thick Trevi Fountain square It’s been a long time since we stopped seeing each other. During the day, human occupation per square centimeter makes it almost impossible for the ‘sanpietrini’ – those tiny cobblestones that can still be walked on in many of the streets in central Rome – to caress the sun except on rare occasions. The same thing happens on the sidewalks in the center of Via del Corso. Colosseum, in front of the Pantheon and in Plaza de España. Left, right and center, in a group, in pairs or alone, a wave of tourists walks, stops and… click. goodbye epidemic and Welcome ‘selfie’ in front of the fountain anita ekberg washed or walked on the steps John Keats (although fewer and fewer people remember both).
Newspapers no longer write about the subject, and it has long ceased to surprise the Romans. What happens every day is not news or discussion. Moreover 15 million people visited the capital Italy in 2022 (176% more than in 2021) and hardly any low season (i.e. seasons when there should be fewer tourists). Hoteliers also say that 2023 is on track to repeat or exceed the trend.
Ovidio De Ierolamo is the owner of a hotel. Venice square and another navona square, He says the innovation is in those numbers, which he’s been managing since 2010. “The truth is that always been a tourist but in rome there has never been this much before; Never. This is because restrictions are lifted. Since then, more and more people have not stopped coming,” he confirms. “This is insane. In our case it already exists. all for rent until june and more than half of our rooms are already booked for September. “The forecast is that our gross profit will grow between 25% and 30% compared to the years before the pandemic.”
modern olympics
Dying from success can be a problem. Hostels and restaurants complain of a lack of staff; workers (some) say it is due to low wages. Old problems are still unresolved. As a result, the industry needs 15,000 waiters and can’t find them, as complained Claudio Pica, president of the Fiepet Confesercenti union. “We need to work on a new type of contract for these workers. Holidays should be deducted from overtime,” Pica suggested boldly, without yet getting any response.
The number of people who wonder whether or not is not few. eternal city Will the arrival of so many people be able to withstand, and what impact will this phenomenon have on the rise in restaurant, bar and accommodation prices and the proliferation of stalls? souvenirs and for (already very high) real estate prices where residents of the central regions live.
A separate topic, many rubbish created and that although the authorities do not like to answer such questions, the cleaning service of Rome City Hall barely managed to collect it from the streets. It’s not uncommon to see trash containers overflowing in front of a Bernini or perhaps Rome’s most fascinating and seductive temple, the Pantheon. A -don’t forget- a site that depicts the many cities of Olympus that the Empire conquered over the centuries.
‘Itanol’ on board
Planes do not stop landing in the capital of Italy. According to the figures of Assoaeroporti, approximately 33 million passengers disembarked in the city were reached in the whole of 2022. Ryanair, Italy’s largest airline, also announced its opening. 16 new routes to RomeAn increase in flight frequency on 16 more routes, with an investment of €1,500 million in the Italian capital’s two airports. They will join those arriving by boat, train or car.
“There are a lot of people”. It’s a phrase we hear and repeat these days in Rome, but also in Paris, Barcelona or Madrid. In reality, what we may have overlooked is that there are many people who migrated between these cities, just as their grandparents did on their way from one town to another. Hungarian company WizzAir understood this very well and announced that with full expansion (previously the leader only in Eastern Europe), it will increase the number of routes to Rome to 66 by the summer of 2023. Connecting Rome and Madrid. It’s not unusual to hear children talk on these planes. Italian and Spanish mix. they ‘call’ ititañol’.