Italy’s big cities are a swarming mass of humanity. Everyone flocks to see its art, eat its food, or sell their wares. Among these are two groups of people that hide in plain sight – the gypsy women and the men from Senegal. Both are looking to make a buck any way they can.
First are the gypsies. They roam the open squares and markets once you arrive at your destination. You’d swear they all work for the same union. The gypsies working the streets all look the same and have the same sales technique. Their hair is a long dirty braid that snakes down their back or is made up into 2 braids that lay on either side of their big bellies. Always in ragged dresses and carrying plastic cups, they go from tourist to tourist holding our an old photo of 2-3 young children, pointing to their bellies, saying that they are pregnant, homeless, and out of work, and then extending their cup to you as they give it a little shake. They work the crowds well and spend only a few seconds with each tourist. We’ll see the same gypsies working the piazzas in Florence and sometimes huddling up at times to exchange stories or count money.
The gypsies that work on public transportation are a different breed. Usually younger, they hop on the trains, without tickets, and quickly walk down through the cars laying small squares of paper on the armrests of each seat. The photocopies are cut neatly and all read the same: “I have 3 children, no home and no work” or “My child has fill in the blank disease and I need money”. It’s written in English and Italian, always thanking God for your assistance. A few minutes later they return to grab up and slips of paper and any donations, never saying a word. Unlike the street gypsies that seem to have a dress code, these younger girls are sometimes dressed in stylish blue jeans, or logo T-shirts. We even saw one wearing an iPod as she made her rounds on the train.
There are other beggars, of course. A few notables come to mind. One is a dirty gypsy that simply kneels on the sidewalk in a nook by a building, with her head pressed to the pavement and a cup on the ground next to her head. She doesn’t move or say a word. She’ll do this for hours and at all times of the day and night. Another roams a busy piazza, walking up to tourists asking, “Do you have a euro for gelato?” But it’s the men that are the most comical. We walked by one fat guy, sitting on a bench eating a sandwich, who stuck his hand out asking for any spare change. I guess he needed another beer or was off to a gelateria when he was done with his lunch. Another big fat guy was simple waddling down the center of a pedestrian street waving his cup from side to side, not saying a word, hoping to attract a few coins.
The next level up from begging is selling things of little or no value. The men from Senegal fill this niche in society. Like the gypsies, they too come in two varieties: stationary and moving. The guys that are stationary either sell in the streets and piazzas or in the market alongside licensed vendors. The ones in the streets usually sell large prints, either of the Duomo or other landmarks throughout the city, photos of artworks, like the David, or Tuscan landscapes. The prints are about 2’x3’ and on heavy card stock. They lay them out on the ground, maybe 15 of them, covering huge areas. Tourists are forced to walk around them or, when several guys are in the same place, they’ll form lanes of prints a block long. You can always find them in the Piazza del Duomo and outside the Galleria dell'Accademia. Others will sell tiny tripods for your camera and a third group sells kids toys, either a squishy ball that they throw on the ground, it splats into a puddle of goo, then reforms into a ball, or at night they have glow-in-the-dark rings that they shoot into the dark sky from a stick. When you look out over the big piazza at night you’ll see colored flashed rising and sinking into the crowds. The Senegalese in the markets set up on blankets or cardboard stands and sell knock-off bags, watches, or African art.
All these groups, no matter what they sell, are set up so they can snatch up their wares and take off as soon as the carabinieri (local cops) round the corner.
The mobile guys are split into two groups: one group sells African bracelets and the other carries big duffle bags stuffed with all sorts of items, but mainly small packets of paper tissues. We’ve visited a few cities outside of Florence and it’s always the same. These guys, with pitch black skin and big smiles, trying to sell you 8-packs of white tissues. They’re polite and seem to be everywhere. Sometimes we’ll be walking down a small side street and down a small alley will appear a guy with a pack of tissues in his hand. The bracelet sellers are the more entertaining of the two. They walk around the piazza with a handful or what they call authentic African bracelets. Their sales pitch starts off with them telling you they’re from Senegal and have beautiful bracelets. “Which one do you want?” If that doesn’t pan out, then they reach into their pockets and hold their closed fist over your hand saying they have a present for you. It’s usually a small bracelet made of string with a few colored beads, or a small carved stone character. “Free present. A gift from Senegal for you.” Of course, after you accept the gift they want something in return. They’re talkers, that’s for sure.
