This is not a complaining thread, more just to describe Rome as it is today and the extent to which Rome is or is not changing. ‘TLDR’ - some ‘creep’ around the edges that could grow in future though for now it is otherwise Basically Fine. Mostly, Rome remains a World-Class city

Rome is thankfully still pleasant and while it isn’t my favourite Italian city Rome as Rome just about retains its End of History Europe (as in eg Richard Linklater or Whit Stillman) magic. You can imagine Before Sunrise-style whirlwind dalliance with stylish European woman here

Rome has a pretty healthy Italian population, about 90% natives - a lot by Western European standards. Some ‘strange characters’ around but it is otherwise a very ‘normal’ feeling city. Passes the McDonald’s Test - are the people working in the McDonald’s locals? In Rome they are

Rome is grotty in parts - it isn’t quite Milan but at the same time it also isn’t Naples or Palermo. If anything though a little grotty-ness adds to Rome’s appeal. It is in many ways the museum city par excellence but it doesn’t feel ‘dead’ in the same way other similar cities do

This is in Esquilino, which is one of the big migrant neighbourhoods. These kinds of Western Union-Remittance Core aesthetics are basically everywhere in major Western European cities and in that respect thing that strikes you most is how similar they are from country to country

Also seen, ‘maranzas’ - these are like Italian Roadmen. Features of these areas are pretty universal. There are big migrant ‘hoods’ in most major European cities, litmus test here is more the size of such places. In Rome they are not especially large by Western European standards

Lots of these types of stalls staffed by mostly South Asians, here conspicuously along the Via Della Conciliazione to the Vatican. To be fair anytime I am in Rome some version of this is always commonplace, you know tourism especially the place is saturated with this kind of crap

That said many are fairly recent immigrants. There are about 215,000 Indians in Italy today vs about 20,000 in 2000. A slow-ish increase but mistake to think the pop is static. Anecdotally - take my word for it if you want, up to you - there are more than on my previous visits

Head away from the centre to somewhere ‘more Italian’, there are beautiful streets, beautiful people. This is Via Cola di Rienzo in Prati. The stereotype of (highend) Italians being stylish is I find true, easy to feel underdressed in these places - which is rare feeling normally

Some graffiti complaining about Meloni being a racist - though Rome is not especially left-leaning compared to other regions like Emilia-Romagna or Tuscany. Working-class areas like Municipality V that used to be left-wing have moved rightwards recently over issues like migration

This is my main complaint about Rome - how full of tourists it is, at least in the centre. In terms of ‘pleasantness’, this is often primary QoL problem affecting famous European cities hence why you see locals getting so pissed off about it. Again, changing with migration though

If you want Roman Holiday (1953) Rome you have to wait until nighttime before the major monuments are empty of crowds. You don’t get the effect as much during the day when these areas are swamped but at night when empty they really do still have that ‘Italian Bella Vita Romance’

I don’t think Rome is an especially ‘tourist cesspit where people constantly try to scam you’ city as compared to other equivalent global cities but an element of this does exist and it can detract from Rome a little. Other Italian cities like Milan or Turin are mostly free of it

On the people, Italians you interact with in the city centre can be quite curt - which you expect because you would be if you had to interact with retard tourists everyday. Obviously Italians in general though are great. Many attractive women in Rome too, another big QoL feature

In all, would not live permanently in Rome - think if you want a good social life and work Northern Italy is slightly better - but it is easy to spend time in and so far has escaped many of the changes you see in other European cities