Florence in the Mornings
In the early mornings, Florence is quiet, as the majority of the millions of tourists flocking to the city every summer still lay sleeping. My 8:00 AM walk to class is a rare time of peace in the lively city. You can sense the anticipation, as the city awaits the chaos of thousands crowding the historical city centre. The streets are calm, save for the timely sounds of church bells and local business owners preparing to open. I walk idly over the Ponte Vecchio with a cappuccino from a nearby cafe and enjoy the beautiful sites, watching as the city begins to come alive.
As the day goes on, it’s easy to be distracted and irritated by the crowds as I navigate the swells of tourists who stroll in blissful ignorance of their surroundings. But in the mornings, I take a little longer, look a little harder, and notice a little more beyond the facade of Florence, the vacation destination. Florence in the mornings is special. Florence in the mornings feels a little more like home.
However, by midday, the chaos resumes after its unfortunately short interlude, and I’m back on high alert, struggling through the floods of visitors. I pay attention for both of us, weaving through tour groups and around photoshoots. I avoid crashing into people as they stop abruptly in the middle of the street, eyes glued to their phones. I notice the traffic fighting to accommodate for clueless pedestrians who step directly into cars’ paths. Sometimes I hear the ambulance on its way, knowing its route cuts right through the Piazza del Duomo. The tourists are slow to move, even with the emergency sirens blaring, as if their do-not-disturb vacation status blurs their senses of reality.
As a study abroad student, I am also a visitor here, though my extended stay has allowed me to see the city in a new light. My favourite aspect of my time in Florence has been the fading of the rose-coloured lenses which glamorize the city as the dream vacation advertised through the media. Now, I feel able to appreciate the city in its true glory, rich with history and culture, but most significantly as someone’s home. I am also increasingly
aware of the sacrifices made and patience required by the local population to tolerate the millions of tourists who disrupt their daily lives. While my time here will inevitably come to an end, Florence is home to over 300,000 permanent residents. The personal inconvenience to my day and extra care I take to not get caught up or crashed into by the crowds is no more than irritating, though I grow more questioning of the consequences and impact of the mass tourism industry on local populations.
Early on in my stay, a main street was blocked off as a parade of Florentine locals marched with purpose in an economic protest, a stark contrast to the typical crowds of outsiders which often block roads and hinder local traffic. I stood on the sidelines alongside irritated tourists, listening to their grumblings about how the demonstration inconvenienced their plans. I wonder if it ever crossed their mind how many locals have to alter their own plans or take longer routes to accommodate the challenges caused by crowds. I question how much of a city has to change to compromise with the millions of visitors with which it must share its resources and lifestyle. The protest is a striking reminder of the lives and community that reside in the city, no matter how it unpleasantly coincides with those lost in the hazy daydream of their vacation.
It seems that visitors often forget that a city is not a resort. Florence is understandably a dream place to visit for many, and has quickly become one of my favourite cities in the world. But it’s frustrating to witness entitlement and overhear ignorant comments from much of the tourist crowd, and hard to imagine my own home being treated this way. The ‘#eurosummer’ dream vacation sold to us by the media contributes to the unwarranted entitlement, as places like Florence are portrayed idealistically, almost as theme parks rather than the settings of peoples’ actual lives. Culture too easily becomes a consumable commodity for an ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ fantasy, where tourists are the main characters and local life becomes an aesthetic background to their journey of self-discovery. The hard truth is that your dream vacation may be impeding on the ability of someone to live their daily life in their own home.
Tourism is a significant industry to many countries’ economies, and can be important to the creation of local jobs. Tourism can even contribute to the rebuilding and restoring of historical and cultural sites. But it can also have detrimental consequences. In many cities, locals have begun protesting the industry, which displaces residents and increases costs of living. In Venice, excess pollution is caused by the many large cruise ships which dock its ports. Prague’s residents complain of the excessive noise caused by tourists taking advantage of the city’s beer culture. Hawaii’s native residents have long spoken out against the tourism industry causing an overconsumption of resources and a deterioration of the natural landscape, as well as visitors ignorantly stealing souvenirs from the environment. The enticing and rich cultures and customs are what draw tourists to these locations, but are unfortunately often twisted and commodified for the pleasure of consumption.
In no way should this discourage anyone from travelling, and I don’t seek to vilify every tourist and aspect of the industry. There is so much to gain, and travelling can be a welcome escape from your own reality as well as a meaningful learning experience. I know I’m already searching for reasons to come back to Florence in the future, and thinking of all the other places I’d love to see. But there are certainly ways to be more conscientious while travelling, including by being informed about the destination and environment in which you will be immersing yourself. A trip to Florence might be an escape from your reality, but you are entering someone else’s. Most people have nothing but good intentions, and only seek to enjoy what a place has to offer. What comes across as disrespectful is often likely unintentional or unconscious, but it remains that sometimes a wake-up call is necessary. It’s easy to get lost in the consumable lifestyle sold to us by an industry which greedily takes advantage of environments and culture. But we have our own autonomy to educate ourselves on how to act gracefully and respectfully in a foreign environment. Sometimes we need a reminder that on vacation, we are not the main character. We are guests in someone else’s home.
Illustration: Sydney Hanson
