Travel influencer sparks fury by naming ‘Italy’s worst city’ | Europe | Travel
The Italian city is famed for its historic architecture and delicious local dishes (Image: Getty)
A travel influencer has branded a city the “worst” in Italy and said she was so unhappy there, she fled and willingly lost out on money by cutting her trip short.
However, her comments haven’t gone down well. This is probably because Italy is a phenomenally popular country among holidaymakers and travelling enthusiasts alike.
Famed for its delicious, world-class food, intricate architecture, artworld masterpieces, luxury fashion houses, its vibrant history and culture, and plenty more. Despite all it has to offer, a woman has slammed one of its most popular cities, branding it “filthy”.
Karo, who posts online as @karosolotravel, took to TikTok to share her thoughts on Bologna, a city that boasts a wide range of UNESCO-listed medieval porticoes against a backdrop of historic red-roofed buildings.
It’s also known and loved for its decadent pasta dishes, including tortellini and tagliatelle al ragù, but Karo was unimpressed.
In the footage she captured, she showed some graffiti on some metal bins and some stone pillars, and a stray cigarette butt on the ground.
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She also filmed a homeless person concealed by a sleeping bag and blankets outside a shopfront. Karo also included footage of several streets of Bologna, which were empty though looked clean and free of any rubbish or graffiti.
At one point, she turned the camera on herself and recorded while she wandered around with a tissue clutched to her nose because she claimed it smelt unpleasant.
In the caption accompanying her clip, she penned: “The worst Italian city I’ve ever been to. It smells of urine everywhere, it’s filthy, and you can tell it hasn’t been cleaned in years.
“Why aren’t the city authorities cleaning the streets and buildings? Those orange buildings are black. And that awful stench.”
Karo added: “I came here to eat pasta bolognese, but I felt like vomiting and barely ate a thing! Why do people on TikTok recommend Bologna? It’s disgusting! I fled Bologna for Rimini, gave up on my hotel, and lost my money.”
@karosolotravel The worst Italian city I’ve ever been to. It smell of urine everywhere, it’s filthy, and you can tell it hasn’t been cleaned in years. Why aren’t the city authorities cleaning the streets and buildings? Those orange buildings are black. And that awful stench. I came here to eat pasta bolognese, but I felt like vomiting and barely ate a thing! Why do people on TikTok recommend Bologna? It’s disgusting! I fled Bologna for Rimini, gave up on my hotel, and lost my money. #bologna #italy #travel #dc #foryou ♬ La valse d´Amélie – Claudio Constantini
But fellow TikTok users were quick to disagree with her view of the city. One person shared: “I spent five days in Bologna last April. Walked everywhere including St Luca. TOTALLY DISAGREE. I LOVED BOLOGNA”.
Another said: “Bologna is beautiful!” A third quipped: “Complaining that the 2000 year old buildings look like they are 2000 years old”.
A fourth commented: “One of the most beautiful cities I visited!!” Someone else, who claimed to be a local, said: “Bologna became much much worse since it became a heavily touristy city. Mass tourism is destroying my city!”
And another added: “I respect your opinion but in my view, [it] does not represent the reality at all. I guess [you] didn’t match with the place. Bologna is an amazing city with unique character.
“I did not find it dirty at all and it was nice and tidy. In my view, I did find Bologna more authentic in comparison to other Italian cities.”
