Firenze
It’s taken me 30 years to take a trip back to Florence. I remember that I didn’t like it much at 20 something. I wondered, would I feel differently 30 yrs later?
We arrived by train. And I immediately noticed the impact of over-tourism: a plethora of shiny shops, a lot of over-priced packets of pasta and multiple mini replicas of Michael Angelo’s David. We walked on by.
We made a beeline for our hotel on a quiet street, a welcome stroll along the Fiume Arno, far from the crowds. We had no appetite to settle in at one of the many restaurants in the Centro Storico displaying picture menus, printed in multiple languages.
Later we opted for local dishes featuring Tuscan ingredients: cheeses, truffle, pears cooked in Chianti and a lush lattaiolo brule. And we chatted with the chef in Italian about food, life and over-tourism.
I wonder, what is the answer? What would truly sustainable tourism look like? A city centre like Florence is thriving because of tourists. If people stopped visiting, businesses would fold. But the hoards of visitors rushing about, dragging wheelie cases over ancient cobblestones was vile. And this was ‘off-peak’.
Have you visited any popular destination that is a good model for sustainable tourism?
Maggie M / Mother City Time
