Unfortunately, I agree with this analysis. Take Bologna, for example. We have a large number of foreign residents here, primarily due to the University of Bologna and the presence of many American universities. Since foreign tourists discovered it, word of mouth has started to spread. The city's high quality of life, services, safety, strategic geographical location, history, and food options are among its greatest assets. Many Europeans and non-Europeans are interested in purchasing a home here. They are looking for large houses in historic buildings, which has pushed property prices to skyrocket. Meanwhile, the city is experiencing a slow but inexorable erosion of its soul. I would add an aspect that does not concern cities, but small towns and rural areas where many foreigners have been living for years, and which have become nursing homes for wealthy foreigners. This also makes it clear that Italy's future is increasingly out of the hands of Italians. Di doman non v'è certezza....
Your take on Bologna saddens me a little, Monica. As I was writing, I was unsure whether I should single out the five metro areas I mentioned in the post or add a sixth, Bologna. I've been to the city many times, but I can't say I know it well. In the end, I decided to exclude it because it didn't seem as extreme as the other five. But your comment makes me think I may have been mistaken.
This newsletter touches on something very real! Bologna has welcomed students and professors for centuries, many of whom have stayed to live here. After all, in the Middle Ages, porticoes were built as illegal extensions to existing houses to meet a new demand for housing. So what has changed compared to the distant and recent past? I believe that the current movement of people is colliding with an unprecedented point of collapse in the country, with a significant aging of the majority of the Italian population and, finally, with a change in the concept of identity (the push towards homologation that can be felt throughout the Western world is perhaps the worst eraser of the last few decades). I do not claim to be exhaustive, and my opinions do not judge anyone. I find it normal that beauty and quality of life attract people. However, to sprinkle a little optimism on this topic, I will add just one thing. Ten years ago in Bologna, the sfogline (women who make fresh pasta with a rolling pin) were disappearing. That means that few Bolognese who appreciated the local cuisine. The arrival of tourists and new residents has revived the local cuisine, and even the Bolognese have begun to look at their heritage with new eyes. In the process of reconfiguring Italian identity, foreigners take something away and add something else. They are often the ones who preserve aspects of tradition.
Meanwhile, a lot of Italians prefer to sell magnets for tourists (demonstrating, moreover, that they are only capable of attracting a specific type of tourism). Thanks, Eric. I'm already looking forward to the newsletter on Meloni. I like reading your newsletter because it gives me an interesting perspective on Italy and, dare I say it, a very Italian one.
I’m not saying that prices in Bologna (or Milan, or elsewhere) aren’t rising — they are. But I think we’re pointing fingers in the wrong direction.
You blame foreign students, but the reality — in Bologna as in Milan, and even in cities like London — is that they’ve often been invited in. They’re not necessarily harming the city; in many cases, they’re filling empty seats left behind by disappearing Italian students. The real issue is the creation of growing demand without a corresponding growth in affordable housing supply.
I seriously doubt these students are the ones buying large apartments in historic buildings. And data shows that the desertification of our historic centers began well before Airbnb or international students arrived. These empty spaces — thankfully — are attracting investors, particularly in areas where Italians have either moved away or preferred more modern and comfortable housing.
We can’t blame foreigners (like Eric? Eric... invaders like you...) who choose to live here, enjoy the country, contribute to local life, and often become — in many ways — more “Italian” than we are. As an entrepreneur involved in regeneration/repopulation projects across rural Italy (have a look - if you want - at ITS journal here on Substack), I can tell you that many of these areas are dying. Italians generally don’t want to live there. Most residents are elderly. And it’s often foreigners who step in to see the value we’ve stopped seeing — not just in the buildings, but in the cultural and natural heritage too.
Should we blame them? They’re not kicking us out — they’re simply filling what we abandoned.
And unless we go back and start living in these places — and, to be fair, some Italians are starting to rediscover the lifestyle and opportunities there — we can’t point fingers at those who are making that choice in our place.
And let’s be clear: these aren’t the wealthy pensioners we saw for decades in Spain — the Northern Europeans settling into sunny retirement. Many of these newcomers are in their 30s to 50s, actively working and contributing. The rich retirees you mention are more likely to settle into beautiful city palaces or countryside villas — the same ones our grandparents abandoned and which sat untouched for 50 years, until someone — perhaps an Englishman, an American, or a Swede — decided to restore them.
The problem isn’t who’s arriving. It’s who left.
Yes, prices are rising — but because we created the demand through promotion, without preparing for the consequences. And without those arrivals, we might still have beautiful cities… but they would be empty, old, and frozen in time. Not Pompeii after the volcano — but something even sadder: a country where it’s the people, not the lava, who disappeared.
There's a lot to unpack in this response, Matteo. But first and foremost, thanks for defending thoughtful foreigners who choose to call Italy home!
I think the most important point is that Italy remains unprepared for the consequences of the interest in the country it's created.
For anyone else reading this, do check out Matteo's ITS Journal (www.itsjournal.com). I've only started reading recently, but so far it seems to reflect a lot of the sensibilities I see in the comments section here at The Italian Dispatch.
Invaders? lol! I'm sorry you read my comment as if I were pointing fingers, because I'm not. In this comment, I touched on a point without fully reflecting on it. I apologize for this. However, in Bologna, property prices are skyrocketing due to demand from people from abroad. The same happens in the not-so-glamour Bolognese Appennino where instead of Americans, there are Germans. To me, that changing is not good or bad. Simply that’s it :)
I regularly monitor property prices across rural Italy. There are millions of empty houses, and the market is extremely illiquid. So it's actually a good thing when someone steps in to bring these places back to life—whether by buying a second home or relocating permanently.
