maurizio caduto P o l a n d

The Polish.

In spite of decades of oppression and upsetting more then few cliche Polish people have not traded their intellectual and spiritual independence. Back in the first half of the 20th century, before the WWII Warsaw was dubbed 'Paris of the East' and it was a very active cultural center, Krakow - the old capital - was very well known as Lublin and Lodz for its active cinematography. Culture has always been paramount in Poland - cultural exchanges with other countries were plentiful and date back many centuries.

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At the heart of the social life is the Cafe' or Bistro, a magic microcosm where people gather to drink coffee, smoke, read the paper and talk for hours. They are still today very well preserved and popular. In Warsaw there are some of the nicest I have seen - the Blikle in Novi Swiat and the Bistro in Bristol Hotel for example. One thing you should definitely do to better understand the country is to pay a visit to the Historic Museum in the Market Square in Warsaw where you can view a documentary on Warsaw before, during and after the war. You'll be astonished by what these people have accomplished basically rebuilding their city from ruins. Some of the work was based on old paintings by Canaletto's nephew in display at the museum of the Castle.

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Don't miss the Sunday market. War memorabilia, old furniture, toys, coins, watches, rifles, pictures, 50 years old tea pots and countryside house paraphernalia are on display for bargain. Polish love markets and strolling around is great even if you don't want to buy anything. It is an institution and no matter the weather, rain or snow, hot or cold the Sunday market will be there. In Warsaw there is a large photo market every Sunday crowded like hell and stuffed with the latest digital neck to neck with a retired Bessa or a Russian survivor. Polish love photography and in Warsaw I had the chance to expose my pictures twice - "Somewhere" and "On a Quiet day".

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Polish like going out and there is always something going on - a market, a street carnival, the ubiquitous peruvian band playing on the street or some very fine polish Jazz bands. Jazz is indeed very popular and have seen some street bands kicking asses. Warsaw organizes its own Jazz festival with big international names every summer in the Culture Palace. But what is really big in Poland is Classic music; every city features a busy opera and concert season and Chopin is a national hero.

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There is a special balance between the modern times kicking in and the values Polish always cherish. Sure enough they are in business today and very committed to it, specially in big cities. But still you'll find them talking about their family, tradition and heritage with respect and passion. Their roots are very deep into the Polish soil and leaving the city to travel the countryside is like a trip back in time. I found it so typically European, so graceful, so rich.