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| Photo from Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN |
Traveling to Venice in 2013... the crowds were overwhelming. I asked a local resident what it was like to live there.
There's no doubt that I struck a chord.
"Venitians, true Venetians, are now shit. Almost every house now, our beautiful homes, are being purchased from outside and chopped to apartments. So many of my friends, true Venitians are leaving because it is too crowded. They are tempted greatly to sell for money. Real jobs to make a living are harder to find. Businesses are being bought by investors who for hire part time jobs. Too many people come here who don't appreciate the beauty of Venice. It is a place to go, to check a list. Cheap tourist sale dominates our beautiful streets. Our city is suffering from so many people being here. A quality life to live here is no more. We are asked to do more and more, to keep up with overwhelming demand. This can not be sustained."
The heartache and frustration was just incredible to witness. The gentleman thanked me later for a "true conversation, 'gave me an enormous hug and held my hands while he thanked me.
I can't post the audio... as I don't have permission from the person or really any way to contact them at this point.
I've thought of this conversation so many times since, and it's part of my travel writing I'm still working on. Posting this here today came from reading this article from CNN this morning.
It's thought provoking, I hope. How much is the beauty and heritage of such places destroyed by the lust for commercialism and profit? Is there help for generational families stay in a historical area like this? What an be done? What should be done?
Always knocking it seems is the lust for more... more luxury, more excess, more stuff...