madly in love with them, you care about their well-being.  

Ti Amo

Ti Voglio Bene

STEREOTYPES

As many people know, Italy has a sort of stereotype for being a very Romantic country. "The country of love" is what you may hear people say very often. So no wonder why I came to Italy thinking that I would be swept off of my feet by a very handsome Italian man whispering "Ti Amo" in my ear.

My experiences with Italian men in Italy has been very interesting. I have really only been looking for friendship; people to practice my Italian with.  When I meet men in bars and start a conversation with them they like to think it is acceptable to say "Ti Amo" five minutes into talking about why I came from America to Italy and how I have spent the last 3 months of my life. It is pretty crazy to think that Italians can use these words so easily, without even knowing someone.
Now, I'm not stereotyping and saying that ALL Italian men throw these words around, I am simply stating that about 80% of the guys that I have met in Italy have said it to me.
In my past experiences in America saying "I Love You" is very different. It is something that you say when you are in a relationship with someone and usually it takes a long time to say it. Of course, everyone is different, and I'm sure that also in America you have those guys that say "I Love You" right after meeting someone, but this whole concept of these men saying "Ti Amo" so easily plays into the stereotype that they are "romantic" - they simply love to love. 

"Will you marry me?" "Yes"

VIDEO


For this project I have taken many pictures around Rome. I put them all together in this video that is set to the song "Semplice" by Moda'. The song talks about how a man is in love with a girl because she is so simple. He says at the beginning and the end that she has proven to him that he can now believe in fairy tales. It is one of the romantic songs that I know.
The lyrics are as follows:

Faccio fatica ancora a credere nelle favole perché
l'unica favola della mia vita per me sei solo te
te che ogni giorno accendi dentro me forze nuove e sai perché
ti fai apprezzare, voler bene solo perché tu sei semplice
ti porterei dove non c'è
niente tranne te
ne sono sicuro e sai perché?
perche fra tutte ho scelto te
dammi la mano amore mio
ti porto dove dicono che c'è Dio!
io sarò il cielo e tu l'unica stella che ospiterò io
ti scalderò tutte le notti che avrai freddo e sai perché?
perché sei l'unico motivo che ogni giorno mi fa vivere
ami parlarmi e invece a me
piace ascoltare te
amo guardarti ridere
solo perché sei semplice
dammi la mano amore mio
ti porto dove dicono che c'è Dio!
io sarò il cielo e tu l'unica stella che ospiterò io
ti scalderò tutte le notti che avrai freddo e sai perché?
perché sei l'unico motivo che ogni giorno mi fa vivere
ed ogni giorno
mi fa ridere
dammi la mano amore mio
ti porto dove dicono che c'è Dio!
io sarò il cielo e tu l'unica stella che ospiterò io
ed ogni giorno che vivrò con te ti ringrazierò e sai perché?
perché mi hai dimostrato che io posso ancora credere nelle favole

The link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHWa6lh18d8



The experience of researching this type of graffiti has been extremely interesting and very enjoyable.  In my own opinion, I believe that the love graffiti plays into the popular culture of Italy.  There is always some truth to stereotypes and this graffiti obviously affects the tourist culture here in Rome with their magnets and postcards.  I know for a fact that when I return to America in a few short weeks I am going to be pretty down because I won't be seeing romantic lyrics on my way to school, work, or out with friends.