We are planning our first family visit to Italy and have decided to skip Florence altogether due to this. We will spend our time in Tuscany and opt for a quiet farm stay. We also cut out Cinque Terre when we read that one village sees more tourists than it's own population!
As always, a deeply thoughtful article, Emiko. It’s stunningly sad to see the “hit and run tourism” damage, but as you say, it’s a complex issue. Tourism brings money to local economies and a better understating of the world and other cultures – something desperately needed right now. But the shallow, quick hits of whistle stops on bus tours does little for either. But you can’t force people to visit on specific terms.
I love Italy and love visiting. We have fabulous memories from a long and languid lunch at Cibreo 15 years ago celebrating my sister’s birthday.
I’m not sure what the solutions are, perhaps the ones you’ve listed here, but hopefully it’s not too late.
As a person who lives in a “tourist” town so many parts of this story hit close to home. Thoughtfully done and puts into words what so many of my friends and colleagues are saying.
A great article. My family is Italian & my parents run small group tours (max 7 people). They started visiting the Cinque Terre in the 80s but now don’t go at all, instead choosing a few beautiful towns very nearby that offer almost the same vibe. They have stopped taking tours in July & August at all anymore. As you write, there are so many options in Italy, not just one town or panino shop. Tourism is fantastic but needs to be spread out. Everyone needs to rediscover the joy of the “undiscovered” and find exciting new places for themselves!
We live in Siena and I can identify with so much of this, and totally with, “restaurants only cook for those who aren’t coming back.” My rule for Florence is September until Easter only, lunch in the back room of Atomic felafel (before or after a stop at Casa Della Stilografica) or brac if I'm organised enough to book, otherwise I time it for tea and cake. I appreciate it's a privilege to live so close but living in such an over touristed place means I really don't want to travel to another one if I can avoid it.
As an Australian I was so happy that Chrissie was finally getting an opportunity to visit Europe. She seemed to have had a tough time of things at various points in her life. Then I quickly cottoned on to the fact her trip was one big Airbnb ad and that was it. What a sell out. I don’t think I’ll ever go to the Cinque Terre and I’m quite ok with that. Oh and the Cibreo part of Firenze? Stayed almost two weeks hanging out and shopping at the market most days, popping in for an espresso at Cibreo. I’ll definitely be back to Firenze - and hopefully San Miniato. Thanks for the great article.
A great article highlighting all the problems big cities like Florence, Venice and Rome face these days. As someone who writes about food, culture and tourism and who runs a tour business, I obviously think about this a lot. Also, as someone who has been around a long time, I've seen the massive changes. While it is easy to find all the things that are currently wrong, it's hard to develop a coherent plan that works for everyone to change the direction things are headed toward. I firmly believe that the solution has to be national, and not local. If, for instance, we want people to head to Basilicata,Abruzzo Molise and Calabria rather than Tuscany, Cinque Terre or the Amalfi Coast then there has to be a concerted national involvement (money) into the infrastructure of poorer regions. Easier said than done. But if everyone is simply trying to solve the current problem at the end of their street, then it won't come anywhere near solving the larger issues.
I agree. And I believe cities need to work hard to stop abusivism, and for people to rent places to tourists only. There has to be a limit, somehow. Dragging locals outside of city centers is killing these cities and their identity.
Elizabeth, you make an excellent point about the need for a national approach to address the challenges in big cities like Florence, Venice, and Rome. It's true that local solutions can't tackle the bigger picture alone. Improving infrastructure in less popular regions could indeed spread out tourism and help. It’s a tough nut to crack, but national involvement might be the key.
Thanks for shedding light on this important issue!
