How the Elite See Rome

44 points by bookofjoe 6 days ago | 39 comments

khurs 9 hours ago |

Isn't this the case globally and not just Rome?

It's a business decision, if the rich person wants to pay and its more profitable than the alternative and/or may get massive press or social exposure than it may get a yes.

If a mega-celebrity wants to visit the Louvre, the Louvre (and French police) don't want the headache of it getting leaked on social media and thousands of fanatical Stans turning up as a mob, so safer to arrange a private viewing.

London museums as an example are routinely strategically sponsored by companies and individual with bad reputations.Example https://cultureunstained.org/2025/11/18/british-museum-drops... and Saudi Arabia has been whitewashing the killing of the journalist via bankrolling Sports.

MSkill1 5 hours ago | |

Or maybe we just ban celebrities from going to the Louvre, period. If you've decided that you need to be popular so badly that you ruin it for other people when you go to the public places, you should be banned from public places. Be happy with your fame and stay away from us peons. That's what you wanted.

SpicyLemonZest 4 hours ago | | |

Museums generally have to make rich people feel welcome because they require their patronage. The Louvre used to be an exception, operating as a sole project of the French government, but they've cut back substantially over the past few decades and the new endowment fund has filled the gap.

cucumber3732842 6 hours ago | |

It's the case the world over across every sector of the economy.

Frito Lay or isn't gonna stop a line because some bearing is dying. Someone is gonna show up on Friday night and get to work.

Almondsetat 10 hours ago |

Tourism has to be managed. Most istitutions can't, or can in a relatively limited manner. Rich people provide both the money and the reputation to allow them to have profitable private tours without risking too much. There is no real reason why a museum can't be open at 2 A.M., it's just that it's economically impossible, unless someone pays enough money. There is no real reason why a small church painted by Giotto can't be opened to the public, but managing all the people and making sure they don't damage stuff is a nightmare, unless the people entering have a verifiable reputation.

al_borland 6 hours ago | |

I went to a wedding/reception at a museum after hours. It was fantastic. Not only was it a cool and unique setting, but it allowed those who aren’t into dancing all night something to do as they split off into little groups and wandered around, exploring exhibits. It made for a great ice breaker.

collinmcnulty 4 hours ago |

Tangential a bit, but I grate at using “elite” as a synonym for “rich”. It adopts the framing favored by powerful people as if they have an inherent difference and aren’t just some people that society allows to have more resources. It promotes a false inevitability.

jayers 4 hours ago | |

Well elite and rich are actually different categories. The guy down in my parents suburban neighborhood who started a carpentry business at 18 and is now 45 years old and a millionaire is in a very different category from someone who went to Harvard Law and became a partner at a massive firm in Manhattan, even if their net worth is similar.

Plenty of normal folks start businesses in various industries and get rich off of it. You can make tens of millions of dollars running a restaurant chain, a trades business, manufacturing, a car repair shop, car dealership etc. But those are not elite jobs.

collinmcnulty 4 hours ago | | |

I would argue it’s a matter of degree, not of kind. “Private equity” is a rhetorical device to convert “I run an unglamorous business” into “I’m the kind of person who gets the private tour”. All the status stuff can be bought.

rwmj 6 hours ago |

As an aside I once went on a tour of the museums of Amsterdam with an expert guide (paid for by the company I was visiting). It was fantastic! A completely different experience from being a regular tourist. I learned far more about Amsterdam and the art than I could possibly have done on my own.

al_borland 6 hours ago | |

When I first started traveling I avoided guides, and didn’t want to be a “tourist”. Over the years I’ve gotten over that and started going on more tours, I learn so much more than I otherwise would, and get access to places that are normally off limits. It’s a much better experience.

riffraff 5 hours ago | |

This is true with basically every place and a proper guide.

I understand why people don't usually hire a person to walk then around when they're traveling solo or with their family, but if you're a mildly curious person it's a fantastic way to experience museums, archeology and nature.

illliillll 10 hours ago |

I sell these, have done many.

Basically just about any museum (or similar) in the world is happy to accept large sums of money from rich people in exchange for exclusive experiences. This helps fund the museums and everyone wins.

alexpotato 8 hours ago | |

Celebrities and hedge funds will often do things like "rent out Disneyland for the day" as well.

filoleg 2 hours ago | | |

You don't even need to be a celebrity or a hedge fund to do that.

The public state college I attended rented out Six Flags every fall semester for a day, with free (or nearly free/subsidized) tickets for students.

It was a great way to attend, because it was basically students-only, so no need to worry wasting insane amounts of time in lines. And overall, the vibes were great.

artisinal 9 hours ago |

Rome has always been a city for the elite. Current day Rome is more accessible than ever for the commoners.

If rich people pay money for private access and part of that money ends up being used for preservation: Good.

xg15 9 hours ago | |

They could also just tax rich people more and use that money for conservation...

azan_ 8 hours ago | | |

They actually can't, but even if they could - expensive private viewings are much more fair.

matwood 7 hours ago | | |

Italy's taxes are already quite high, but they do have some regimes to encourage HNW people to move there.

snowpid 9 hours ago | | |

who is they? I doubt the Italian state can tax American or Singaporean rich tourists.

bookofjoe 6 days ago |

https://archive.ph/nQkAA

klez 7 hours ago | |

archive.ph is blocked in Italy.

archieve.is is accessible https://archive.is/Ei7AE

gib444 7 hours ago |

Where's the line between in-depth reporting and long-form advert?

The Atlantic's reader base is the exact target audience for such services

derektank 5 hours ago | |

Presumably the line is whether or not the publisher is getting paid for the writing.

The Atlantic does do branded content from time to time, but they always explicitly label it as such. I would bet a substantial sum that this article is not an advertisement.

gus_massa 1 hour ago | |

It's time to link again the old article by pg: https://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html