There’s no real economic rationale behind some of the absurd asking prices in the middle of nowhere. Actual transactions—when they happen—occur at market value, which is often just a fraction of those inflated figures.
Ironically, many Italians who own abandoned homes in small villages now seem to think they're sitting on a hidden treasure. Often, they’re the same people who complain about the so-called “invasion” (not referring to you or Bologna, of course—I mean the smaller villages) of outsiders returning to the places they themselves abandoned.
Personally, I welcome these newcomers. Their presence creates demand for services, restaurants, shops, and jobs for locals. In some cases, even young families return and start building something meaningful. It’s a small but hopeful sign that something good might grow from all this.
And to be clear, I’m not talking about wealthy people turning villages into luxury resorts. I’m talking about modest foreign families settling in forgotten places, embracing our wonderful simplicity—something we Italians largely walked away from decades ago.
Many of us still live under the illusion that we’re in some version of la dolce vita, while in reality, most of the time, we’re not. (Well… I don’t—I live somewhere between London and a few small Italian villages, like a bit of a nomad.)
You can't imagine how much I agree with you! I have a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, and a PhD, and I worked for 20 years at the university as a researcher in contemporary history. I have taken part in national research projects, and my work on Freemasonry is quoted by the Historical Archives of the Chamber of Deputies. After 20 years of hard work, never employed, I said "enough is enough". But without people from abroad who are genuinely passionate about Italian culture, I wouldn't have a job. I reshape my life thanks to wonderful people, all foreigners, who appreciate my knowledge and skills, my simple humanity, and support me in so many kind and warm ways. If they want, they can even buy my house (lol).
I agree too, Monica, even though my husband and I are among the guilty! After many visits to Bologna over the years (from the early 1980’s), and a semester teaching at the University of Bologna, we finally bought a small apartment in the Centro. The fast train from Firenze led to the “discovery” of Bologna as a tourist destination.
Please Barbara, Please don't say that, Barbara. Without tourists who become residents, many places would be abandoned entirely. Italy is changing because its population is aging. No children means no future. The reasons that prompt elderly Italians to live abroad are multiple (above all, economic - but that problem is not directly connected with the recent phenomenon I described in my comment, which started before; and the hope of living in a better place). I don't think anyone is to blame; if anything, it's a natural evolutionary process. So, thank to be here!
We don't know each other, Barbara, but I have to agree with @MonicaCampagnoli's reply. Maybe half of "belonging" comes from someone's birthplace and upbringing. But the other half is a state of mind, and I think someone foreign born can do that as well as anyone.
A few weeks ago, for a post called "Rome’s Urban Memory Keeper," I interviewed Canadian historian Anthony Majanlahti. He's a long-time resident of Rome who is working on an ambitious urban history of the city.
I asked Majanlahti how he'd answer critics who'd say the book should be written by a Roman. He said he'd tell them, "I am a Roman." If you're interested I'll let you find the post to read about his reasoning. But I'd like to think that sentiment works for all of Italy and for anyone who truly seeks to understand the culture.
My guilt largely stems from the fact that my husband’s university income allowed us to buy a property in a lovely part of Bologna, so that we don’t need a car at all.
I certainly feel “Italian” in spirit, having lived in Florence, Milan and the Trentino and having written a PhD dissertation on a Sienese artist. I wish my spoken Italian were better- university people always want to use English with us!
Hey! I use a Colosseum ashtray! (not really.....!!)
That chart is depressing. Was it from ISTAT?
As someone who feels like a visitor here in the country she was born in (I mostly grew up in the US but was born in Italy) I can say that the state of mind is more important than birthplace. I have an Italian passport and last name & I speak Italian w/o an accent, but I still feel like foreigner sometimes. I know some foreigners who have lived here for a long time and who fit in better than I do most of the time.
Great article Eric. Now to convince tourists that real authentic Italy exists, if only you dare venture out of the comfort zones set out in the pages of travel guides...
So true. I’m reading too many posts about how “this doesn’t really happen in Italy”.. perhaps it doesn’t in the center of Rome, but it does in my little hometown. It’s not just a romanticized version of Italy, it’s real, maybe it just doesn’t look as fancy as it does online.
I think that's got to be a big part of the solution for the over-tourism problem, convincing the most adventurous visitors to get off the tourist trail. But it's easier said than done. Even when I personally lobby friends and family to try something besides the Napes-Rome-Florence-Venice corridor I have a hard time succeeding.
Hi, Eric. Thank you, as always for drilling down on this topic. The numbers are quite astonishing! This is happening in the home we left in the US - Charleston, SC. One a sleepy, fairy-dusted place, it is now a magnet for tourists and moneyed northerners. Locals have head for the hills (literally, to the mountains near Asheville.) We felt it so tragically in Florence after visiting there for 20 years, when we decided to move to Italy, we chose Pistoia, 30 min from Florence and 30 min from the shadow of tourism that eventually seems to crowd out the light.
I was very near Charleston last summer (Isle of Palms) and it seemed like a different world than what I remembered from a visit there in the 1990s. But I can't say I know the area well.
