From Her Perspective:: Alexandra Korey, ArtTrav
Alexandra Korey runs a successful travel blog, ArtTrav. There, Alexandra reviews temporary exhibitions, wineries, museums and luxury hotel experiences.A few months ago, Alexandra interviewed me about Italy is My Boyfriend for The Florentine. She had such great insight, I asked her to contribute a little something about the state of tourism in Italy for the blog. Below, she shares her insights and offers us a way to escape to Italy without leaving the comforts of home.What does tourism look like in popular destinations in Italy so far this summer?Summer 2020 has been a constant evolution, and as we make our way towards August, tourist destinations seem to be seeing greater numbers, and people seem to be becoming more confident about going outdoors and traveling.What I have seen is that beach destinations here in Tuscany quickly have become rather crowded, and although regulations have been put into place for greater distance between "ombrelloni" at the bathing establishments, these spaces look and feel almost as full as usual, and masks (which are currently obligatory indoors, and outdoors only where distance cannot be maintained) are few and far between. Although all studies show that keeping a distance outdoors is much safer. The numbers remain low, so safe to say there is less infection floating around. So some things can get back to almost like normal. Like at the seaside.Friends who have visited Venice and Rome have commented that they are pleasantly empty. Florence feels quiet and in my opinion quite pleasant. Tourists can easily be spotted; there's a few with maps or speaking another European language, and you look at them and think "Hello tourist! You must be so happy here. Welcome!". I don't know what it feels like for them, but I think it must be marvelous.
On Florence's main shopping streets between the Duomo and Piazza Signoria, there are people walking but never as many as before, and there's an absence of a loud buzz that I never really realized was there before, but now that I do, I realize it was one of the things that made the centro storico a stressful experience for me. I wrote about overtourism on The Florentine a few years back, and comparing the photos I took for that article to ones I took last week, it's a whole other story. Tourism was a big problem. Groups, on a set route, not bringing value to the city. What I pray for is a shift to a kind of tourism that brings real value, both to businesses and to travelers.What are some experiences that Americans can look into for the future, that they might not have thought about before? For example, I saw your post on your website about visiting (and even staying) at wine resorts.I'm a big fan of wine resorts, which I have lately billed as the perfect post-COVID experience. These wineries offer a type of experience that tends to appeal to independent travelers, and by their very nature, they have a ton of space. From May through October, wineries and wine resorts offer mostly outdoor hospitality that represents some of the best parts of our culture - products of the earth, presented by locals. That's authentic!
If cities remain less crowded, what I hope is that people will stay longer and travel deeper. And also explore beyond the usual cities and regions. I've got my eyes on Abruzzo for example, somewhere I've never really thought of visiting. During the lockdown, I interviewed Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun about her newly released book, Always Italy, in which she travels to all 20 regions. She suggests we discover lesser-known centres, regions we'd never considered. Many have artistic, cultural, and enogastronomical treasures just waiting for you to discover.How are some of the museums in Florence adapting to social distancing? Are any museums offering virtual tours?Museums, as inside spaces, follow social distancing and mask-wearing laws. The museums in Florence have been slowly reopening, with special, limited hours and online booking is mandatory. A free app offered by Mibact, the ministry for culture, can be used to buzz when you're too close to other people (like when you're gazing in awe at a work of art). I'm not sure if everyone is using it, though I think they ought to!The Uffizi has really ramped up its digital content during lockdown and continues to create new material on a daily basis, on social media (including tik tok, an account they recently opened and are totally killing it!) and for their website, which they claim is receiving record viewership. Few museums have the forethought and budget to produce digital content like the Uffizi, so this is the one that stands out the most. Palazzo Strozzi has also produced a regular deep-content newsletter and videos with artists from the current and recent exhibitions, and some smaller museums have put one or two online exhibitions up.How can we, as Americans and other non-EU residents, "visit" Italy this summer without leaving our homes?Good question! There are lots of ways you can visit "virtually" and keep your love of Italy alive.
- Museums: as above, check out what the Uffizi and other museums are doing
- Travel through Instagram / follow Italy-based bloggers (I'm at @arttrav if you're interested!)
- Wine: many wineries are offering virtual tastings that you can complement with a box ordered from them. It supports their business and keeps you closer!
- Food / Italian cookbooks are the perfect complement to food either ordered online - some specialties from Italy - or purchased locally, maybe at Eataly or if you have a "little Italy" in your area you might have access to small-scale-sourced Italian foods. Some tour operators are offering Italian food tours or cooking classes online.
Thank you for your insight, Alexandra! After looking at Alexandra's suggestions for cooking classes and virtual offerings, I found a few great resources for you to check-out:
Portrait of Alexandra by Christine Juette.Other photos via Alexandra Korey for ArtTrav.