Illegal Street Vendors

An observation that's almost impossible to miss in Italy are the many illegal street vendors. When we first got off the train in Venice, we crossed the large bridge to meet our airbnb host and passed at least six men selling high-end purses and sunglasses laid out on white bed sheets. Next thing we knew, these guys were running in all directions off the bridge with their backpacks and white sheet bundles of merchandise. The police had arrived on foot and were collecting all the Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton purses that one vendor couldn't manage to collect before escaping. Our host told us these guys are selling stolen products as part of a large gang network.

We observed these scenes all over Italy. It was intriguing at first... seeing the police come down the street and watching the vendors pack up quickly, warn their buddies and make a run for it. Our Vaican tour guide said when his dad came to visit him in Rome for two weeks, his favourite thing to do was observe these illegal street vendors and he still talks about it at family gatherings ha.

 

However, we couldn't quite figure out a few things. First of all, the police varied widely in their attempts to actually catch the illegal vendors. Some ambitiously chased at high speeds while most just wandered through the street, watching the vendors pack up and slink into the shadows of alleys. After the police had been through, the vendors reappeared about three minutes later and set up their sheets and products again. It seemed as though there weren't really strong efforts to put an end to the illegal selling. Rome was the most strange to watch because there were SO many police throughout the city but very little efforts to stop the illegal vendors. The police seemed to drive around in groups of three and although they were everywhere, we didn't see them do much. I guess they are just a presence?

Secondly, and most troubling, where are these illegal vendors from? Why have they joined this gang? We think it's most likely they are illegal immigrants or even refugees, with no paperwork and just can't get jobs anywhere else. It's quite sad to wonder about. Anyways, we don't have any conclusive thoughts on this topic... just observations! We thought it might be interesting to share.

- Julia