The town, the square and play

Two famous paintings by the Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder inspire us to define the square as a place which introduces and offers space and meaning to the play. The square, as it has been defined in the history of European culture - and Italian culture in particular -, expresses the identity of the urban space in both functional and symbolic terms. The play as an expression of creative vitality or competition, to use the categories of Roger Caillois, finds its own space in some famous historical squares of Italian cities, through ancient or new events that create forms of popular participation and widespread culture.