Inside Italy: Rome's angry taxi drivers and the newest tourist hotspot in the south
Inside Italy is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip from Italy that you might not have heard about. It's published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
We'll take a break from discussing the upcoming citizenship referendum in this weekend's newsletter (although if you're interested, you can find all our coverage here, and my thoughts on it here.)
Instead, I wanted to look at a couple of stories from southern Italy that got us talking at The Local over the past week.
Road rage in Rome?
No one likes a lazy cliché. And clichés abound when it comes to Italy, and Italians. Most of the time, they're inaccurate and insulting.
But after eight years of living in Italy, I have to admit that some of the stereotypes, while obviously they won't apply to the entire population, occasionally have a grain of truth in them.
This week, we saw taxi drivers in Rome complain that it was a 'banal cliché' to describe their driving as 'aggressive'.
Anyone who lives in the capital, or has ever taken a cab there, will probably have an opinion as to whether or not that's a fair description.
The drivers hit out at comparisons with F1 driver Max Verstappen, who was in trouble after crashing into George Russell's Mercedes during the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday.
When talking to journalists about the crash, Mercedes F1 head Toto Wolff had called it 'road rage, like the taxi drivers in Rome or Naples.'
'There's a lot of aggression in the centre of Rome and Naples, without rules.'
Rome taxi drivers quickly went on the defensive, attacking Wolff over the comments in the Italian press.
One driver called the comments 'a banal cliché', adding that "we're the first to try to avoid getting into accidents – otherwise, we would lose a day of work.'
And a representative of the city's taxi drivers' union said: 'We drive like a Mercedes since it only does 30 kilometres an hour, just like us.
I won't comment on the speed issue, since I find traffic in central Rome is usually so jammed that this is the least of the passenger's worries.
As for driving style, it's not just the tassisti. Roman, and Italian, drivers in general are often criticised by non-Italians for perceived aggression and an apparent lack of regard for the road rules.
This is often a topic of discussion at home. My husband, not unlike the taxi drivers, argues passionately that his very Italian driving style is excellent and extremely safe.
I'm not totally convinced.
But I also know that, on the roads of southern Italy, my own polite, stereotypically British driving style (including a propensity to give way and follow the speed limit) is probably even more hazardous, since no-one is expecting it. When in Rome…
All aboard for Bari
Another story that hit, literally, close to home for me was about Bari, the capital city of the Puglia region, where I've lived for the past five years.
Puglia, especially the far southern end, has become an increasingly popular tourist destination over the past decade or so, both for Italian and international visitors.
But most people skip Bari or, at most, spend a day in the old town after flying in to the city's airport, before heading straight for the beaches and luxury resorts further south.
That's all apparently set to change now, as Milan-based airline Neos has launched the first ever direct flights between Bari and New York, citing enormous interest from the US market.
This has triggered a flurry of articles about Bari in travel media. The New York Times hailed the city recently as the place to go this summer. At The Local, we've also seen a lot of interest in our own recent articles about Bari and the new flight route.
Personally, I'm glad to see it. Not only because I may now be able to persuade friends in New York to visit, but because I'm convinced that more tourism is a good thing for the city overall.
Not everyone agrees. We often tend to associate increased tourism only with the negatives: the noisy crowds, the litter, the infamously disrespectful behaviour from a minority.
Bari's local newspapers have published a lot of alarmist headlines lately about a rising number of tourist rentals which are said to be pushing up long-term rental costs, while a proliferation of restaurants catering for international tastes is supposedly pushing out traditional cuisine.
Most recently, there was an article in La Repubblica lamenting the 'smell of English breakfasts' wafting through the streets of Bari's old town at dawn. Some local businesses have caught on to demand for savoury alternatives to the ubiquitous cornetto and cappuccino. But Benidorm, it is not.
Nor is it Florence or Venice. For a long time this city, like many other parts of the south, has had serious problems with poverty and organised crime. The old town was, until quite recently, notoriously rundown and dangerous. Today it's mostly clean and safe, and that's in large part because of the impact of the growing tourism industry.
Traditional stone houses in the old town are being renovated as tourist rentals, very often by the younger generations that inherit them but prefer to live somewhere more modern. Several owners have told me that they wouldn't have bothered renovating for long-term rental, which they say brings too much risk and too little return.
Without tourism, these properties would no doubt join the countless other unwanted old homes standing derelict across the country. Many of these young local people might otherwise be moving away in search of a job.
Bari is still in the early days of its transformation into a tourist hotspot. The big developers and international investors have not yet taken over, and the city retains its character.
In years to come, maybe Bari, too, will become overrun with tour groups, lockboxes and kebabberie. But for now the city has an opportunity to do things differently, and to learn from the mistakes of overtouristed cities in Italy and beyond. We can hope.
