Don’t follow the crowds: discovering Community Conscious Travel in Italy
“Sometimes I think we only half live”. That was the creed of Ernest Hemingway, returning to America, after a stint in Italy driving ambulances during World War I. Writing to his sister, Marcelline, he urged: “don’t be afraid to taste all the things in life that aren’t here… This life is all right, but there’s a whole big world out there full of people who really feel things.” Hemingway saw the best and worst of the world in Italy. At the front he was struck by a mortar shell while handing out chocolate to Italian soldiers. Recovering in a hospital in Milan, he fell for a Red Cross nurse – an affair later immortalised in A Farewell to Arms. By the end of his travels, Hemingway had reached a simple verdict. “The Italians live all the way”.
The letter was written in 1919, the same year the Italian national tourist board - the agenzia nazionale del turismo - was founded. In the century that followed, Italy’s tourism sector underwent an explosion on a scale almost unseen since. In the early 1920s, Italy had fewer than a million international arrivals each year. By 2000, it was over 60 million. At its peak, almost 100 million people visited Italy in 2019, and tourism was more than 10% of the country’s economy. “Italy just has so much to offer,” says Andrea Grisdale, chief executive of Italian Connection Bellagio. “It’s all about the people”.
Andrea founded the IC Bellagio in 1999, back when luxury travel looked very different. Even a few decades ago, ‘luxury’ meant little more than spending money. Andrea sought to change this. “People think it’s about Ferraris and marble bathrooms,” she explains. “For us, luxury is about how people feel… just because we often work with unlimited budgets, it doesn't mean we can throw money away.” Her company has a simple philosophy. “We create a personalised itinerary, from start to finish,” she says. “We learn about the clients. Why are they coming to Italy? What are their expectations? What are their passions? Then we create a story”. These days bespoke holidays are more common, but the IC Bellagio was ahead of its time. And it worked: Andrea’s company is now one of the top travel firms in Italy – offering tailored experiences, and earning more than its share of awards along the way.
With Italy’s popularity, however, has come a new problem: overcrowding. The headlines are full of it. Florence has had to impose fines on people caught defacing the Ponte Vecchio. Rome has banned buskers from dressing as centurions to pose with tourists. Venice, once La Serenissima, is sinking. “Frankly, it’s a big challenge,” says Andrea. “Even going into town for a morning coffee can be tricky”. The sheer number of visitors has come at a cost to both locals and tourists. Queues for water, fully-booked restaurants and jam-packed public transport are common sights in summer. Skylines, some unchanged since the Renaissance, now brim with selfie sticks. “If the locals aren’t happy, you’re not going to have happy tourists,” says Andrea.
The solution? “It’s an opportunity to do things differently,” she argues. Much of the answer is avoiding peak seasons, and peak times. “At the end of the day, we’re on holiday, right? So why do we have to get up early and be in the lobby at 9am?” Andrea has a better option: “why not go to Pompeii in the evening, and enjoy the sunset instead?” Crowds have also spurred travel providers to innovate, and offer new experiences. “One of the best trips we’ve introduced is a yacht ride for the day along the Amalfi Coast,” Andrea adds. “By the time we get to Capri in the afternoon, all the other tourists are leaving”. For the truly adventurous, she suggests a different time of year altogether. “Rome and Venice are beautiful in winter. And you'll probably pay a much better price.”
Technology plays a crucial role too. “Look at places like Amsterdam, and the way they’ve gone digital,” says Andrea. “There are apps that you can have on your phone - they’ll say, the Trevi Fountain is packed right now - it’s quieter by the Colosseum. They help you avoid crowds, in real time, and push people to be conscious of their travel footprint”. Local experts are also vital. “Talk to the guides, to the drivers - to the people on the ground,” says Andrea. “They know the undiscovered gems”.
For savvy tour operators, then, Community Conscious Travel is a selling point. “Everybody wants to do something different,” Andrea points out. “Something their colleagues and neighbours haven’t done. It’s about bragging rights.” She adds: “people go to the Dolomites for skiing in the winter. But they are equally beautiful for walking in summer. Why not be a bit different? As travel providers, it’s our job to communicate that. Let's make it fashionable to go to the places that other people are not going to – that little village in the middle of nowhere”.
What do Andrea’s team think? “The guides are happier, because we’re not asking them to work like crazy and in the early mornings,” she says. And the clients? “They love it - they get the opportunity to go to local bars, and meet local people… they get a taste of the Italian lifestyle.” A slower pace gives people time to stop and chat, too. “Restaurant owners have time to personally greet the guests, and to tell the story behind the dishes… our drivers can drop people off, and have a coffee before they go. It’s those small, everyday things that make a trip special”.
What’s the role of government in this vision? “My three wishes would be to have stability in the government, to have a dedicated tourism minister, and to have a budget for tourism. It wasn’t until 2021 that Italy had a minister dedicated 100% to tourism. Incredible, but true. That’s the first step. Then we need much better communication with operators on the ground”. Andrea also talks about the importance of sharing ideas: “it’s vital to get out there - to talk to people, to listen, and to hear what others are doing. It’s why organisations like the WTTC matter. You can learn what works in one place, and try it somewhere else. We find the answers together”.
Finally, after more than twenty years in the business, what does the future hold for the IC Bellagio? “My best travel experiences have always been off the beaten path,” says Andrea. “Now, it’s about finding and discovering those lesser known places,” she says. “There’s this beautiful little village that I love to go to, not far from Florence - it’s a tiny spot, in idyllic Tuscany. You have the trattoria with its red and white tablecloths, amazing pasta, an aperitivo. It’s every traveller’s dream. But nobody goes there because it’s not a typical tourist hotspot. These are the places I want to help others discover”. Her parting advice? “Don't follow the crowds.”
For those hoping - as Hemingway urged - to live “all the way”, look no further than Italy. But next time, try its hidden gems instead.
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