***Nick Squires, in Rome, reports for The Telegraph:***
They are as much a part of the urban fabric as red fire hydrants in New York City or pavement cafes in Paris.
No street corner or cobbled piazza in Italy is complete without an “edicola”, a kiosk that sells newspapers, magazines and tram tickets.
But thousands have died out in recent decades, falling prey to the pressures of mass tourism and the decline of newspaper sales.
Now, many have resorted to selling cheap tat such as plastic centurion helmets and “hot priest” calendars featuring handsome young Vatican prelates in a desperate attempt to stay afloat.
Big cities like Rome, Milan and Naples have been particularly badly hit by the closures – last year alone, 54 kiosks shut in the capital.
One of them is located in a cobbled lane called Vicolo De’ Modelli, right in front of the Trevi Fountain, which is among Rome’s most visited tourist sites.
Owned by the same family for a century, it once did a thriving trade, but recently closed and now sits forlorn and abandoned, its shutters locked.
Elsewhere in the Eternal City, kiosks that once saw vendors peer out from behind stacks of books and magazines have notably switched to catering for tourists.
Their exteriors are festooned with baseball caps, fridge magnets and Tishirts adorned with I Love Rome, while the shelves are packed with toys, trinkets and Panini football cards for kids.
Some even have ATMs attached and are stocked with fridges offering cold drinks.
So really it’s just a sob story about some people not being able to actually run a business? If you want to run a successful business you adapt to market pressures. Newspapers have been out for a decade at least and declining at least since the 80s.
The ones with ATMs and drinks etc are the ones who understand how to run a business.
With priests like those I’d let Jesus come inside me..
Let me guess, the target audience is children?
“We can do a sexy calendar shoot
…erm, I mean, tax the poor.”
^(If you know where this joke comes from, then you know.)
That’s old news, isn’t it?
When I was in Rome 5 years ago I saw those calendars on every corner.
I assure you hot priest-sama, it’s totally necessary to sell your juicy pics to save my business, believe me.
“Forced” that’s cute.
Also… forced and priest in the same sentence..
I went to Rome in 2006 and they were selling the exact same calendars. Those priests must be in their 50s now – plus they’re not actual priests, they were models
PinUp Priest, following in the footsteps of Jesus.
Is there a lot of money in that?
Gay
I’m 26 and I’ve started seeing those calendars around when I was like 6 or 7. This is veeeery old news.
By the way, they aren’t even priests, just models dressed like them.
Father Ted vibes
We went to Rome this summer and saw these all over the place
Shop is forced to sell stuff customers are willing to pay for or it will go broke? Quite a story.
What’s the alternative?
People paying for stuff they don’t want or need is already covered by mafia-style extortions (and sometimes your government)
If you want people paying just to look at your stuff without buying, you open a museum or a strip club.
Next story: Kids being forced to inhale a gas mix to survive.
18 comments
***Nick Squires, in Rome, reports for The Telegraph:***
They are as much a part of the urban fabric as red fire hydrants in New York City or pavement cafes in Paris.
No street corner or cobbled piazza in Italy is complete without an “edicola”, a kiosk that sells newspapers, magazines and tram tickets.
But thousands have died out in recent decades, falling prey to the pressures of mass tourism and the decline of newspaper sales.
Now, many have resorted to selling cheap tat such as plastic centurion helmets and “hot priest” calendars featuring handsome young Vatican prelates in a desperate attempt to stay afloat.
Big cities like Rome, Milan and Naples have been particularly badly hit by the closures – last year alone, 54 kiosks shut in the capital.
One of them is located in a cobbled lane called Vicolo De’ Modelli, right in front of the Trevi Fountain, which is among Rome’s most visited tourist sites.
Owned by the same family for a century, it once did a thriving trade, but recently closed and now sits forlorn and abandoned, its shutters locked.
Elsewhere in the Eternal City, kiosks that once saw vendors peer out from behind stacks of books and magazines have notably switched to catering for tourists.
Their exteriors are festooned with baseball caps, fridge magnets and Tishirts adorned with I Love Rome, while the shelves are packed with toys, trinkets and Panini football cards for kids.
Some even have ATMs attached and are stocked with fridges offering cold drinks.
**Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/12/27/italy-news-stands-sell-hot-priest-calendars-stay-afloat/**
So really it’s just a sob story about some people not being able to actually run a business? If you want to run a successful business you adapt to market pressures. Newspapers have been out for a decade at least and declining at least since the 80s.
The ones with ATMs and drinks etc are the ones who understand how to run a business.
With priests like those I’d let Jesus come inside me..
Let me guess, the target audience is children?
“We can do a sexy calendar shoot
…erm, I mean, tax the poor.”
^(If you know where this joke comes from, then you know.)
That’s old news, isn’t it?
When I was in Rome 5 years ago I saw those calendars on every corner.
I assure you hot priest-sama, it’s totally necessary to sell your juicy pics to save my business, believe me.
“Forced” that’s cute.
Also… forced and priest in the same sentence..
I went to Rome in 2006 and they were selling the exact same calendars. Those priests must be in their 50s now – plus they’re not actual priests, they were models
PinUp Priest, following in the footsteps of Jesus.
Is there a lot of money in that?
Gay
I’m 26 and I’ve started seeing those calendars around when I was like 6 or 7. This is veeeery old news.
By the way, they aren’t even priests, just models dressed like them.
Father Ted vibes
We went to Rome this summer and saw these all over the place
Shop is forced to sell stuff customers are willing to pay for or it will go broke? Quite a story.
What’s the alternative?
People paying for stuff they don’t want or need is already covered by mafia-style extortions (and sometimes your government)
If you want people paying just to look at your stuff without buying, you open a museum or a strip club.
Next story: Kids being forced to inhale a gas mix to survive.
I just magnified to check if they are hot. 😂🙏
So … Nuns when?