Venice is a prime travel destination. But what’s it like actually to live in one of the world’s most touristy cities? We look at a young Venetian’s daily life.
00:00I'm quite happy to live in Venice. Everywhere you go it's always beautiful.
00:05The city itself offers a lot of job opportunities and it's quite safe.
00:11So even if you are walking alone during the night, it's safe to come back home.
00:18Venice, the city of love, bridges and canals, and countless tourists.
00:23An estimated 15 million people come here every year, making it one of the world's most visited cities.
00:29But what's it like growing up here?
00:32Buongiorno, my name is Romana and today I will show you my life in Venice. So andiamo!
00:40At nine in the morning, Venice still belongs to the locals.
00:43As usual, 23-year-old Romana uses the time to run errands before the big tourist rush.
00:52Every morning these fishermen cut the fish with a bit.
00:56The historic centre of Venice is built on more than 100 islands, so goods are delivered by water.
01:09Before going home, Romana normally stops at this shop that sells typical Venetian snacks.
01:14I have my tramezzini. It looks small, but it's not, so...
01:21Mmm, really good.
01:23Romana and her boyfriend live in an apartment near the world-famous Rialto Bridge.
01:29They pay around 1,000 euros for 80 square metres. A major stroke of luck.
01:33We found this apartment already furnished, so it will be an issue to first purchase some things and tend to transport them.
01:44It is going to cost you also a lot of money.
01:46The Italian city on the lagoon is car-free. Even scooters and bicycles are banned.
01:57Romana has to make her way to work on foot through the crowds of tourists. A stressful journey.
02:02For residents, of course, the tourists are a big issue. When the season is starting, from, let's say, April until the end of September,
02:15Venice is becoming so crazy, messy. It's a really big problem and the local government is trying to understand how to resolve it.
02:26They also introduced the tickets for daily visitors, but, in my opinion, it doesn't change anything at all.
02:36But many locals make their living from tourism.
02:39Around 10% of Venice's 250,000 residents work in tourism, including Romana.
02:46For the last leg of her trip to work, she takes a vaporetto, the Venetian water bus.
02:51And right now, I'm finally ready to work. Let's go.
02:57Romana works in a hotel. She speaks three languages, Italian, English and Ukrainian, which is handy at work.
03:05At seven years old, she moved with her family from Ukraine to Greater Venice.
03:10She didn't need any training or previous experience to work in the hotel, where she earns 1,500 euros a month net as a receptionist.
03:18So, after an eight-hour shift, finally, we are headed to the gym. So, andiamo?
03:32Before her full-time job at the hotel, Romana studied at the University of Venice.
03:37But she dropped out after two years, like a third of Venetians who attend some form of higher education but do not graduate.
03:44Let's start the workout.
03:50She comes here three times a week. She's not alone in valuing fitness.
03:55Sport is one of the most popular activities among 13 to 23-year-olds in Italy.
04:00Right now, we are having aperitivo. I'm drinking spritz. It's light. It's a cheap drink. It's going to cost you like only three euros and a half. And yeah, it's a popular drink in Venice. Better than water.
04:18Romana meets up with friends several evenings a week. At home or for a drink in one of the many bars. But there's one thing missing here.
04:26The part that I really hate is that the nightlife. I mean, there's no any clubs in here. I always think about to move out from Venice and to go somewhere in the mainland or in a different region in Italy or even outside Italy.
04:46But every time that I think about it, I don't know where to go because it's difficult to find the city that is that beautiful.
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