‘Colosseum Soup’ and Guided Tours in Rome

Many tourists in Rome will have heard about the infamous taxi scams, four-figure restaurant bills, and maybe even the tall tales of ancient tigers and dolphins swimming in the flooded colosseum. But what often goes unnoticed is the bitter rivalry between its tour guides. Some of the city’s 1,200 officially licensed guides say their livelihoods and reputations are suffering because of unorthodox guides.

In July 2009, an unlicensed, foreign guide was punched by a licensed guide. Glenn, a 25 year-old South African drama graduate, who has been in Rome for two years, was accosted at the Colosseum while handing out flyers. He says his attacker has struck out previously, at another South African, and is tolerated thanks to certain ‘powers-that-be’. He adds that frequent police ID checks and on-the-spot fines combine to make a “wall” for foreigners hoping to make a living selling their knowledge.

Gresi, a Sicilian-born licensed guide with a cut-glass English accent, expresses amusement on hearing this story. Gresi and an Italian-American colleague, Laila —who have 55 years of experience between them—are campaigning against “gypsy guides who give the impression that in Italy you can do whatever you want”. The pair are making plans for a public information blitz this autumn.

As it stands, tourists who want a licensed, native speaker of their language have few guides to choose from. At present there are only two foreign guides. The tough guida turistica exams are held in Italian, once every four years. The EU ruled that Italy is unfair to infringe the employment rights of member state citizens, and that a tourist should be able to choose a co-national.

The licensed guides take a dim view. “This is not a part-time or temporary job but a vocation,” says Gresi, defending the several years of preparation needed to pass the exams. “And why shouldn’t they learn Italian?” she adds. They say a city like Rome—sprawling, with a rich history—demands a broader expertise than one like Brussels. They are among the first at the latest excavation and Laila recounts fulfilling a request to see a specific Etruscan vase in the Vatican. Their style is “sharing not lecturing”, she says. “The first questions I ask are age, nationality and religion. A Jewish client may like to hear about Rome’s Jewish past.”

The students who “come and work for the season” are a particular irritation for Gresi. “You can tell them from their dress, their attitude, their water bottle and their book,” agrees Laila. “This is not Disneyland—this is one of the holiest places on earth and tourists are being told to ‘have fun’ in the Sistine Chapel”. The pair recall unlicensed guides being asked questions that “aren’t in the script” and erroneous facts overheard, for example about St Peter’s crucifixion in the square: ‘the obelisk was the last thing he saw’ (it wasn’t put there until 1500 years later). They also say a licensed guide once corrected an unlicensed guide at the Colosseum and was punched.

Glenn now offers free tours elsewhere in the city, aimed at budget travellers, and makes a profit from tips—“like street performing”. For him, good guiding is about “scruples and being well-motivated”. He  is “more of an entertainer than an informer, who shows people what they don’t know they want to see—who would know that there is a statue of Moses next to the Colosseum?” [Michelangelo’s funeral monument for Pope Julius II]. He thinks outsiders “care more and have a useful perspective” but occasionally he doubts himself. “I sometimes like a cheat—how can I show people this city when it is not mine?”

(Originally published in The Roman Forum magazine, Sept 2009)