I wonder if Pistoia will remain immune to the expanding rings of "touristification" (I made that word up for the article). Half of me thinks all of Italy will one day be impacted and the other half thinks it's impossible it'll get to that point, that humankind will profoundly change before that could happen.
Most of Italy isn’t out of sight — it’s just out of your Instagram feed.
Tour operators keep selling the same 15–20 places: Venice, Florence, Rome, Capri, Amalfi, Matera, Ostuni... squeezed into a 7–10 day “grand tour.”
That’s simply absurd. Every region deserves its own journey. Some cities need 3–4 days, not 3 hours.
Meanwhile, places like Cilento (to mention one)— just south of the Amalfi Coast, close to Salerno airport — are left out. Why? Lack of promotion, seasonal tourism, outdated infrastructure.
Overtourism isn’t just about space. It’s about time, imagination, and the unfair concentration of flows and investment. While a few hubs explode with visitors and prices, hundreds of villages sit almost empty — even though living there costs a fraction.
But change is (slowly) happening. Probably too slowly. Locals are staying, returnees are reopening businesses, foreigners are moving in. Small towns are waking up — and Italy, finally, is becoming whole again.
Gargano (where I’m from) is one of those places that mostly stays out of sight. Generally, I think that’s a good thing, as it doesn’t have to deal with what Eric mentions in this piece. As a visitor (since I now live in California), I like that. But I also realize there would be benefits to it becoming a more popular destination.
Ciao, Eric! This is my first read from you, and I think you hit the nail on the head. I had the opportunity to live in Florence for extended periods, and now in Turin. The difference is Night and Day. I tell people I feel like I'm living in a real Italian city that hasn't been touched by the American tourist yet.
I enjoyed your posts and have to say I felt a little sad in Rome this time. As someone who's lived there off and on and has family there, I feel it is losing its soul a bit. On the other hand, there are some very good comments here as to why; but your mention here of the "tourist menu" hit a chord. As someone who travels long-term often, does every place (this seems to be global now) need to sellout to the tourist with ridiculous menus and non-traditional offerings for food and "souvenirs"? Can the tourist dollar be so strong for a 7-10 day vacation that they can't live without extra ice, granola, takeaway coffee in small, medium and...big, and the likes? Of course I don't mean that places should not have international restaurants, but try to maintain the real offerings at the local places, and keep some modicum of authenticity/culture and quality even if it's tempting to offer cheap/fake and call it "Italian". There are so many other things I could go on about, but I am happy to say I did find myself roaming outside even my normal haunts and being pleasantly surprised to find Roma.
I can feel the melancholy in your comment. I empathize.
I can't blame individuals who worked hard in kitchen for years for little pay and who have a chance to cash in by catering to tourists. No individual is to blame, but when it happens en masse it's very sad. A few people in the comments said that limiting the ability of apartment owners to rent via AirBNB is key. That makes sense to me. I also think that some government support for traditional places to stay open would help.
All that said, I do think there are still places where the 'authentic' Rome survives. It's just 2 or 3 metro stops further out than it used to be.
I'm not surprised this is happening whatsoever.. the same sort of thing in Hollywood California made it so much easier for me to leave the place and head back east.
That's a shame that not a single person has arrived at a formula that can forge a thriving economy without sacrificing the incredible sense of national pride due to Italy's incredible culture and profound history.
I'll wrap up and make room for another Italian dispatch reader who probably has something more poignant to say. As always, I did enjoy it and happy birthday once again to our talented author!
A few people here have talked about the evils of AirBNB in terms of driving residents away from attractive destinations. I don't know how big a factor AirBNB and the like are, but it's surely not irrelevant.
My observation on this is from our experience in Florence, where my wife and I have spent a couple of months per year over the last 15 years. Over that time, we have seen the number of tourists and establishments that cater to them increase dramatically, while the number of locals living in the centro storico has gone the opposite direction as they can no longer afford the rents there. On a recent trip, we saw an Italian friend who still lives in the center. He has two small children and said he didn’t know what he would do when all the schools close. That’s how few locals are left.
My opinion is that there is a simple reason why this has happened—short term apartment rentals. All those extra tourists won’t come without places to stay, and short term rentals on Airbnb and others supply them. There are signs that both Italy and Florence recognize the problem. Italy now requires all short term apartments to be registered with the state or face a fine. Florence has banned lockboxes, and for sales in the center no longer permits short term rentals by the new owners. Unfortunately, none of these measures will work, as they are not stringent enough. The only thing that will work is to ban short term rentals of 30 days or less, as was done in NYC and elsewhere. This will make the rental apartments available again to locals under non-tourist leases. It will also cause hotel prices in the center to increase, and maybe that will drive tourists to other cheaper spots than the overbooked places cited by Eric.
I hadn't thought about the full vulgar impact of the short-term rentals until you and a couple of other people brought it up in the comments, and I must say that it makes great sense to me. I have a feeling that'll be fodder for a future newsletter post.
Good analysis and I can extrapolate it for Portugal too. Countries are drowning in tourism looking all for the same “experience”, while their livable cities are made un-livable due to the declining services.
This is one of those complex issues. I said this is an earlier comment, but if I spent my whole adult life running a authentic restaurant for a very modest financial return, and as I got older I had a chance to make a good payout by shifting gears away from the diminishing local population to the busloads of tourists -- I'd probably do it. But when everyone does it, the soul of the place is lost.
