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Is it really possible to avoid the tourist trap?
I went to Rome last weekend, and truth is I didn't like it. Yes, everyone I've told this to said that I'm crazy -- "how could you not like Rome!?" is what they snapped back at me.
This is why:
- All I heard around me was English, Spanish and French -- where were all the Italians!?
- The Colosseum blew my mind -- but outside it there was a 10 piece Brazilian band getting people to samba, a puppet show, two clowns singing some ridiculous song in Spanish, and some break-dancers.
- A cappuchino cost me €3.50 everywhere in the center.
- The lines to get into any place of significance like the Vatican or the Colosseum were endless, and it wasn't even peak season.
- It felt nothing like an ancient Roman city; it felt more like Disneyland with the odd Bulgarian dressed like a gladiator as opposed to Mickey Mouse.
Maybe it was because I was only there for three days so focused on seeing the main stuff that Rome is known for, rather than going off the beaten path in search of some real Italian culture -- something I missed out on even though I was with a friend who has been living there for two years with her Italian boyfriend.
The presence of so many tourists ruined it for me (yes I know even I'm a tourist) and made me mad to the extent that I wondered why I even bothered to go to Rome.
I should have gone to Asciano or Bevagna; I would have missed Fontana di Trevi, but would have eaten some authentic risotto. But then how can you not go to Rome!? It's one of those Catch 22's.
There is a good piece on MSNBC that talks about this and recommends how to escape the tourist trap. Funny thing is, there is nothing new in the article, but yet I have no idea how I would have bypassed the tourist blast in Rome.
Filed under: Arts and Culture, Stories, Europe, Italy
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Craig Oct 27th 2007 6:17PM
The only way to do it is to plan two trips (or one long one). First, do all the tourist sights (the ones that, if missed, will make everyone say "how could you not see that!?"). Then go do the fun stuff. My second trip to Paris was an order of magnitude better than the first because I didn't have to spend days in museums and visiting landmarks -- I got right to the good old off-the-beaten-path stuff and had a blast.
A_B Oct 28th 2007 3:23AM
I lived in Rome a years ago, and just got back from a 2.5 week trip to Italy at the end of September/beginning of October (including 5 days in Rome, visited Asciano), and have to say that this blog post is incredibly obnoxious and pathetic.
It is the kind of thing an incredibly lazy and "privileged" tourist would write. "Boo hoo, look at all the tourists! I can't be bothered to leave the dead center of Rome. Why can't culture come to me????"
It's clear that the poster did nothing to try and see the "real" Rome away from the crowds. Probably did a circuit from the Vatican, to Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Fountain of Trevi, Spanish Steps, Colosseum, and the Forum,, sticking to the main roads, then comes complaining about how there were so many tourists.
Please.
I know for a fact that there are Italians all over even the center of Rome. Walking over one street and you won't hear a single non-Italian voice. I was just there, staying in the heart of Rome near Piazza Navona, and it took less than a minute to find quiet streets of small shops, and "the Italians" away from the maddening crowd. Streets that took me to the crowded sights, but allowed me to avoid these crowds to and from.
I had a leg up knowing Rome without need for a map, but these streets are all parallel to the main ones. It takes a few minutes to look at a map to find them.
"where were all the Italians!?" This statement is unreal. Why do they allow you to blog here? You should not be speaking of "other places" given your obvious inability to do anything to educate yourself about a local.
"A cappuchino [sic] cost me €3.50 everywhere in the center."
Maybe it cost you €3.50, but I was buying cappuccnos every day for €1.50 across from the Piazza Navona on Via Vittorio Emmanuelle II. Were you getting table service?
"The lines to get into any place of significance like the Vatican or the Colosseum were endless, and it wasn't even peak season."
I used Rick Steve's guide and literally walked into the Vatican Museum with no line. I walked into the Colosseum and skipped past the line in high season. How? Research. Took me a few minutes, sure, but I didn't wait in line at all.
(Vatican Museum: go in the afternoon on a weekday; Colosseum: buy your ticket at the Forum and walk over to the Colosseum (they're next to each other)).
"It felt nothing like an ancient Roman city; it felt more like Disneyland with the odd Bulgarian dressed like a gladiator as opposed to Mickey Mouse."
Yeah, maybe if it wasn't abundantly clear that you made zero effort to actually try and see anything except the tourists sights in the center of Rome, it wouldn't feel like that.
Asciano is boring, for the record.
Ironically, I'm incredibly sympathetic the the gist of this post. Every time I go to Italy, the crowds get a little worse. It's depressing.
However, the fact that Italy is becoming more touristy isn't an excuse to be lazy and claim that it's impossible to avoid tourists, particularly with Rome where it's very easy to avoid the tourist traps and the crowds.
In much of Italy, it is getting harder and harder to avoid the crowds.
Venice? Yeah, it's tough to get off the beaten path since so much is beaten.
Florence? Similar to Venice, you have to try pretty hard to see stuff of interest that isn't overrun (the Pitti Palace was relatively desolate while the Uffizi was a madhouse at the very same time).
Siena? Getting worse every year, but not too hard to get away from it all.
Tuscany? You can still find undisturbed areas (e.g., Asciano), but in other towns (e.g., Cortona, Montelcino), the tourists stick to the main streets in town. And if one is looking for a "real" city and not some hill town, Bologna is pretty tourist free.
But to say that Rome has succumbed to tourism is really weak given how easy it is to get away from the crowds. I'm talking one block. It's not a Catch-22. Not even close. It just takes a few minutes of planning and research.
Sheynk Oct 28th 2007 6:41AM
A_B
While you posted a huge amount of great information there is really no need to insult the original poster. For a tourist that does not travel a whole lot and wants to tour Rome really has basic guides and pre-made tours to rely on.
Honestly.... every easily accessible tourist location is way too hot (those parts of town are heat traps of molten rock!), there are no natives to speak off, and it is a major "circus."
I honestly believe that the best way to experience Italy is to rent a car and go exploring Northern Italy's smaller towns (personal preference!)
This problem is common to all the huge cities though. Think about Madrid, London, Berlin, etc. All are massive tourist attractions and most tourists are not adventurous enough... (or wealthy enough to stray from the pre-made tours that have huge economies of scale as far as vehicle rental, mass hotel bookings, etc).... so what they do is they create attraction type activities that most people will want to do (historic buildings, museums, parks with famous fountains/statues).
Just wanted to point out that it wasn't particularly "lazy" or "privileged" of the poster.... perhaps a bit "touristy".... but come on man, skip the sarcasm since you don't know the whole story.
As far as the poster....
you post a whole lot here.... you should know better than to spend your time in Rome standing in lines!!!
take it easy!
mind the errors
Abha Oct 28th 2007 10:20AM
Craig: Yeah, I think the next time I go to Rome it will definitely be better. I'm normally not fussed about seeing famous monuments, but it just seemed wrong not to in Rome.
Anonymous Bastard: Seems like you've had a bad day. I think the mistake I made this trip was depend on my friend to take me around -- since she has been living there so long, I wanted her to show me Rome through her eyes. Anyway, thank you for enlightening with your wisdom on how to see authentic Rome.
Abha Oct 28th 2007 10:19AM
Sheynk: I didn't stand in any lines! :) But yeah, as a seasoned traveler I should have been able to avoid the general tourist gush. Oh well, every once in a while, you fall in the trap -- I guess it helps you make conscious effort not to the next time round.