Emily in Paris, I mean, Rome..
Netflix's guilty pleasure zips into the Eternal City
Nothing quite hits home than an internationally popular Netflix show filming in your own backyard. And by that, I’m talking about Emily in Paris. Last year, Emily & crew were all over Rome filming episodes and we waited with bated breath until just last week when Season 4 Part 2 - aka the Rome episodes - dropped. I breathed a sigh of relief.
I bet you weren’t expecting me to write that.
Emily in Paris is my guilty pleasure. It’s funny, fashion and fantasy all rolled into a great binge watch. Hate the malaprop marketing exec as much as you want, the show is beautifully shot and makes everyone want to visit Paris. (Full disclosure: I took our daughters on a long weekend in Paris shortly after season 2). Of course, I couldn’t wait to see how the show portrayed Rome.
Why was I relieved? Hell, yes. With absolutely no spoilers, Emily in Paris’s Rome scenes were beautiful. Quite possibly too beautiful, if you ask Business Insider, who felt that it was a far too inaccurate showcase of contemporary Rome. And that is exactly what I loved about it. Rome looked dreamy, and I love when the world gets see a gorgeous Rome, even if it’s tv magic.
Speaking of which, practically to the minute Part 2 dropped, friends from all over texted me about the Rome scenes, so I thought I’d answer all questions here:
Rome looks gorgeous! Was it really filmed on site? Or is it movie magic?
Not magic at all. Emily in Paris shot everything on site in Rome - mostly in the centro storico (historic center), and a lot in my neighborhood.
The Trevi fountain area was pretty empty. I thought you said it was always crowded?
Trevi is almost always crowded. Even though Emily pretty much had the fountain to herself (as well as some other iconic locations like the scalinata - Spanish Steps), Rome’s sites are actually incredibly crowded, and lately, it feels like we are always fighting for a little pavement and elbow room. Oh yeah, and fighting off pickpockets. Check out my most recent article on the Trevi of it all.
Emily on a Vespa?! Is that really how everyone gets around? Can I do it?
Yes, you can. Even though we have buses, cars and taxis, traffic is insane, parking is impossible, and public transportation is unreliable, so scooters and motorini are the preferred choice. (Personally, I like a bicycle). Whatever the mode of transport, getting around Rome is a test of patience, practicality and safety, because unlike Emily in Paris’s Vespa scenes, Roman traffic is real, and currently, the city is a labyrinth of construction sites.
I’m going to get on my soapbox and stress that as a constant scooter Plus 1, wearing a skirt as the passenger is far from glamourous and requires far too much maintenance. If you’re planning on being the Plus 1 on a whirl around Rome, plan to wear pants. My suggestion for a full traffic immersion Vespa ride is a side car tour.
Was that a real restaurant where Emily ate amatriciana and can I eat there too?
Yep, Giggetto al Portico d'Ottavia is definitely real, but Emily was eating carbonara. Anyway, this 100-year-old restaurant in the Ghetto neighborhood is my archeo-husband Darius’s go to spot. He loves the family, and really loves their spaghetti con vongole (spaghetti with clams). But personally, I think he's goes there for the history- the restaurant sits in the 2000-year-old Portico d’Ottavia, a gorgeous colonnade dedicated to Augustus’ sister.
Have you ever been to Solitano (Marcello’s home town) and can I go?
No spoilers, but Solitano, Marcello’s quaint little town doesn’t really exist. Guess what? I've definitely been there. How so? The borgo of Ostia Antica doubled for Solitano. This tiny medieval town is across from Ostia Antica Archaeological park and Villa dei Ravennati, where Darius ran an excavation for years.
If you’ve been to Rome and never heard of or visited Ostia Antica, then immediately check out Life in Ancient Times with Darius Arya, an eight-part PBS series on what it was like in Ancient Rome by none other than Darius (small plug) and behind-the-scenes research and production by me (big plug). Ostia features heavily in this series, and you’ll definitely want to come visit.
Are you worried about the Emily in Paris Effect happening to Rome?
For those who aren’t up on the “Emily in Paris Effect”, it’s the cultural phenomenon in which the Netflix series directly causes a surge in the popularity and romanticized perceptions of Paris and French culture. As if Paris really wasn’t popular.
Am I worried about this happening to Rome? Not at all because the lust to “live the Italian dream” has been going on long before Emily, and for that matter, before Hilary (The Lizzie McGuire Movie 2003) and Audrey (Roman Holiday 1953) made zipping around the Eternal City on a Vespa a thing, and we’ve had to deal with it.
What I am concerned with is how the city is handling the increasing amounts of visitors and what it is putting in place (if anything) to maintain an identity and personality in an era where more and more businesses are turning over to tourism outlets. There is an imminent need to focus on both regenerative tourism and fostering its residents so that the city center is liveable, workable and not a mausoleum.
Erica I am so glad you wrote about this and of course I knew you would. Love the series and was so excited about how part 1 ended with the Italian savior on the mountain. I am all over everything to do with Italy!
I was excited to see Rome, and had an idea that they would make it look enticing ;)