It's a systematic problem that I think won't be fixed by shaming the restaurant owners. Policy should be geared toward preventing the flight of people fleeing the city centers by keeping rents low, keeping important services (pharmacies, hardware stores, etc.) around, and so on. Easier said than done. But the strategy several others here have made of reducing the temptation for apartment owners to become AirBNB operators is a good start.
P.S. I'm jealous you're in Portugal! You know better than I do, but in some ways the country reminds me of an earlier era in Italy (plus port wine!).
I agree to a point, the issue with restaurant ownership is that it is increasingly a business (at least in Lisbon, because in Spain is already a phenomenon) where the “‘mom and pop shop” are priced out by investment funds. The latest restaurant opened in Lisbon? Fismuler, inside a Melia hotel, both belonging to funds.
This is what is emptying our cities of meaning.
I have the luck to live between Lisbon and the Dolomites (where also there are pockets that are becoming over crowded with tourism, but less so than Lisbon). In many ways, Portugal still has some pristine areas compared to Italy (at least the parts known by foreigners) but for how long? It’s a matter of time as well.
Wow, Eric, so much connects us it's absurd. My favourite dish growing up was Fettuccine Alfredo and my dad would take me out to fancy Italian restaurants in Toronto and that's all I would order, every place, every time. That said, the Italian-Canadian in me says "che mangiacake".
In 2010 I told my good friend from Florence that I had the answer to Italy’s tourist problem. I recommended that Italy and the Catholic Church combine forces and run tourism from 7am to 2am using proximity-based ticketing. Tourists would book entry to neighborhoods (tapping in and tapping out), museums, churches, and monuments and would pay on a sliding scale: 10 AM entry 100 Euros, 1AM Entry 5 Euros, etc. for those who did not book in advance there would be a congestion charge of 50 euros automatically placed on the tourists credit card. The result would be a moderation of tourist traffic, an improvement of the tourist experience and Italy and the Catholic Church would have all the money needed to maintain their glorious heritage. You will note that Venice finally took my advice.
Similar to congestion charges in some cities, right?
To be honest, I find that kind of scenario a little dystopian. But is it any worse than what we have today? I worry we are probably headed toward some version of this.
My husband and I are most interested in the lesser known tourist spots of a country. We are less city oriented and more countryside for vacations.
Your story conjured up all sorts of philosophical questions in my mind about assimilation in a new country; the preservation of mom and pop businesses, free market dynamics, and so much more. When I think about tourism specifically and the upper middle class or upper class with second homes vs new immigration of the poor or middle class, I wonder how each group affects a new country differently.
Italy is a very special place, I hope it doesn’t lose it’s Italian-ness.
The prices in the hospitality realm have become outrageous. As you know I live near el mundo de Mickey, and during 2022-2023 as the world opened back up to travel “after” Covid, the increases in resort pricing was stunning, and full service restaurants escalated their prices significantly too, and people just opened their wallets and paid. It was baffling to me. I kept thinking, did any of these people learn about supply and demand? I used to say the same when people would line up overnight for a new Apple product. Why not just tell Steve Jobs you will pay anything? It will be available past the opening launch of a new product; it isn’t a numbered piece from Lalique. Maybe this was just an American phenomenon, and my POV is probably very US centric.
I sounds to me it is similar in Europe with tourists paying high prices for hotels and food and accepting it as normal. Very disturbing to me is entrance fees for so many museums are so costly. Bringing a family of four can easily be $100US or more for one hour in a small museum. I kept thinking maybe I am just old and can’t get used to new prices.
I'm sure there were people in the past who warned about the evils of what were then new trends we now think are authentic. But it's different watching these wonderful parts of the world eroding in real time.
P.S. I have found Florida very expensive on recent trips.
Excellent post. I am not sure how to turn this around, but, were I king for a day, I would boost hotel taxes and limit short term rentals to 60 days per year and tax that too. All the taxes should be reinvested - in full - to keep the doors open to that wonderful church that has been shuttered, yet houses glorious frescoes that can no longer be viewed, or the restoration of bridges, improved public transit, etc. But, I am not king, and tourist dollars speak loudly.
When there are no longer enough locals to sustain the butcher, baker, hardware store, dry cleaner and all there rest, then it is Disneyland, with 'authentic' Murano glass made you know where...., which nobody wants, except those so oblivious that all they can manage is their bucket list and a selfie for their insta account.
I'd probably make different decisions if I had that temp job. For one, I'd want to eject anyone who tries to use a flash to take a photo of a mountain or a sunset. I'd also penalize people who think the words "tourist menu" on a restaurant door make it more attractive.
More seriously, more revenue spent well would be a big part of any solution. Hoteliers effectively oppose proposals for higher taxes on stays, but I think it's a good idea. Economists say you should tax what you want less of, and for me that could include people whose desire to see Italy is impacted by an extra €20 a night on their room.
Unfortunately, I agree with this analysis. Take Bologna, for example. We have a large number of foreign residents here, primarily due to the University of Bologna and the presence of many American universities. Since foreign tourists discovered it, word of mouth has started to spread. The city's high quality of life, services, safety, strategic geographical location, history, and food options are among its greatest assets. Many Europeans and non-Europeans are interested in purchasing a home here. They are looking for large houses in historic buildings, which has pushed property prices to skyrocket. Meanwhile, the city is experiencing a slow but inexorable erosion of its soul. I would add an aspect that does not concern cities, but small towns and rural areas where many foreigners have been living for years, and which have become nursing homes for wealthy foreigners. This also makes it clear that Italy's future is increasingly out of the hands of Italians. Di doman non v'è certezza....