I'm glad you mentioned a national solution, Elizabeth. I've been wondering how/if the Italian government has addressed overtourism recently, since it seems to be on so many people's minds. Still, I have (as you well know!) mixed feelings about pointing people towards Abruzzo and other less-traveled regions, as so much of their appeal (for me) is about how unchanged they remain. Abruzzo does get its share of tourists (beaches during summer, skiing in winter) but many of the hill and mountain towns and villages are not easy to get to, and have been emptied of residents in the last number of decades. People in search of work have either moved towards the coast or away from the region altogether. One reason I love our town is that it is so quiet; there are some expats but few tourists. On the other hand, there are many empty storefronts in the centro storico. No one wants to live in the old borgo these days; people want to be able to park their cars and have a giardino and not have to go up steep, treacherous hills to get to their house. I feel local governments also have a responsibility to invest in infrastructure in the old borghi, to make them attractive (i.e. clean up your pigeon shit, Penne!), to work to keep them economically viable. Is tourism the answer? One business owner I talked to in a different, more remote, town said what is really needed is people (families) to live in these towns, to make them viable once more. Not easy to accomplish.
Hi Emiko, your article made me nostalgic for travel long ago when I would arrive at a new destination, leave the train station with a vague idea of what to see based on a well worn travel book, and set off on foot to simply explore. I was beginning to feel a bit under prepared, or worse, irresponsible, for having days upon days of our upcoming trip to Italy wide-open with nothing planned other than a dinner reservation or food excursion sprinkled in here and there. But your words have reassured me that we may be on the right track… our off the beaten path loose itinerary is ours to explore and not a list generated by social media hotspots to be checked off. I always appreciate your perspective. Warmly, Loran Meccia
Hi there, we’ve had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Italy multiple times and see the main attractions. So we are mostly looking forward to a different pace… Lounging and biking by Lake Como, driving and walking through some of the lesser known towns in Tuscany, trying restaurants that have been recommended to us in each region, hunkering down in the neighborhood in Rome where I lived as a college student, and then I exploring the relatively small region of Puglia which will be new to us. We like staying in a place for multiple days and taking it in. It does feel strange not to have a set agenda other than lodging, but perhaps it’s my wanderlust that’s taking over and allowing us to be explorers again. Plus, it’s kind of hard to go wrong in Italy ;)
Taking a slower pace and really soaking in the places you visit is such a great way to experience Italy. Biking by Lake Como, wandering through Tuscany, and revisiting old haunts in Rome all sound like perfect ways to reconnect with the country. Exploring Puglia will be a wonderful new adventure too! It’s refreshing not to have a strict agenda—it gives you the freedom to truly enjoy the moment.
And you're right Loran, it’s pretty hard to go wrong in Italy 😉🇮🇹
emiko, your writing about florence broke my heart. i live across the atlantic in a tiny town that attracts tourists during the summer for river and biking sports. i live on a tiny dirt road which now has two airbnbs, owned by the same people, in my family neighborhood. it's been devastating for us.
We went to the Cinque Terre in 2009 and ended up falling in love with Levanto instead. I love Liguria but for us it’s been so much more fun to explore non-Cinque towns.
Thank you Emiko for your article. It is Lauren Birmingham-Piscitelli writing - owner of Cooking Vacations Italy. www.Cooking-Vacations.com I agree with you 100% on all of your talking points. Take Away is not Italian at all and this will further ruin Italy's tourism. AIr BNB are also ruining tourism. I have heard of examples of people who walked 20 minutes down to the port in Sorrento for a pasta because they saw it on Instagram only to claim it was the worst overcooked pasta they had. What happened to the "traveler," who walked, took time to learn the history, story, passion and food culture of Italy by following their heart. The Air BNBs attract visitors who come for a night or two (yes climb precious statues, litter the streets and piazzas and skip the museums and piazzas that Italy is known for. We must stop this because the smart intelligent travelers who once came to Italy for a week and more to stop, relax, soak up the culture are going to other places. Let's pray Uber does not come here. Traditional is timeless - everyone needs to pay attention to what is happening - the same thing has happened here on the Amalfi Coast - and it is a sin.
Fully agreeing with you Emiko, and spurred by a post of Diana Bauer, my article comes out tomorrow morning . Those of us who live here and have a social media, journalistic presence can encourage visitors to be more independent, not just a mass of sheep , by writing about more historical sites , exploring lesser known spots ,not just panini.
I lived on Borgo Santa Croce in the 1970s and Via de Neri was a place I shopped for every day things. At the time it was said that you could get anything you want on Via de Neri! I’ve seen it evolve into a street I don’t recognize.
