Article - Florence seeks a better class of tourist

[Pauline]

An interesting article about the current state of Florence. The few times that I have been to Florence, over 10 years ago, the center was packed with tourists. I think it is worse now. But you can get out of the center and leave the groups behind.

The Observer (UK) - Florence seeks a better class of tourist to share its besieged medieval treasures, by Stephanie Kirchgaessner, 6 December 2015
Unesco has joined critics in voicing concerns about the lack of a strategy for the future

From the article: "Cardosi complains that a Florentine cannot even buy bread in the city centre any more because the shops only sell gelato to please tourists, or alcohol to please students – groups that represent the economic lifeblood of the city."

 

[Roz]

And there is another sad story just below that:
Venice's historic buildings violated by billboards

Reading stores like this makes me glad that we were able to have many visits to Europe in the past, before so many beautiful places got so over-commercialized.

 

[ellen]

This is a not surprising result of economics. It's more apparent in Venice because it's happened faster but the same thing is developing in Florence.

First businesses determine that it's too expensive to operate in the historic center. Buildings are old and either can't be retrofitted for current business needs, or it costs too much to do so. One by one, businesses leave the city center for new facilities on the outskirts of town. Workers follow.

Later, home owners realize that their city center apartments, which are equally difficult to update to current tastes, are more valuable on a day-to-day or week-by-week rental basis, so they move to newer, bigger digs in the suburbs which are also closer to the jobs which have moved out of town. They collect a nice rent on their city center places, keep their residency in place so they can call themselves Venetians, or Florentines (and so they can hold out the possibility of moving back at some point), yet they live in nicer modern homes that cost a lot less.

Probably the only thing that will stop this progression would be either legislation preventing short term rentals (a la New York City) or economic incentives to stay that outweigh the benefits of going.