“I can’t believe we are in Rome”. “Everyone is so nice here”. These are some of the common things I have heard from my fellow classmates. The unique architecture and the romantic language do not fool me. Rome in a way reminds me of Las Vegas.
Las Vegas and Rome are two tourist traps hidden behind the saying “only once-in-a-lifetime”. Yesterday, I was invited to go on a group walk to the shopping district. I could hear excitement and self-confidence in their voices as they listed out places they wanted to go to. “Zara”, “The Lego Store”, “Gucci” as well as “H&M”. All places that feel familiar and safe to the American individual. The stroll to the stores was repetitive to that of Vegas; Overpriced, poorly culturally relevant but just neater in Rome.
Musicians open up their cases to make a euro, artists quietly wait until an aesthete approaches and restaurant promoters up-sell to attract tourists. The meals are the same with pizza, pasta, and gelato shops on every corner. However, in Las Vegas, it is overpriced Gordon Ramsay restaurants. Walking over men and women surrounds the edges and vacates the middle to make their “made in Italy” appealing. These street vendors aggressively use clever tricks to bolster their cash flow.
Upon arriving at Gucci I stopped at a booth selling various survivors. I often think about the vendors I see on a day-to-day basis in Rome. I wonder what they truly think of the city. Do they love it, or do they simply see it as a marketplace for tourists, pricing their items to attract attention? I’m curious about the stories behind these vendors.
What is their lifestyle?
Where do they receive their products?
How do they make money?
I want to know more about Italians beyond knowing them as a street vendor. I seek a deeper understanding of their motivations. Are they selling because they genuinely enjoy it, or is it a different reason? I’d love ultimately to sit down with an Italian and hear their true thoughts. I’d like to ask them questions, sparking debates about different perspectives.
While Rome is one of the most tourist cities, I can not help to wonder about the well-being of the workers. All I could think about was when the full documentary was going to come out of the behind-the-scenes for the workers in Rome.