Florence is alive, treat it with care 🕊️ Shops boarded-up and shutting down #EnjoyRespectFirenze
“To break and steal something in a shop is not a good solution,” said one young person who chose not to take part in the violent protests in Paris. I’m sure many Italians would agree, whilst others see the unrest as a chance to vent their anger and settle scores, leaving shopkeepers and locals paying the price.
But with Florence now being targeted ~ and with the best that Italy it has to offer ~ strong deterrents and stealthily preparations are taking place, tackling the problem on the streets, before it arrives. 🛑
Many Gen-Zs and Generation Alphas are not happy about living costs, low wages, expensive housing, fuel prices, and are increasingly frustrated with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government. However, most demonstrations here are peaceful, and I feel that this is important to highlight.
Polizia and plain clothes everywhere in central Florence today.
I genuinely felt relief when I read the news this morning that our beloved Florence is busy preparing discretely for imminent attacks on its central establishments and services. After the scenes of brutality witnessed in Milan, Turin, Bologna and other big cities down south in Italy, Florence is not taking its chances. An over reaction to a pending crisis is the perfect retaliation at this point.
A wave of discontent is spreading throughout Italy, and new 'guerrilla' graffiti appearing on the clean walls of residential streets. It doesn't sit well and seems highly organised... A European campaign with sinister intention, manifesting largely as violence against luxury brands, high street retailers and anyone who gets in their way (unless you're a Sicilian shopkeeper with a sawn-off, which seemed to do the trick earlier this week!) Not that I advocate gun violence, but self defence should reflect threat levels.
Guerilla graffiti in Galluzzo feels as weird as spotting a Banksy on the walls of Buckingham Palace
This reads: "Rest in peace. Disobey. You live in war" .
Unfortunately for today's youth movementrs, confrontation often leads to greater government intervention, citizen repression, increased surveillance and enhanced police powers. Protests marching through a city may drive the message home and make politicians sit up, but it also destroy others' livelihoods and creates victims of the wrong people... Not the ones pulling strings.
This is the kind of beautiful sentiment we welcome and need more of:
Why should the Florence shops incur extremely violent attacks and theft from (mostly) young adults and teens, demonstrating in the worst possible way? This is not how you use your voice, with just neanderthal action ~ when did that ever help anyone in 2026? CCTV cameras, drones (UAVs), body-worn cameras, facial recognition systems, automatic license plate readers (ALPR), and cell-site simulators (Stingrays) operate discretely, it isn't the 1980s anymore. Even uniformed riot police are so kitted out that they look like Elon Musk's Optimi robots.
Extremely prepared for violence in our cities
Besides, many central high-end shops are not taking any risks. Prada is closed and (rather stylishly, true to form) boarded-up.
My friend Kim pointed out how the Italian authorities are dealing with the looting and organised violence by escalating arrests, handing down five year prison sentences for those gathering in groups of five or more (even if they didn't personally destroy property) and substantially fining parents whose minors participated somehow. There is also biometric & AI tracking, stricter juvenile detention and the Italian military on standby to tackle social unrest.
Bottega Veneta is still open but fully barricaded from attack, with thick chipboards. I'd want that top bit covering too, just sayin'.
However Bottega Veneta's temporary doors are open for today's shoppers but resemble a giant rabbit hutch entrance. They will probably close at lunchtime as a lot of them are doing.
Same for the Alo store. How devastating is all this and what a morale killer? But Italians are robust and this attack on civil security only pulls locals closer and justice usually follows. Just a shame for the peaceful amongst us who then give up their rights as heightened surveillance systems are installed.
Bulgari - has the same shop face protection. Clearly, the city didn't sleep last night as the work carried on through until the morning daylight! In the last 24 hours some local joiner has made a killing in profits.
Cartier, much the same, all closed and boarded up. Sad times...
Not a chance they are looting here as it resembles the modern-day equivalent of a medici stronghold!
Not all establishments have taken these precautions, and obviously have Lloyds of London insurance or similar!
Not just Carabinieri (Criminal) police in their droves, but also the Polizia di Stato (Civil), the Polizia Locale (Local Police), Polizia Municipale, or colloquially Vigili Urbani, AND I think lot of private security companies are also present.
MiuMiu - also all boarded up and smartly covered, possible removal of stock from shelves.
Apple had stripped all stock off all display desks and walls. Absolutely nothing to see here. Open in the morning with all stock in place, and then closed at lunchtime, well ahead of the protest start time of 3PM, completely bare!
I guess the best any of us can do is try to understand why so many people are angry. Broken economies, one recession after another, and the price of living pushed sky high. It isn’t fair. And that’s not to say things were easier before... I mean look at the LA riots in the nineties, or the looting and violence in London in 2011, there’s often poverty behind that anger, or neglect, or the feeling that nobody is listening. These are "the forgotten children of the forgotten generation".
In the meantime, Florence continues to board up its windows and puts on a critical and smart show of force, acting as refined as always. God love and protect all of Italy. ❤️
