Photobombing at Pisa’s Leaning Tower: it’s viral! [INTERVIEW]

If you’ve visited Pisa, you might recall the tourists posing as they’re holding up the famous Leaning Tower, to keep a souvenir of one of the best Italian symbols.

The Romanian blogger Darius Groza has shaken up Piazza dei Miracoli with a funny diversion: he gave back to the tourists’ pose its “original” meaning… high-fiving them!

We’ve reached Darius – excited by the interest of Italian blogs – to ask him some questions:

How did you come up with this crazy idea, which now is spreading everywhere?

One day I was in Pisa with my coworkers to visit the famous Leaning Tower. I was watching all those people hands up, posing for a funny picture to show to their parents and friends. Seeing them from the outside was very ridiculous! So I decided to decontextualize their pose, that seemed to me like a High Five!

What was the people’s reaction?

Most of the people were amused and embarrassed, some of them confused by my unexpected High Five. The people passing-by were laughing and pointing at me, so they gave me a boost.

What do you friends think about your unexpected success?

My friends are really surprised that my video has become viral so fast. I think that the perfect recipe for popularity is this one: harmless fun, famous places and a bit of humor.

Were you in Pisa for holiday or on business?

I was in Italy for a team-building activity organized by the AD agency I work for.

What did you like the best about Italy?

Especially… the food!

Darius’ idea is definitely viral: a simple gesture, a break in the pattern that changes an ordinary situation into a playful one, giving the tourists a sense alienation and amusement, like for flash mobs.