Overtourism

Both a blessing and a curse for Italians, tourism was the hottest topic of the summer. Is it fair for Airbnbs to snatch homes away from potential residents? Or that entire regions depend economically on endless waves of visitors? Officially, we do not know. Unofficially, we know it is not. The oceanic crowds have ruined what once were poetic seaside towns. The spaces once used for markets are now dedicated to restaurants, and historic centres have been disfigured by the uncontrolled proliferation of horrible little tourist shops. Yet without those crowds, many cities would be on their knees. We cannot live with tourists, but you cannot survive without them either.