Your take on Bologna saddens me a little, Monica. As I was writing, I was unsure whether I should single out the five metro areas I mentioned in the post or add a sixth, Bologna. I've been to the city many times, but I can't say I know it well. In the end, I decided to exclude it because it didn't seem as extreme as the other five. But your comment makes me think I may have been mistaken.
This newsletter touches on something very real! Bologna has welcomed students and professors for centuries, many of whom have stayed to live here. After all, in the Middle Ages, porticoes were built as illegal extensions to existing houses to meet a new demand for housing. So what has changed compared to the distant and recent past? I believe that the current movement of people is colliding with an unprecedented point of collapse in the country, with a significant aging of the majority of the Italian population and, finally, with a change in the concept of identity (the push towards homologation that can be felt throughout the Western world is perhaps the worst eraser of the last few decades). I do not claim to be exhaustive, and my opinions do not judge anyone. I find it normal that beauty and quality of life attract people. However, to sprinkle a little optimism on this topic, I will add just one thing. Ten years ago in Bologna, the sfogline (women who make fresh pasta with a rolling pin) were disappearing. That means that few Bolognese who appreciated the local cuisine. The arrival of tourists and new residents has revived the local cuisine, and even the Bolognese have begun to look at their heritage with new eyes. In the process of reconfiguring Italian identity, foreigners take something away and add something else. They are often the ones who preserve aspects of tradition.
Meanwhile, a lot of Italians prefer to sell magnets for tourists (demonstrating, moreover, that they are only capable of attracting a specific type of tourism). Thanks, Eric. I'm already looking forward to the newsletter on Meloni. I like reading your newsletter because it gives me an interesting perspective on Italy and, dare I say it, a very Italian one.
Monica, I might disagree with a few points here.
I’m not saying that prices in Bologna (or Milan, or elsewhere) aren’t rising — they are. But I think we’re pointing fingers in the wrong direction.
You blame foreign students, but the reality — in Bologna as in Milan, and even in cities like London — is that they’ve often been invited in. They’re not necessarily harming the city; in many cases, they’re filling empty seats left behind by disappearing Italian students. The real issue is the creation of growing demand without a corresponding growth in affordable housing supply.
I seriously doubt these students are the ones buying large apartments in historic buildings. And data shows that the desertification of our historic centers began well before Airbnb or international students arrived. These empty spaces — thankfully — are attracting investors, particularly in areas where Italians have either moved away or preferred more modern and comfortable housing.
We can’t blame foreigners (like Eric? Eric... invaders like you...) who choose to live here, enjoy the country, contribute to local life, and often become — in many ways — more “Italian” than we are. As an entrepreneur involved in regeneration/repopulation projects across rural Italy (have a look - if you want - at ITS journal here on Substack), I can tell you that many of these areas are dying. Italians generally don’t want to live there. Most residents are elderly. And it’s often foreigners who step in to see the value we’ve stopped seeing — not just in the buildings, but in the cultural and natural heritage too.
Should we blame them? They’re not kicking us out — they’re simply filling what we abandoned.
And unless we go back and start living in these places — and, to be fair, some Italians are starting to rediscover the lifestyle and opportunities there — we can’t point fingers at those who are making that choice in our place.
And let’s be clear: these aren’t the wealthy pensioners we saw for decades in Spain — the Northern Europeans settling into sunny retirement. Many of these newcomers are in their 30s to 50s, actively working and contributing. The rich retirees you mention are more likely to settle into beautiful city palaces or countryside villas — the same ones our grandparents abandoned and which sat untouched for 50 years, until someone — perhaps an Englishman, an American, or a Swede — decided to restore them.
The problem isn’t who’s arriving. It’s who left.
Yes, prices are rising — but because we created the demand through promotion, without preparing for the consequences. And without those arrivals, we might still have beautiful cities… but they would be empty, old, and frozen in time. Not Pompeii after the volcano — but something even sadder: a country where it’s the people, not the lava, who disappeared.
There's a lot to unpack in this response, Matteo. But first and foremost, thanks for defending thoughtful foreigners who choose to call Italy home!
I think the most important point is that Italy remains unprepared for the consequences of the interest in the country it's created.
For anyone else reading this, do check out Matteo's ITS Journal (www.itsjournal.com). I've only started reading recently, but so far it seems to reflect a lot of the sensibilities I see in the comments section here at The Italian Dispatch.
Invaders? lol! I'm sorry you read my comment as if I were pointing fingers, because I'm not. In this comment, I touched on a point without fully reflecting on it. I apologize for this. However, in Bologna, property prices are skyrocketing due to demand from people from abroad. The same happens in the not-so-glamour Bolognese Appennino where instead of Americans, there are Germans. To me, that changing is not good or bad. Simply that’s it :)
OK - settled :D
Just a small additional comment.
I regularly monitor property prices across rural Italy. There are millions of empty houses, and the market is extremely illiquid. So it's actually a good thing when someone steps in to bring these places back to life—whether by buying a second home or relocating permanently.
There’s no real economic rationale behind some of the absurd asking prices in the middle of nowhere. Actual transactions—when they happen—occur at market value, which is often just a fraction of those inflated figures.
