63 sats \ 2 replies \ @petertodd 10 Jun \ on: Becoming a flâneur BooksAndArticles
You visited Rome, which is basically one giant museum. The locals "living" the central part of the city are basically museum workers. Which is something you can say for a lot of European cities.
Last time I visited Rome I spent a good part of the day getting entirely outside the central city area to where ordinary people actually live and the buildings are all recent... and you could barely tell the difference between it and any other southern European city.
Honestly, unless you're in somewhere truly different, it's the more touristy stuff that is usually the biggest differences between cities. How ordinary people live is pretty similar all across the western world. And I say that having been to something like 50 countries (including almost every country in Europe).
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I must acknowledge that our trip to Rome was 25 years ago. Perhaps some perceptions are a bit blurred. Tourism has changed over the last decades.
There are places, thinking about Venice now, which are a clear example of touristification. Sadly, many are following their lead ( I have never seen in my city, prior to the last few years, dinner at 7pm. These days you can have it if you wish, though you will not find locals)
But, here it becomes interesting. You are not obliged to follow this trend. You can choose a different path and enjoy singularities.
Having lived in the north of England, south of Australia and south of Spain gives me different point of views. Even though western societies have similar lives, there are clear differences and this is what you need to find.
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