la gente della via

The people that can be found on the streets of Rome come in very different shapes and sizes. There are the locals, the tourists, the gypsies/people of the street, and the vendors-- to name a few. In the picture to the right we have an example of one of the people of the street. "Gypsy" is the term most commonly used to refer to these beggars and derives from the word Egyptian, as was discussed in class. Most of the gypsies are of Middle Eastern decent and have difficulty getting jobs in Europe due to extreme discrimination.

There is a wide array of opinions on the gypsies. Some deny their existence, others strongly disapprove of these "scam artists", while others feel sympathy towards them. I have mixed feelings about the group, and depending on the type of gypsy I see I interact in all three ways towards them. It is hard because you cannot tell which ones are the scam artists, or which ones are gypsies and legitimately need the help. For example, I do not see the significance of the beggar dressing up as a mummy, does that have some deeper kind of meaning? Is the person under this costume actually a gypsy, or is it an American or an Asian person looking to get some money? I would never know because the mask conceals the true identity.



More Info on Gypsies
Warnings about beggars
Day in the life of a beggar