military parade arriving at Piazza Venezia

…is the spectacle I was greeted to after racing down the Gianicolo on my bike – with 80 heads of state in attendance (including U.S. V.P. Biden whose motorcade I had to avoid after Carabinieri were yelling at me to pull off to the side of Corso Emanuelle II – later finding out he was on his way up to the American Academy for lunch with our ambassador at Villa Aurelia) celebrating 65 years of the republic on the year of it’s 150th anniversary of unification – and after the crowds gathered at the parade terminus of Piazza Venezia and the distant equestrian squad arriving from Via Dei Fori Imperiali signaled the arrival of the parade, hundreds of Italian children were suddenly hoisted on to parents shoulders for a better view of what would turn out to be a rather frightening military display of tanks, troops, drones, missiles, boats, planes, cavalry, and best of all: an amazing runway-like presentation of fit soldiers in an array of very fabulous vintage uniforms – and finally, just when we thought it was all over, Frecce Tricolori, the deafening blast of nine military jets in formation leaving trails of green, white and, red directly overhead. (more at Corriere della Sera)