The live like a local in Italy myth

I get a little facial tick anytime I hear or read the term “like a local” in the context of travel — to Italy or anywhere else. Visit Italy like a local. Experience life like a local. Mix with the friendly locals. 

Ugh. 

Given that Villaggio Tours is such a highly “local” experience, maybe it seems strange that I take issue with these “like a local” claims. But my objections to the term and the idea are rooted in semantics, and also in my experiences over 15 years of living in Italy, and in seeing how the so-called “like a local” approach translates, both for visitors and residents. 

The problem with using “local” as a noun

What do you imagine when picturing “a local” in Italy? Stooped old men playing cards outside a bar, but ready to break into song at any moment? A handsome young man, ready to flirt and give you a ride on the back of his Vespa? Or a lovable nonna, like my mother-in-law, Franca, shuffling about in a cloud of white flour, admonishing people to mangia! and and constantly misplacing her eyeglasses?

All that’s missing are the red checked tablecloth, the Chianti bottle with dripping candle wax, and the accordion music. 

They’re all stereotypes (though admittedly with Franca, very close to target!) of what I call “Italy cute” — the Italy that exists solely to delight tourists, that’s one-dimensional, and that reduces Italy and Italians to cliches. Calling townspeople “the locals” is objectifying and othering. It conjures up images of people who are simple, idle, and less-educated than we. Don’t believe me? Just try replacing it with “the natives.” The friendly natives. Mingle with the natives. Live like a native. 

Kinda ick, right? 

So, unless it’s a typo on my part, you’ll never see the people of Allerona referred to as “the locals” on our website. (And I never use “locals” or “the locals” in my travel writing, either.) I may refer to Alleronese as “local residents” from time-to-time, and I’ll certainly refer to locally-sourced products or local purveyors. But whenever possible, I won’t lump “locals” into one homogenous pot. Instead, they’re Franca, Anna Rita, Peppino, Antonella, Momi, Rita…real people with real stories, and lives and experiences that are very different from one another. They may be cute now and then, but they’re definitely not caricatures, and they’re not here for anyone’s entertainment.

Our locals have names: Naomi, Paolo, Anna Rita and Franca

You probably don’t want to vacation like a local, anyway

When tourists come to Italy, whether it’s for a few days or a few weeks, they’re presumably there for a vacation. That is, they’re there to relax, sightsee, eat well and often, and maybe drink more wine than they might at home. Apart from the eating well part, those aren’t the things that everyday Italians do on a regular — much less daily basis. Which is a good reason to not vacation like a local.

As Mari Uyehara wrote in Bon Appetit, the very concept of “vacationing like a local” is not only unappealing, it’s an oxymoron. “Locals are not spending leisurely days strolling on stunning promenades or gawking at the crank-your-neck-tall Art Deco buildings or sparkly turquoise waters lapping on fine white-sand beaches. They are making to-do lists in their heads on cramped morning commutes or scurrying between the grocery store, the dry cleaner, and the pharmacy, trying to complete enough tasks before falling into bed. The whole point of travel is to get away from the humdrum of everyday life. It is to very much not be a local.”

Bear in mind too, that in places like Rome, Venice, Florence and other tourism hotspots, that desire to “live like a local” is destroying the character of these destinations. In all of these city centers, the preponderance of Airbnbs and similar vacation rentals continues to push out those very same local residents that visitors seek to rub elbows with. Yes, that’s the cities’ fault for not protecting residents by limiting short term rentals and ensuring affordable long term housing options. But it’s also a product of the “like a local” mindset. When the line stretches around the block to get a sandwich at a favorite “local” panino joint, where has the authenticity gone? It’s likely moved to the suburbs, where all the residents were forced to go when their apartment buildings were converted to vacation rentals.