Ironically, many Italians who own abandoned homes in small villages now seem to think they're sitting on a hidden treasure. Often, they’re the same people who complain about the so-called “invasion” (not referring to you or Bologna, of course—I mean the smaller villages) of outsiders returning to the places they themselves abandoned.
Personally, I welcome these newcomers. Their presence creates demand for services, restaurants, shops, and jobs for locals. In some cases, even young families return and start building something meaningful. It’s a small but hopeful sign that something good might grow from all this.
And to be clear, I’m not talking about wealthy people turning villages into luxury resorts. I’m talking about modest foreign families settling in forgotten places, embracing our wonderful simplicity—something we Italians largely walked away from decades ago.
Many of us still live under the illusion that we’re in some version of la dolce vita, while in reality, most of the time, we’re not. (Well… I don’t—I live somewhere between London and a few small Italian villages, like a bit of a nomad.)
You can't imagine how much I agree with you! I have a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, and a PhD, and I worked for 20 years at the university as a researcher in contemporary history. I have taken part in national research projects, and my work on Freemasonry is quoted by the Historical Archives of the Chamber of Deputies. After 20 years of hard work, never employed, I said "enough is enough". But without people from abroad who are genuinely passionate about Italian culture, I wouldn't have a job. I reshape my life thanks to wonderful people, all foreigners, who appreciate my knowledge and skills, my simple humanity, and support me in so many kind and warm ways. If they want, they can even buy my house (lol).
I agree too, Monica, even though my husband and I are among the guilty! After many visits to Bologna over the years (from the early 1980’s), and a semester teaching at the University of Bologna, we finally bought a small apartment in the Centro. The fast train from Firenze led to the “discovery” of Bologna as a tourist destination.
Please Barbara, Please don't say that, Barbara. Without tourists who become residents, many places would be abandoned entirely. Italy is changing because its population is aging. No children means no future. The reasons that prompt elderly Italians to live abroad are multiple (above all, economic - but that problem is not directly connected with the recent phenomenon I described in my comment, which started before; and the hope of living in a better place). I don't think anyone is to blame; if anything, it's a natural evolutionary process. So, thank to be here!
Thank you Monica. I will try to feel peace and gratitude- not guilt- when enjoying an apperitivo in Piazza Santo Stefano.
We don't know each other, Barbara, but I have to agree with @MonicaCampagnoli's reply. Maybe half of "belonging" comes from someone's birthplace and upbringing. But the other half is a state of mind, and I think someone foreign born can do that as well as anyone.
A few weeks ago, for a post called "Rome’s Urban Memory Keeper," I interviewed Canadian historian Anthony Majanlahti. He's a long-time resident of Rome who is working on an ambitious urban history of the city.
I asked Majanlahti how he'd answer critics who'd say the book should be written by a Roman. He said he'd tell them, "I am a Roman." If you're interested I'll let you find the post to read about his reasoning. But I'd like to think that sentiment works for all of Italy and for anyone who truly seeks to understand the culture.
My guilt largely stems from the fact that my husband’s university income allowed us to buy a property in a lovely part of Bologna, so that we don’t need a car at all.
I certainly feel “Italian” in spirit, having lived in Florence, Milan and the Trentino and having written a PhD dissertation on a Sienese artist. I wish my spoken Italian were better- university people always want to use English with us!
You have to do! I didn't mean to cause guilt. My point of view is completely free of judgment. I apologize 🤦🏻♀️
Hey! I use a Colosseum ashtray! (not really.....!!)
That chart is depressing. Was it from ISTAT?
As someone who feels like a visitor here in the country she was born in (I mostly grew up in the US but was born in Italy) I can say that the state of mind is more important than birthplace. I have an Italian passport and last name & I speak Italian w/o an accent, but I still feel like foreigner sometimes. I know some foreigners who have lived here for a long time and who fit in better than I do most of the time.
No, I made the graph myself! But I did use ISTAT data.
Great article Eric. Now to convince tourists that real authentic Italy exists, if only you dare venture out of the comfort zones set out in the pages of travel guides...
The soul of Italy lies off the beaten tracks
So true. I’m reading too many posts about how “this doesn’t really happen in Italy”.. perhaps it doesn’t in the center of Rome, but it does in my little hometown. It’s not just a romanticized version of Italy, it’s real, maybe it just doesn’t look as fancy as it does online.
I think that's got to be a big part of the solution for the over-tourism problem, convincing the most adventurous visitors to get off the tourist trail. But it's easier said than done. Even when I personally lobby friends and family to try something besides the Napes-Rome-Florence-Venice corridor I have a hard time succeeding.
Hi, Eric. Thank you, as always for drilling down on this topic. The numbers are quite astonishing! This is happening in the home we left in the US - Charleston, SC. One a sleepy, fairy-dusted place, it is now a magnet for tourists and moneyed northerners. Locals have head for the hills (literally, to the mountains near Asheville.) We felt it so tragically in Florence after visiting there for 20 years, when we decided to move to Italy, we chose Pistoia, 30 min from Florence and 30 min from the shadow of tourism that eventually seems to crowd out the light.
I was very near Charleston last summer (Isle of Palms) and it seemed like a different world than what I remembered from a visit there in the 1990s. But I can't say I know the area well.
I wonder if Pistoia will remain immune to the expanding rings of "touristification" (I made that word up for the article). Half of me thinks all of Italy will one day be impacted and the other half thinks it's impossible it'll get to that point, that humankind will profoundly change before that could happen.
