The relentless flow of foreign tourists, which should boost the economy, is choking the population of Naples, reducing the number of available housing, increasing pollution and even emptying churches, writes Politico.
One of Naples’ liveliest streets, Via dei Tribunali, is packed with shops and restaurants. At one end stands a bronze statue of Pulcinella, and a line of people wanting to rub the statue’s nose sometimes stretches for almost half a kilometer. Legend has it that rubbing the statue’s nose is an ancient Neapolitan ritual for good luck. However, locals know that the tradition is made up.
The Pulcinella statue was installed after 2010, and locals were not interested. In recent years, influencers have discovered it, created a story and suddenly tourists feel that a trip without going to the statue is not a success. The result is a paradoxical local tradition that is not local, and it is a perfect example of what excessive tourist flow does to Italian cities.
Sociologist and local activist Francesco Calicchia, who himself lives and works in a working-class neighborhood, said that Naples’ historic center is dead – there are no locals and no real life there, it has been transformed into playgrounds and open-air shops. He pointed out that
the main problem is the lack of control over tourism.
Many Italian cities face similar problems, but Naples is a particularly vivid example. Activists, workers, experts and local politicians talk about how mass tourism is destroying the spirit of the city, and that while tourism is supposed to bring income, in reality only those who are already wealthy benefit.
The housing sector is feeling the most severe impact. Local government spokeswoman Chiara Capretti said that, like in other Italian cities, the number of short-term rentals has skyrocketed. In some neighborhoods that are mainly inhabited by workers, there is one short-term rental for every three homes. Ivan Avella, a local urban planning graduate, said that in wealthier neighborhoods, locals could live with higher rents, but poorer neighborhoods are not only unable to develop, but are now being taken over by tourists, crowding out locals. Capretti added that forced evictions are on the rise.
Giuseppe Giglio, a humanitarian aid worker who also works as a tourist guide in Naples, is one of those who had to leave his home. In 2023, his landlord announced that he would be converting the apartment into a business project with state support. The landlord thought it would be easier and more profitable to evict Giglio and rent out the apartment on a short-term basis. Before the deadline to move out was over, the man was woken up one morning by workers pulling out gas pipes in the room next door.
He had to stay with friends for a while until he could find a new place to live.
It’s not just about where he lives, but also how he gets there. A tourist information center employee told Politico about a woman who had been unable to get through the crowds of tourists to her apartment in the city center for years. A tourist who heard her complain told her that she had chosen to live in the wrong place.
Another problem is the drain on money from short-term rentals – a large part of the properties are rented out by companies that own up to 500 short-term rentals. Even those owned by private individuals do not bring in any money for Naples, as the owners live in Rome or elsewhere.
Some Italian cities and regions have tried to curb the explosion of short-term rentals, but local officials say their hands are tied without support from the government. Critics even say that the government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has made things worse.
Capretti, a member of the left-wing Power to the People party, said
the new legislation makes it easier to both renovate and change use.
The law, introduced in 2024 by current infrastructure minister Matteo Salvini, introduced measures to make construction and urban planning easier. Meloni’s government also challenged a regional law in Tuscany that allowed municipalities, in consultation with the regional government, to designate areas where short-term rentals could be restricted. The national government argued that the Tuscan law restricted business and competition.
Tourists in Naples and Italy in general are drawn to what they see as authenticity – lively city streets, colorful murals, food culture and the friendliness of the locals. But when locals are pushed out, authenticity also disappears. Critics describe Naples’ historic streets as being transformed into open-air “fried food shops,” filled with stalls and stands selling almost identical snacks. More international chains are entering, and locals are increasingly asking how many pizzerias can be packed into one street.
Avella said that in 2015, there was one food service business on 46 meters of Toledo Street, but in 2023, there were nine. Eateries are driving out businesses that have been there for decades. For example, a bookstore has been replaced by a tavern.
City officials have tried to limit the opening of new restaurants, granting them permits only if they offer something besides food. A side effect of this decision is that
now every tavern also calls itself a bookstore.
Mass tourism has also exacerbated the already difficult situation in the field of waste management. Disposable tableware from food service establishments is littered on the streets, many of which are left there by tourists.
Religious customs have also changed. Churches that once served as a gathering point for locals are now tourist attractions, and this is pushing religion out of the historic center.
Ironically, tourism is erasing everything that attracted visitors in the first place. Avella pointed out that when talking to tourists, the opinion that there are too many restaurants and everything in the center remains uniform is increasingly heard.
Sociologist Calicchia warned that the problem is also that there is no plan “B” for when the tourist flow subsides, which inevitably will happen at some point.
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