4 ms·

I can understand it feels like this, but I assure real people live and work there, and there is a real local culture and authentic life. I lived there and I li

by Lucadg 7y ago

I can understand it feels like this, but I assure real people live and work there, and there is a real local culture and authentic life. I lived there and I lived in many other cities like Paris, London, Munich, Krakow, Bangkok and Bali. Venice is one of the most authentic cities of them all. The language is alive and evolving. It's a bit like the fight club, real locals recognize each others, while the tourists think it's just a Disneyland. Quite fascinating!

rayiner 7y ago
Peoples' "authentic life" is finding a job, finding housing, finding a school for the kids, interacting with neighbors, dealing with trash pickup and water bills, etc. A tourist can never experience that. Even if you experience the flooding with real Venetians, you're not going to deal with the water damage for weeks afterward, or attempting to get insurance claims paid. But that's "authentic life." Charming restaurants, quirky bookshops, etc., that's not "authentic life." That's frivolity. Sharing frivolities with the locals doesn't give you any insight into their "authentic life." Tourism is always Disneyland. It's always fake. It's just different versions of Disneyland for people of different temperaments. (It's funny you mention Bangkok. I was born in Bangkok. What exactly is less "authentic" about it than Venice? How can a city even be less "authentic" than another city?)
- rectang 7y ago
  Au contraire: fantasy and frivolity are essential to an "authentic life". Regardless of where you were born and what station you were born into.
bamboozled 7y ago
Where is the city called Bali?
- Lucadg 7y ago
  I meant Bali the island, sorry
davidw 7y ago
I can confirm. When my wife was working at the University of Padova, she had a colleague from Venice. We'd go visit him once in a while and he'd show us around some of the more 'normal people' places. I mean, yes, it's very touristy, but "real people" do live there.

by Lucadg 7y ago

rayiner 7y ago

Peoples' "authentic life" is finding a job, finding housing, finding a school for the kids, interacting with neighbors, dealing with trash pickup and water bills, etc. A tourist can never experience that. Even if you experience the flooding with real Venetians, you're not going to deal with the water damage for weeks afterward, or attempting to get insurance claims paid. But that's "authentic life." Charming restaurants, quirky bookshops, etc., that's not "authentic life." That's frivolity. Sharing frivolities with the locals doesn't give you any insight into their "authentic life." Tourism is always Disneyland. It's always fake. It's just different versions of Disneyland for people of different temperaments. (It's funny you mention Bangkok. I was born in Bangkok. What exactly is less "authentic" about it than Venice? How can a city even be less "authentic" than another city?)

rectang 7y ago
Au contraire: fantasy and frivolity are essential to an "authentic life". Regardless of where you were born and what station you were born into.

bamboozled 7y ago

Where is the city called Bali?

Lucadg 7y ago
I meant Bali the island, sorry

davidw 7y ago

I can confirm. When my wife was working at the University of Padova, she had a colleague from Venice. We'd go visit him once in a while and he'd show us around some of the more 'normal people' places. I mean, yes, it's very touristy, but "real people" do live there.