Most of Italy isn’t out of sight — it’s just out of your Instagram feed.
Tour operators keep selling the same 15–20 places: Venice, Florence, Rome, Capri, Amalfi, Matera, Ostuni... squeezed into a 7–10 day “grand tour.”
That’s simply absurd. Every region deserves its own journey. Some cities need 3–4 days, not 3 hours.
Meanwhile, places like Cilento (to mention one)— just south of the Amalfi Coast, close to Salerno airport — are left out. Why? Lack of promotion, seasonal tourism, outdated infrastructure.
Overtourism isn’t just about space. It’s about time, imagination, and the unfair concentration of flows and investment. While a few hubs explode with visitors and prices, hundreds of villages sit almost empty — even though living there costs a fraction.
But change is (slowly) happening. Probably too slowly. Locals are staying, returnees are reopening businesses, foreigners are moving in. Small towns are waking up — and Italy, finally, is becoming whole again.
Gargano (where I’m from) is one of those places that mostly stays out of sight. Generally, I think that’s a good thing, as it doesn’t have to deal with what Eric mentions in this piece. As a visitor (since I now live in California), I like that. But I also realize there would be benefits to it becoming a more popular destination.
I'm glad there are so many hidden parts of Italy that remain unspoiled. I hope Gargano manages to stay the way it is.
Ciao, Eric! This is my first read from you, and I think you hit the nail on the head. I had the opportunity to live in Florence for extended periods, and now in Turin. The difference is Night and Day. I tell people I feel like I'm living in a real Italian city that hasn't been touched by the American tourist yet.
Fingers crossed for Turn!
I'm curious: how did you come across the post?
On my Notes feed and being expat from US I think the algorithm knew?!
I enjoyed your posts and have to say I felt a little sad in Rome this time. As someone who's lived there off and on and has family there, I feel it is losing its soul a bit. On the other hand, there are some very good comments here as to why; but your mention here of the "tourist menu" hit a chord. As someone who travels long-term often, does every place (this seems to be global now) need to sellout to the tourist with ridiculous menus and non-traditional offerings for food and "souvenirs"? Can the tourist dollar be so strong for a 7-10 day vacation that they can't live without extra ice, granola, takeaway coffee in small, medium and...big, and the likes? Of course I don't mean that places should not have international restaurants, but try to maintain the real offerings at the local places, and keep some modicum of authenticity/culture and quality even if it's tempting to offer cheap/fake and call it "Italian". There are so many other things I could go on about, but I am happy to say I did find myself roaming outside even my normal haunts and being pleasantly surprised to find Roma.
I can feel the melancholy in your comment. I empathize.
I can't blame individuals who worked hard in kitchen for years for little pay and who have a chance to cash in by catering to tourists. No individual is to blame, but when it happens en masse it's very sad. A few people in the comments said that limiting the ability of apartment owners to rent via AirBNB is key. That makes sense to me. I also think that some government support for traditional places to stay open would help.
All that said, I do think there are still places where the 'authentic' Rome survives. It's just 2 or 3 metro stops further out than it used to be.
I'm not surprised this is happening whatsoever.. the same sort of thing in Hollywood California made it so much easier for me to leave the place and head back east.
That's a shame that not a single person has arrived at a formula that can forge a thriving economy without sacrificing the incredible sense of national pride due to Italy's incredible culture and profound history.
I'll wrap up and make room for another Italian dispatch reader who probably has something more poignant to say. As always, I did enjoy it and happy birthday once again to our talented author!
Yeah I bet Hollywood is a decent parallel.
A few people here have talked about the evils of AirBNB in terms of driving residents away from attractive destinations. I don't know how big a factor AirBNB and the like are, but it's surely not irrelevant.
My observation on this is from our experience in Florence, where my wife and I have spent a couple of months per year over the last 15 years. Over that time, we have seen the number of tourists and establishments that cater to them increase dramatically, while the number of locals living in the centro storico has gone the opposite direction as they can no longer afford the rents there. On a recent trip, we saw an Italian friend who still lives in the center. He has two small children and said he didn’t know what he would do when all the schools close. That’s how few locals are left.
My opinion is that there is a simple reason why this has happened—short term apartment rentals. All those extra tourists won’t come without places to stay, and short term rentals on Airbnb and others supply them. There are signs that both Italy and Florence recognize the problem. Italy now requires all short term apartments to be registered with the state or face a fine. Florence has banned lockboxes, and for sales in the center no longer permits short term rentals by the new owners. Unfortunately, none of these measures will work, as they are not stringent enough. The only thing that will work is to ban short term rentals of 30 days or less, as was done in NYC and elsewhere. This will make the rental apartments available again to locals under non-tourist leases. It will also cause hotel prices in the center to increase, and maybe that will drive tourists to other cheaper spots than the overbooked places cited by Eric.
I hadn't thought about the full vulgar impact of the short-term rentals until you and a couple of other people brought it up in the comments, and I must say that it makes great sense to me. I have a feeling that'll be fodder for a future newsletter post.
Many thanks for commenting!
I am reminded of wealthy ancient Romans buying up the area around the Bay of Naples and turning Sparta into an early form of a Theme Park.
Ah, those were the days!
Good analysis and I can extrapolate it for Portugal too. Countries are drowning in tourism looking all for the same “experience”, while their livable cities are made un-livable due to the declining services.
