By Kellen Anthoine ’26

09:54, Sofitel, Rome, Italy. Our plane had just landed at the FCO Airport less than two hours ago and my parents and I had just finished unpacking. We were finally ready to walk around and explore the tourist – filled Rome before my dad had his first meeting. Seconds after walking out of the front door we heard a sound: “Meeeeeh!” It sounded like a balloon being slowly deflated, except a lot louder, and it caught me off guard. I looked towards the noise and saw a man with a dramatic frown on his face looking at me and my family. He was across the street standing directly in front of a stack of two milk crates with a cutting board on top. On the cutting board there was this jelly-like blob. I watched him pick up the blob, which I could now see had a face, form it into a ball, and throw it on the cutting board, making the sound “Meeeeeh!” We walked past him and he didn’t say a word.

Our first destination was the Spanish Steps, which were only a couple of minutes walk from the Sofitel. We arrived at the top, looking down over the beautiful Italian skyline. The air was filled with the smells of pasta and pizza, the playing of street musicians on accordions and violins, and also with the sound of “Meeeeeh!” Right there, at the bottom of the Spanish Steps was another man with the same milk crate setup in front of him, picking up and throwing another blob on it. Every time it hit the ground, the sound it made lit up the whole area.

Next we went to the Pantheon, where the sound followed us. Then the Colosseum. Everywhere we went, the sound of “Meeeeeh!” was present. All throughout the city these guys were there, watching us and anticipating a sale. 

This annoying sound made it a relief to get out of Rome. The moment we entered the train to Sorrento was the last time I ever heard that sound and I will probably never hear it again. The absence of the noise was a unique type of bliss, an ending of an aggravation. Outside of the big touristy city, there were no more salesmen trying to get us to buy their cheap products. Instead, we got to experience the true essence of Italy: quality food, good weather, and kind people.

All in all this whole story’s my way of saying how much better it is to stay out of the biggest tourist-oriented locations when traveling. Tourist traps, while beautiful, are full of people, noise, and scams that make it hard to appreciate their beauty. While Sorrento isn’t exactly unknown, it’s still less popular than Rome and because of that, is a lot more authentic.