I guess everyone has to try and make a buck, but seeing a city full of pregnant gypsies and black men with tissues makes you think there’s got to be another way.
P.S. If you haven't seen the photos from our day trip to Fiesole they're posted in the Photo Gallery. I also just posted photos from yesterday's day trip to Pistoia too.
The gypsies that work on public transportation are a different breed. Usually younger, they hop on the trains, without tickets, and quickly walk down through the cars laying small squares of paper on the armrests of each seat. The photocopies are cut neatly and all read the same: “I have 3 children, no home and no work” or “My child has fill in the blank disease and I need money”. It’s written in English and Italian, always thanking God for your assistance. A few minutes later they return to grab up and slips of paper and any donations, never saying a word. Unlike the street gypsies that seem to have a dress code, these younger girls are sometimes dressed in stylish blue jeans, or logo T-shirts. We even saw one wearing an iPod as she made her rounds on the train.
There are other beggars, of course. A few notables come to mind. One is a dirty gypsy that simply kneels on the sidewalk in a nook by a building, with her head pressed to the pavement and a cup on the ground next to her head. She doesn’t move or say a word. She’ll do this for hours and at all times of the day and night. Another roams a busy piazza, walking up to tourists asking, “Do you have a euro for gelato?” But it’s the men that are the most comical. We walked by one fat guy, sitting on a bench eating a sandwich, who stuck his hand out asking for any spare change. I guess he needed another beer or was off to a gelateria when he was done with his lunch. Another big fat guy was simple waddling down the center of a pedestrian street waving his cup from side to side, not saying a word, hoping to attract a few coins.
The next level up from begging is selling things of little or no value. The men from Senegal fill this niche in society. Like the gypsies, they too come in two varieties: stationary and moving. The guys that are stationary either sell in the streets and piazzas or in the market alongside licensed vendors. The ones in the streets usually sell large prints, either of the Duomo or other landmarks throughout the city, photos of artworks, like the David, or Tuscan landscapes. The prints are about 2’x3’ and on heavy card stock. They lay them out on the ground, maybe 15 of them, covering huge areas. Tourists are forced to walk around them or, when several guys are in the same place, they’ll form lanes of prints a block long. You can always find them in the Piazza del Duomo and outside the Galleria dell'Accademia. Others will sell tiny tripods for your camera and a third group sells kids toys, either a squishy ball that they throw on the ground, it splats into a puddle of goo, then reforms into a ball, or at night they have glow-in-the-dark rings that they shoot into the dark sky from a stick. When you look out over the big piazza at night you’ll see colored flashed rising and sinking into the crowds. The Senegalese in the markets set up on blankets or cardboard stands and sell knock-off bags, watches, or African art.
All these groups, no matter what they sell, are set up so they can snatch up their wares and take off as soon as the carabinieri (local cops) round the corner.
The mobile guys are split into two groups: one group sells African bracelets and the other carries big duffle bags stuffed with all sorts of items, but mainly small packets of paper tissues. We’ve visited a few cities outside of Florence and it’s always the same. These guys, with pitch black skin and big smiles, trying to sell you 8-packs of white tissues. They’re polite and seem to be everywhere. Sometimes we’ll be walking down a small side street and down a small alley will appear a guy with a pack of tissues in his hand. The bracelet sellers are the more entertaining of the two. They walk around the piazza with a handful or what they call authentic African bracelets. Their sales pitch starts off with them telling you they’re from Senegal and have beautiful bracelets. “Which one do you want?” If that doesn’t pan out, then they reach into their pockets and hold their closed fist over your hand saying they have a present for you. It’s usually a small bracelet made of string with a few colored beads, or a small carved stone character. “Free present. A gift from Senegal for you.” Of course, after you accept the gift they want something in return. They’re talkers, that’s for sure.
I guess everyone has to try and make a buck, but seeing a city full of pregnant gypsies and black men with tissues makes you think there’s got to be another way.
P.S. If you haven't seen the photos from our day trip to Fiesole they're posted in the Photo Gallery. I also just posted photos from yesterday's day trip to Pistoia too.