This is one of those complex issues. I said this is an earlier comment, but if I spent my whole adult life running a authentic restaurant for a very modest financial return, and as I got older I had a chance to make a good payout by shifting gears away from the diminishing local population to the busloads of tourists -- I'd probably do it. But when everyone does it, the soul of the place is lost.
It's a systematic problem that I think won't be fixed by shaming the restaurant owners. Policy should be geared toward preventing the flight of people fleeing the city centers by keeping rents low, keeping important services (pharmacies, hardware stores, etc.) around, and so on. Easier said than done. But the strategy several others here have made of reducing the temptation for apartment owners to become AirBNB operators is a good start.
P.S. I'm jealous you're in Portugal! You know better than I do, but in some ways the country reminds me of an earlier era in Italy (plus port wine!).
I agree to a point, the issue with restaurant ownership is that it is increasingly a business (at least in Lisbon, because in Spain is already a phenomenon) where the “‘mom and pop shop” are priced out by investment funds. The latest restaurant opened in Lisbon? Fismuler, inside a Melia hotel, both belonging to funds.
This is what is emptying our cities of meaning.
I have the luck to live between Lisbon and the Dolomites (where also there are pockets that are becoming over crowded with tourism, but less so than Lisbon). In many ways, Portugal still has some pristine areas compared to Italy (at least the parts known by foreigners) but for how long? It’s a matter of time as well.
Wow, Eric, so much connects us it's absurd. My favourite dish growing up was Fettuccine Alfredo and my dad would take me out to fancy Italian restaurants in Toronto and that's all I would order, every place, every time. That said, the Italian-Canadian in me says "che mangiacake".
When's the last time you had any kind of pasta with Alfredo sauce?
Probably three decades.
That’s another thing we have in common! It’s been about 25 years for me.
In the end, it’s ALL about ALFREDO!! :)
Hahahaha. I thought about you when I was writing the post!
In 2010 I told my good friend from Florence that I had the answer to Italy’s tourist problem. I recommended that Italy and the Catholic Church combine forces and run tourism from 7am to 2am using proximity-based ticketing. Tourists would book entry to neighborhoods (tapping in and tapping out), museums, churches, and monuments and would pay on a sliding scale: 10 AM entry 100 Euros, 1AM Entry 5 Euros, etc. for those who did not book in advance there would be a congestion charge of 50 euros automatically placed on the tourists credit card. The result would be a moderation of tourist traffic, an improvement of the tourist experience and Italy and the Catholic Church would have all the money needed to maintain their glorious heritage. You will note that Venice finally took my advice.
Similar to congestion charges in some cities, right?
To be honest, I find that kind of scenario a little dystopian. But is it any worse than what we have today? I worry we are probably headed toward some version of this.
My husband and I are most interested in the lesser known tourist spots of a country. We are less city oriented and more countryside for vacations.
Your story conjured up all sorts of philosophical questions in my mind about assimilation in a new country; the preservation of mom and pop businesses, free market dynamics, and so much more. When I think about tourism specifically and the upper middle class or upper class with second homes vs new immigration of the poor or middle class, I wonder how each group affects a new country differently.
Italy is a very special place, I hope it doesn’t lose it’s Italian-ness.
The prices in the hospitality realm have become outrageous. As you know I live near el mundo de Mickey, and during 2022-2023 as the world opened back up to travel “after” Covid, the increases in resort pricing was stunning, and full service restaurants escalated their prices significantly too, and people just opened their wallets and paid. It was baffling to me. I kept thinking, did any of these people learn about supply and demand? I used to say the same when people would line up overnight for a new Apple product. Why not just tell Steve Jobs you will pay anything? It will be available past the opening launch of a new product; it isn’t a numbered piece from Lalique. Maybe this was just an American phenomenon, and my POV is probably very US centric.
I sounds to me it is similar in Europe with tourists paying high prices for hotels and food and accepting it as normal. Very disturbing to me is entrance fees for so many museums are so costly. Bringing a family of four can easily be $100US or more for one hour in a small museum. I kept thinking maybe I am just old and can’t get used to new prices.
I'm sure there were people in the past who warned about the evils of what were then new trends we now think are authentic. But it's different watching these wonderful parts of the world eroding in real time.
P.S. I have found Florida very expensive on recent trips.
Excellent post. I am not sure how to turn this around, but, were I king for a day, I would boost hotel taxes and limit short term rentals to 60 days per year and tax that too. All the taxes should be reinvested - in full - to keep the doors open to that wonderful church that has been shuttered, yet houses glorious frescoes that can no longer be viewed, or the restoration of bridges, improved public transit, etc. But, I am not king, and tourist dollars speak loudly.
When there are no longer enough locals to sustain the butcher, baker, hardware store, dry cleaner and all there rest, then it is Disneyland, with 'authentic' Murano glass made you know where...., which nobody wants, except those so oblivious that all they can manage is their bucket list and a selfie for their insta account.
I vote for Søren to be king for a day!
I'd probably make different decisions if I had that temp job. For one, I'd want to eject anyone who tries to use a flash to take a photo of a mountain or a sunset. I'd also penalize people who think the words "tourist menu" on a restaurant door make it more attractive.
More seriously, more revenue spent well would be a big part of any solution. Hoteliers effectively oppose proposals for higher taxes on stays, but I think it's a good idea. Economists say you should tax what you want less of, and for me that could include people whose desire to see Italy is impacted by an extra €20 a night on their room.