My advice? Visit as soon as you can.
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Inside Italy: Rome's angry taxi drivers and the newest tourist hotspot in the south
Inside Italy is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip from Italy that you might not have heard about. It's published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article. We'll take a break from discussing the upcoming citizenship referendum in this weekend's newsletter (although if you're interested, you can find all our coverage here, and my thoughts on it here.) Instead, I wanted to look at a couple of stories from southern Italy that got us talking at The Local over the past week. Road rage in Rome? No one likes a lazy cliché. And clichés abound when it comes to Italy, and Italians. Most of the time, they're inaccurate and insulting. But after eight years of living in Italy, I have to admit that some of the stereotypes, while obviously they won't apply to the entire population, occasionally have a grain of truth in them. This week, we saw taxi drivers in Rome complain that it was a 'banal cliché' to describe their driving as 'aggressive'. Anyone who lives in the capital, or has ever taken a cab there, will probably have an opinion as to whether or not that's a fair description. The drivers hit out at comparisons with F1 driver Max Verstappen, who was in trouble after crashing into George Russell's Mercedes during the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday. When talking to journalists about the crash, Mercedes F1 head Toto Wolff had called it 'road rage, like the taxi drivers in Rome or Naples.' 'There's a lot of aggression in the centre of Rome and Naples, without rules.' Rome taxi drivers quickly went on the defensive, attacking Wolff over the comments in the Italian press. One driver called the comments 'a banal cliché', adding that "we're the first to try to avoid getting into accidents – otherwise, we would lose a day of work.' And a representative of the city's taxi drivers' union said: 'We drive like a Mercedes since it only does 30 kilometres an hour, just like us. I won't comment on the speed issue, since I find traffic in central Rome is usually so jammed that this is the least of the passenger's worries. As for driving style, it's not just the tassisti. Roman, and Italian, drivers in general are often criticised by non-Italians for perceived aggression and an apparent lack of regard for the road rules. This is often a topic of discussion at home. My husband, not unlike the taxi drivers, argues passionately that his very Italian driving style is excellent and extremely safe. I'm not totally convinced. But I also know that, on the roads of southern Italy, my own polite, stereotypically British driving style (including a propensity to give way and follow the speed limit) is probably even more hazardous, since no-one is expecting it. When in Rome… All aboard for Bari Another story that hit, literally, close to home for me was about Bari, the capital city of the Puglia region, where I've lived for the past five years. Puglia, especially the far southern end, has become an increasingly popular tourist destination over the past decade or so, both for Italian and international visitors. But most people skip Bari or, at most, spend a day in the old town after flying in to the city's airport, before heading straight for the beaches and luxury resorts further south. That's all apparently set to change now, as Milan-based airline Neos has launched the first ever direct flights between Bari and New York, citing enormous interest from the US market. This has triggered a flurry of articles about Bari in travel media. The New York Times hailed the city recently as the place to go this summer. At The Local, we've also seen a lot of interest in our own recent articles about Bari and the new flight route. Personally, I'm glad to see it. Not only because I may now be able to persuade friends in New York to visit, but because I'm convinced that more tourism is a good thing for the city overall. Not everyone agrees. We often tend to associate increased tourism only with the negatives: the noisy crowds, the litter, the infamously disrespectful behaviour from a minority. Bari's local newspapers have published a lot of alarmist headlines lately about a rising number of tourist rentals which are said to be pushing up long-term rental costs, while a proliferation of restaurants catering for international tastes is supposedly pushing out traditional cuisine. Most recently, there was an article in La Repubblica lamenting the 'smell of English breakfasts' wafting through the streets of Bari's old town at dawn. Some local businesses have caught on to demand for savoury alternatives to the ubiquitous cornetto and cappuccino. But Benidorm, it is not. Nor is it Florence or Venice. For a long time this city, like many other parts of the south, has had serious problems with poverty and organised crime. The old town was, until quite recently, notoriously rundown and dangerous. Today it's mostly clean and safe, and that's in large part because of the impact of the growing tourism industry. Traditional stone houses in the old town are being renovated as tourist rentals, very often by the younger generations that inherit them but prefer to live somewhere more modern. Several owners have told me that they wouldn't have bothered renovating for long-term rental, which they say brings too much risk and too little return. Without tourism, these properties would no doubt join the countless other unwanted old homes standing derelict across the country. Many of these young local people might otherwise be moving away in search of a job. Bari is still in the early days of its transformation into a tourist hotspot. The big developers and international investors have not yet taken over, and the city retains its character. In years to come, maybe Bari, too, will become overrun with tour groups, lockboxes and kebabberie. But for now the city has an opportunity to do things differently, and to learn from the mistakes of overtouristed cities in Italy and beyond. We can hope. My advice? Visit as soon as you can.
