Its a beautiful morning here in Florence. The sun is shining and the air is crisp; a little Joan Jett playing in the background.
A far cry from the hustle and bustle of the ginorma-city, Rome.
WIth a little time for reflection, Ive got some thoughts about Rome.
It is a wonderful city. There is a close connection to history. There are literally hundreds of archeological sites around the city. Some fully restored, some in progress, others, just kinda hanging out. Rome is not, however, very welcoming. It is a giant tourist trap. Picture Niagara falls with spread over 1200 Km/sq with some 5 million people crawling over it. Add to that another 3 million tourists and, bingo, you have Rome. It is awash in people and any sense of community has been diluted into a murky brown haze that hangs over the city.
The population, while, in the city center to be sure, are dependent on tourism have come to resent the endless stream of travelers who don’t speak the language, don’t share the same values, who attract crime, who soil and dirty the city, who are demanding and expect a lot. The result is a relatively tense environment. When we met the owner of our apartment, he arrived, barely took the time to say hi, took his money and left us to a moldy, tiny, uncared for apartment. The place was small, but offered a lot of potential. The location was great and for the most part it functioned. However, it was clear that the owner didnt care about who took the place or how it was treated; he was much more interested in getting paid. We did all of our cooking on an electric two burner hot plate, of which the larger element did not work. There was no oven, no stove, no micro, and only a couple of pots/pans that looked like they were dug up at the Forum across the street. Not that Im complaining too much, the space offered us exactly what we needed, but it was far from charming. We managed three excellent meals on that tiny burner and my eyes were opened to the quality of Italian ingredients.
Rome is very expensive. A small 23sq/m apartment starts on the low end at about 300 000 Euros but will typically sell closer to 1 000 000. The people who live in Rome’s center usually have lived in the same place for generations or are the elite rich. Having spent a day in Florence the high prices of Rome are immediately apparent. Food costs are about 40% less and the grocery stores, paying less rent, can occupy more space and carry more products. Yesterday, I saw traditional black hoof prociutto at the grocery store. It is still a premium product at 7.50/100g but to put it in comparison, at Cava, the same prociutto ran for $25 for three slices on a plate. Being in Tuscany, the agro capital of Italy, means that there is produce here in abundance. Unlike Rome, a mere 400km south.
Rome becomes a relative ghost town after 10p.m. Yes, there are bars and restos open till 3 am, but because of its size and spread, its hard to find places with people in them. We heard about fashionable clubs, but finding them is pretty hard and getting in requires a small mortgage as they are really only intended for the glitterati of Rome.
We saw two Lamborghinis flying around the city. They look much more at home in Rome then Yorkville.
At the end of the day, go to Rome to see the remains of a 1000 year empire. Go to Rome to be inspired by mind blowing scale and architecture that stirs the heart. Go to Rome feel the ebb and flow of its sheer size. Go to to Rome for two days and get the hell out. Italy has so much to offer.