Under the Tuscan sun

It feels good to be back under the Tuscan sun. Today I’m enjoying a sunny spring day in Florence, Tuscany’s vibrant heart. Last time I was in Florence, the city was totally overrun. The most popular places, such as Ponte Vecchio, were unbearable to pass. I felt like I was trampling upon the short tourists while getting my eyes poked out by their vicious selfie sticks.

Over-tourism has long been an issue in Italy, but lately its grip has spread beyond Venice, choking cities like Florence. What were once charming, narrow alleyways now resemble gauntlets where the tourists feels like a chaotic horde of badgers.

Ponte Vecchio is the crowded delimiter between north and south.

While platforms like Airbnb offer flexibility for travelers, it also diminishes the number of apartments available for locals and students while dramatically increasing the prices. Locals start to feel evicted from their own cities and chose to take action.

New short-term licenses have been completely banned in Florence in the center to help free up housing for locals. Some locals take it even a bit further, such as the “Robin Hood” organization which have used glue to sabotage Airbnb key boxes (luckily, ours was unscathed).

The Duomo is beautiful from every angle.

Even smaller culinary gems are overwhelmed. The viral schiacciata sandwich at All’Antico Vinaio draws large crowds, but alongside came litter and the local media is full of horror stories about tourists damaging the ancient buildings near the shop. The rising popularity of so-called wine windows has similarly disrupted local life by disturbing residents.

To escape the tourist frenzy on the large piazzas near the main sights, I recharge by settling into Piazza Santo Spirito in the Oltrarno district, south of the Arno river. I sip a glass of Chianti Nipozzano and watch the locals drift by. Thanks to Sarah Winman’s novel Still Life, this piazza has seen a boost in fame, but so far, not a surge of selfie-wielding tourists. All is well under the Tuscan sun.