I hear you. I can still conjure up the Via de Neri of the 1980s when I lived in Florence as a young student. There are only 3 establishments still there from the 1980s (if my memory serves me correctly). Angie's Pub, Fiaschetteria, and Gelateria dei Neri, which was on the other side of the street back then.
Yes, and they are still there today. I am unsure though if I am leaving out an establishment that was there in the 80s and is still there. The three I mentioned are the ones I definitely recall being there back in the 80s. 😉 But, as you said, many are not there anymore... fruttivendoli and small clothing shops.
I love that saying. That's what it was still like in 2010-2011 when I lived on Via dei Neri. There was the fruttivendolo, the historic butcher, the forno, the alimentari, the gastronomia. You really didn't have to go far (thank goodness as there are no decent supermarkets anywhere near there).
We traveled to Italy three years ago where we stayed a few days in Rome then a verbo near Cortona, Tuscany where we took day trips to Florence, Sienna, Montepulciano, Montalcino, and many other smaller towns, villages that simply looked too cute to pass up. While tourism in Rome and Florence was as expected, we managed to have an amazing culinary experience everywhere we went. We always try to avoid tourist food destinations and get off the beaten path to try new things and experience the local culture. A coworker recently returned from a similar trip to Italy and repeated the same issues highlighted in this article, two vastly different experiences especially when it came to dining experiences. This year, we went to Greece and Iceland, the experiences were very similar. Again, we did a few of the well known tourist stops and then headed to much quieter and rustic islands to escape the crowds and immerse in the local culture. Iceland was one of those places where tourists queued for photos of the natural wonders but they left their trash, walked on the natural landscape and would spend 30 minutes per person to take the perfect Tik Tok selfie while hundreds of tourists waited. These countries need to act swiftly to preserve their culture sites and natural wonders from being crushed by over tourism. I would return to each of these destinations in a NY minute but I would choose my itinerary and timing very carefully.
We are planning our first family visit to Italy and have decided to skip Florence altogether due to this. We will spend our time in Tuscany and opt for a quiet farm stay. We also cut out Cinque Terre when we read that one village sees more tourists than it's own population!
As always, a deeply thoughtful article, Emiko. It’s stunningly sad to see the “hit and run tourism” damage, but as you say, it’s a complex issue. Tourism brings money to local economies and a better understating of the world and other cultures – something desperately needed right now. But the shallow, quick hits of whistle stops on bus tours does little for either. But you can’t force people to visit on specific terms.
I love Italy and love visiting. We have fabulous memories from a long and languid lunch at Cibreo 15 years ago celebrating my sister’s birthday.
I’m not sure what the solutions are, perhaps the ones you’ve listed here, but hopefully it’s not too late.
As a person who lives in a “tourist” town so many parts of this story hit close to home. Thoughtfully done and puts into words what so many of my friends and colleagues are saying.
A great article. My family is Italian & my parents run small group tours (max 7 people). They started visiting the Cinque Terre in the 80s but now don’t go at all, instead choosing a few beautiful towns very nearby that offer almost the same vibe. They have stopped taking tours in July & August at all anymore. As you write, there are so many options in Italy, not just one town or panino shop. Tourism is fantastic but needs to be spread out. Everyone needs to rediscover the joy of the “undiscovered” and find exciting new places for themselves!
We live in Siena and I can identify with so much of this, and totally with, “restaurants only cook for those who aren’t coming back.” My rule for Florence is September until Easter only, lunch in the back room of Atomic felafel (before or after a stop at Casa Della Stilografica) or brac if I'm organised enough to book, otherwise I time it for tea and cake. I appreciate it's a privilege to live so close but living in such an over touristed place means I really don't want to travel to another one if I can avoid it.
As an Australian I was so happy that Chrissie was finally getting an opportunity to visit Europe. She seemed to have had a tough time of things at various points in her life. Then I quickly cottoned on to the fact her trip was one big Airbnb ad and that was it. What a sell out. I don’t think I’ll ever go to the Cinque Terre and I’m quite ok with that. Oh and the Cibreo part of Firenze? Stayed almost two weeks hanging out and shopping at the market most days, popping in for an espresso at Cibreo. I’ll definitely be back to Firenze - and hopefully San Miniato. Thanks for the great article.
