What's your opinion on this?

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/eu....ap/index.html

2 articles in one week on Florence losing its luster, hmm, can't be good...

I visited Italy for the first time last July. It was my dream of a lifetime trip. I spent 8 days in Tuscany and 4 days in Rome. Rome was very dirty, very busy, but, well, it was Rome. Ditto Florence. But I can't begin to explain how I felt being in this beautiful country. Personally, as tourists we have to take responsibility for our own actions and ensure that we not follow in the footsteps of those who simply do not care. I small action, I know. It is hard to overlook the garbage, the stench, etc., so... what's the answer? Not go? Not me!! Would love to hear other opinions on this. Italy surely is not the only country where this is a problem. I hear Paris is also quite bad.

Well, what can you expect when you have a capitalist economy in which almost everybody has the time and money to go to Europe.

It's not like the old days when we took the Queen Mary over.

I always feel like people who complain about a city being dirty don't spend much time in cities (although this Florence article seems to be worse than most) and its not just limited to Europe. NYC, London, New Orleans, Paris, Rome, San Francisco all old, dirty, noisy, but I love them all. The only exception I've seen is in Germany where most cities seem pretty clean. Being from Chicago, I can brag about it being pretty clean but I'm biased!

I was aghast when I turned the corner and saw the Trevi Fountain. It was beautiful from afar, but when I got closer and saw the hundreds of people all over, the melted gelato dripping down the beautiful marble seats, gum stuck all over the place, trash everywhere, cigarette butts smushed on the marble floor....such a shame that people don't value things anymore.

Thanks, BR...interesting article.

As it essentially notes, one of the problems is not picknicking per se, but people who are too lazy to throw their trash away or take it with them.

Littering baffles me. One of the simplest things in the world to do is throw trash away yet numerous people still throw stuff -- including cigarette butts -- on the ground and leave it for others to deal with.

Say what you want but I thought Rome was a lot cleaner in May than some of the US cities I've been in recently. What smells? Garlic? Pizza? Pasta?....ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm love 'em all.

I agree, capo. I have never understood littering, either. Although I'm sure part of it is because I grew up in a family who is quite involved in environmental and wildlife issues, so they always emphasized that we kids should clean up after ourselves.