Rome is a city that is practically filled to the brim with tourists.
With a plethora of historical sites, museums, palaces, and ruins to check out it only makes sense that the tourist industry in Rome is booming. But what exactly does this mean for the city? It means fools like me are wandering around hopelessly trying to navigate the streets in an attempt to find the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain or the Colosseum. The attractions in Rome are spread far and wide throughout the city, not in one central historical part of town as one might expect. It is easy to walk into the middle of tourists snapping the cliche pic, as seen below (taken in Pisa not in Rome obviously).
Due to all the tourists, many of the shops and restaurants are aimed at offering foreigners the authentic Italian experience of pastas and mini Colosseum replicas. Although I walk by these places and think "who would want that?" obviously these places exist because other tourists buy into the products. Are these tourist attractions in Rome really much different than the tourist attractions in any other country? Isn't the tourism industry built solely upon giving the "authentic" experience of life in another country? I think back at home we just don't notice that the same annoying street vendors and same terrible "authentic" food stores exist because we might avoid tourist areas altogether. Maybe getting the truest Roman experience requires a tourist to go to somewhere off the map, somewhere out of the center of town.
Sometimes when I go for a run, I just pick any street and I have seen a different side of Rome that I don't around the Colosseum area where I live. People are sitting outside, relaxing and enjoying the night. Windows of houses are open and it almost seems more lived-in than around Via Labicana where I live. I think it's giving a try to head out to a part of town without any big historic monuments or famous restaurants and maybe you will find a part of Rome that you didn't know existed.
Become a Tourist of Roma Just Like Me!
With a plethora of historical sites, museums, palaces, and ruins to check out it only makes sense that the tourist industry in Rome is booming. But what exactly does this mean for the city? It means fools like me are wandering around hopelessly trying to navigate the streets in an attempt to find the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain or the Colosseum. The attractions in Rome are spread far and wide throughout the city, not in one central historical part of town as one might expect. It is easy to walk into the middle of tourists snapping the cliche pic, as seen below (taken in Pisa not in Rome obviously).
Due to all the tourists, many of the shops and restaurants are aimed at offering foreigners the authentic Italian experience of pastas and mini Colosseum replicas. Although I walk by these places and think "who would want that?" obviously these places exist because other tourists buy into the products. Are these tourist attractions in Rome really much different than the tourist attractions in any other country? Isn't the tourism industry built solely upon giving the "authentic" experience of life in another country? I think back at home we just don't notice that the same annoying street vendors and same terrible "authentic" food stores exist because we might avoid tourist areas altogether. Maybe getting the truest Roman experience requires a tourist to go to somewhere off the map, somewhere out of the center of town. Sometimes when I go for a run, I just pick any street and I have seen a different side of Rome that I don't around the Colosseum area where I live. People are sitting outside, relaxing and enjoying the night. Windows of houses are open and it almost seems more lived-in than around Via Labicana where I live. I think it's giving a try to head out to a part of town without any big historic monuments or famous restaurants and maybe you will find a part of Rome that you didn't know existed.
Become a Tourist of Roma Just Like Me!
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