i went to another park today.

no monster statues this time, but there were some youths smoking hookah, and boy, was that exciting.

what la fontana delle tartarughe actually looks like vs. the reason i’m not an art student

taken at a what we lovingly refer to as a “monster park”, called so because of the weird statues.

the parks in italy have a different aesthetic than the parks that i’m used to - they have an almost feral feel to them.

our parks in america are meticulously watered and mowed. leaves are swept away, and we experience monuments in a sort of reverent, detached way.

in contrast, the parks i’ve encountered in italy have a rougher feel. the grass is untrimmed, overgrown and patchy. statues are missing vital bodily organs, and dogs romp through the fountains.

it’s almost as if nature, feeling the pressing weight of humanity, grudgingly became a park, and inserted half-hearted paths and stairs to accommodate its denizens. it didn’t properly understand the human form in relation to statues, though, and added tails and haunches in place of legs.