A great article highlighting all the problems big cities like Florence, Venice and Rome face these days. As someone who writes about food, culture and tourism and who runs a tour business, I obviously think about this a lot. Also, as someone who has been around a long time, I've seen the massive changes. While it is easy to find all the things that are currently wrong, it's hard to develop a coherent plan that works for everyone to change the direction things are headed toward. I firmly believe that the solution has to be national, and not local. If, for instance, we want people to head to Basilicata,Abruzzo Molise and Calabria rather than Tuscany, Cinque Terre or the Amalfi Coast then there has to be a concerted national involvement (money) into the infrastructure of poorer regions. Easier said than done. But if everyone is simply trying to solve the current problem at the end of their street, then it won't come anywhere near solving the larger issues.
I agree. And I believe cities need to work hard to stop abusivism, and for people to rent places to tourists only. There has to be a limit, somehow. Dragging locals outside of city centers is killing these cities and their identity.
Elizabeth, you make an excellent point about the need for a national approach to address the challenges in big cities like Florence, Venice, and Rome. It's true that local solutions can't tackle the bigger picture alone. Improving infrastructure in less popular regions could indeed spread out tourism and help. It’s a tough nut to crack, but national involvement might be the key.
Thanks for shedding light on this important issue!
I'm glad you mentioned a national solution, Elizabeth. I've been wondering how/if the Italian government has addressed overtourism recently, since it seems to be on so many people's minds. Still, I have (as you well know!) mixed feelings about pointing people towards Abruzzo and other less-traveled regions, as so much of their appeal (for me) is about how unchanged they remain. Abruzzo does get its share of tourists (beaches during summer, skiing in winter) but many of the hill and mountain towns and villages are not easy to get to, and have been emptied of residents in the last number of decades. People in search of work have either moved towards the coast or away from the region altogether. One reason I love our town is that it is so quiet; there are some expats but few tourists. On the other hand, there are many empty storefronts in the centro storico. No one wants to live in the old borgo these days; people want to be able to park their cars and have a giardino and not have to go up steep, treacherous hills to get to their house. I feel local governments also have a responsibility to invest in infrastructure in the old borghi, to make them attractive (i.e. clean up your pigeon shit, Penne!), to work to keep them economically viable. Is tourism the answer? One business owner I talked to in a different, more remote, town said what is really needed is people (families) to live in these towns, to make them viable once more. Not easy to accomplish.
Hi Emiko, your article made me nostalgic for travel long ago when I would arrive at a new destination, leave the train station with a vague idea of what to see based on a well worn travel book, and set off on foot to simply explore. I was beginning to feel a bit under prepared, or worse, irresponsible, for having days upon days of our upcoming trip to Italy wide-open with nothing planned other than a dinner reservation or food excursion sprinkled in here and there. But your words have reassured me that we may be on the right track… our off the beaten path loose itinerary is ours to explore and not a list generated by social media hotspots to be checked off. I always appreciate your perspective. Warmly, Loran Meccia
Hey Loran! It sounds like your upcoming trip will be filled with wonderful discoveries!
May I ask what are you most looking forward to exploring in Italy without a set itinerary? Enjoy yourself there too :)
Hi there, we’ve had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Italy multiple times and see the main attractions. So we are mostly looking forward to a different pace… Lounging and biking by Lake Como, driving and walking through some of the lesser known towns in Tuscany, trying restaurants that have been recommended to us in each region, hunkering down in the neighborhood in Rome where I lived as a college student, and then I exploring the relatively small region of Puglia which will be new to us. We like staying in a place for multiple days and taking it in. It does feel strange not to have a set agenda other than lodging, but perhaps it’s my wanderlust that’s taking over and allowing us to be explorers again. Plus, it’s kind of hard to go wrong in Italy ;)
Loran, that sounds like an incredible trip!
Taking a slower pace and really soaking in the places you visit is such a great way to experience Italy. Biking by Lake Como, wandering through Tuscany, and revisiting old haunts in Rome all sound like perfect ways to reconnect with the country. Exploring Puglia will be a wonderful new adventure too! It’s refreshing not to have a strict agenda—it gives you the freedom to truly enjoy the moment.
