Standing in the shadow of Rome’s most-famous monument, Gabriela Sirtoli, a tourist from Brazil, admitted that the Italian capital was not quite living up to her expectations.
She had arrived one day earlier with her partner and their mothers, in part lured by the beguiling scenes of the city she had spotted in the series Emily in Paris. “When Emily started in Paris, I went to Paris,” said the 35-year-old as scores of people milled around her, all searching for the perfect snap of the Colosseum. “Now that it’s in Rome, we’re here.”
Earlier this month the chirpy series, centred on an American who moves to Paris for work, hinted at a change of scenery as it eschewed sweeping shots of the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre’s Sacré-Coeur basilica for a Vespa tour that whizzed past Roman sights such as the Fontana di Trevi to the Colosseum.
The show’s creator later confirmed plans to have the fifth season of the series play out between Paris and Rome, building on the surprise cameos the Eternal City had made in the tail-end of the fourth season.
In a handful of episodes, it had showed a Rome with little traffic, scant crowds and plenty of space for tourists to contemplate monuments whose history stretch back millennia.
Sirtoli’s first day as a tourist in Rome, however, had proved to be very different, as she and her family fought their way through hordes of tourists and spent hours waiting in queues.
Still, she was hopeful that the show – and the magical glimpse it had offered of Rome – would pull through. “We came to the Colosseum today and we’re starting to like the city much more,” she said.
In Rome’s city centre, many were excited about the change. “I’m definitely going to watch it,” said Antonella Catalano, a designer, as she stood in the entryway of her small shop near the Spanish Steps. She waved off concerns that the show would bring even more tourists to the already heaving city. “It’s a good thing for Rome.”
Originally from Calabria, Catalano was eager to see how the show’s saccharine gaze would be applied to the Eternal City. “I’ve lived in Rome for 12 years, but every time I watch a movie set in Rome it seems like a completely different city.”
In the quartiere of Esquilino, about a mile or so away from the throngs of tourists, the show’s foray into Rome was also being embraced, even as it was seen as another extension of the shameless fantasy that the series has long peddled.
“What they showed wasn’t the real Rome,” said Christiana Cavallo, a hairdresser. “They made Rome too clean, there were no crowds. Paris was more real.”
The show has long come under criticism for depicting Paris as a city with little litter or construction work and few homeless people.
Cavallo said the series’ stint in Rome had dominated chatter at her hair salon. “There’s no traffic. And when the Italian couple is fighting in the restaurant and swearing at each other, it’s exaggerated. It was a bit vulgar.”
Still, she was elated that it was Rome’s turn to shine. “Emily is Emily, I love it,” she said.
Her comments hinted at the wide-ranging impact of the show, despite it being panned by critics. This week, the series set off a diplomatic spat after the French president, Emmanuel Macron, vowed to “fight hard” to keep the show in Paris.
Rome’s mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, swiftly shot back. “Dear Emmanuel Macron, don’t worry. Emily is doing very great in Rome,” he wrote on social media, adding: “Besides, the heart wants what it wants: let’s let her choose.”
Macron’s decision to wade into the lighthearted matter was likely to have been driven by hard data: since the show started streaming in 2020, it has been credited with increasing trade and lighting up the phones of estate agents in Paris. It has also attracted legions of tourists, with one study finding that 38% of tourists cited the show among their reasons for visiting the city.
Back in Rome, Angelika Molina, 75, seeking respite from the heaving crowds at the Fontana di Trevi, was not sure if the city was ready to take in more tourists. “It would be madness, I don’t know if Rome could handle it,” said the Argentine tourist. “To me, it already seems like there are too many people here.”
The city’s turn in the series comes as Rome prepares for the 2025 jubilee, a year-long Roman Catholic event that is expected to draw more than 30 million tourists and pilgrims.
For Molina, however, the series’s move meant a coming together of two of her passions: Emily in Paris and Rome. She had excitedly watched the scenes in Rome before landing in the city with her granddaughter for her fourth visit. “It was magnificent,” she said. “I’m already looking forward to the next season.”
Others expressed concern over how the series, long blasted for its stereotype-heavy portrayal of French culture, would typecast Rome and Italian culture. “Can’t they stay in Paris?” asked Anastasia, 27, from London. “Leave Rome alone.”
The little she had seen of the show had laid bare a missed opportunity to delve into the reality of immigrating and integrating into a new culture, Anastasia said. “[Emily] doesn’t really appreciate or learn the culture, she’s not actively learning the language, she’s not immersing herself,” she said. “I know it’s escapism … But I’m just like, look, don’t let her ruin Rome.”
What Emily in Paris – now Rome – was serving up was a “bit cliche”, admitted Amalia Rosa, 21, a fan of the show, as crowds pushed past her at the Fontana di Trevi.
A case in point was the show’s visit to the same monument, showing scenes with just a few dozen people and plenty of space for everyone. “That was improbable, there would never be so few people around here,” said the engineering student.
“But what they’re showing was La Bella Roma,” she added. “It’s the Rome that everyone would like to see.”