And you're right Loran, it’s pretty hard to go wrong in Italy 😉🇮🇹
I'm starting to feel that modern tourism is colonialism.
Yes to this, and of the worse species.
Great article. I wonder, do Italians own the shops selling all the same items or are businesss, apartments, and land being purchased by foreigners?
emiko, your writing about florence broke my heart. i live across the atlantic in a tiny town that attracts tourists during the summer for river and biking sports. i live on a tiny dirt road which now has two airbnbs, owned by the same people, in my family neighborhood. it's been devastating for us.
We went to the Cinque Terre in 2009 and ended up falling in love with Levanto instead. I love Liguria but for us it’s been so much more fun to explore non-Cinque towns.
Thank you Emiko for your article. It is Lauren Birmingham-Piscitelli writing - owner of Cooking Vacations Italy. www.Cooking-Vacations.com I agree with you 100% on all of your talking points. Take Away is not Italian at all and this will further ruin Italy's tourism. AIr BNB are also ruining tourism. I have heard of examples of people who walked 20 minutes down to the port in Sorrento for a pasta because they saw it on Instagram only to claim it was the worst overcooked pasta they had. What happened to the "traveler," who walked, took time to learn the history, story, passion and food culture of Italy by following their heart. The Air BNBs attract visitors who come for a night or two (yes climb precious statues, litter the streets and piazzas and skip the museums and piazzas that Italy is known for. We must stop this because the smart intelligent travelers who once came to Italy for a week and more to stop, relax, soak up the culture are going to other places. Let's pray Uber does not come here. Traditional is timeless - everyone needs to pay attention to what is happening - the same thing has happened here on the Amalfi Coast - and it is a sin.
Fully agreeing with you Emiko, and spurred by a post of Diana Bauer, my article comes out tomorrow morning . Those of us who live here and have a social media, journalistic presence can encourage visitors to be more independent, not just a mass of sheep , by writing about more historical sites , exploring lesser known spots ,not just panini.
I lived on Borgo Santa Croce in the 1970s and Via de Neri was a place I shopped for every day things. At the time it was said that you could get anything you want on Via de Neri! I’ve seen it evolve into a street I don’t recognize.
I hear you. I can still conjure up the Via de Neri of the 1980s when I lived in Florence as a young student. There are only 3 establishments still there from the 1980s (if my memory serves me correctly). Angie's Pub, Fiaschetteria, and Gelateria dei Neri, which was on the other side of the street back then.
Yes! They were all still there in 2010 when I lived on Via dei Neri. Very sad.
Yes, and they are still there today. I am unsure though if I am leaving out an establishment that was there in the 80s and is still there. The three I mentioned are the ones I definitely recall being there back in the 80s. 😉 But, as you said, many are not there anymore... fruttivendoli and small clothing shops.
I love that saying. That's what it was still like in 2010-2011 when I lived on Via dei Neri. There was the fruttivendolo, the historic butcher, the forno, the alimentari, the gastronomia. You really didn't have to go far (thank goodness as there are no decent supermarkets anywhere near there).
We traveled to Italy three years ago where we stayed a few days in Rome then a verbo near Cortona, Tuscany where we took day trips to Florence, Sienna, Montepulciano, Montalcino, and many other smaller towns, villages that simply looked too cute to pass up. While tourism in Rome and Florence was as expected, we managed to have an amazing culinary experience everywhere we went. We always try to avoid tourist food destinations and get off the beaten path to try new things and experience the local culture. A coworker recently returned from a similar trip to Italy and repeated the same issues highlighted in this article, two vastly different experiences especially when it came to dining experiences. This year, we went to Greece and Iceland, the experiences were very similar. Again, we did a few of the well known tourist stops and then headed to much quieter and rustic islands to escape the crowds and immerse in the local culture. Iceland was one of those places where tourists queued for photos of the natural wonders but they left their trash, walked on the natural landscape and would spend 30 minutes per person to take the perfect Tik Tok selfie while hundreds of tourists waited. These countries need to act swiftly to preserve their culture sites and natural wonders from being crushed by over tourism. I would return to each of these destinations in a NY minute but I would choose my itinerary and timing very carefully.