“Recently, a statistic has emerged on the intended use of homes, in particular those in the historic centre, which outlines a picture of Siena that is in some ways very worrying: if on the one hand we are celebrating the increase of annual tourist presences, 189,000 last year compared to 89,000 in 2019 (although with an average of 2.5 nights of maximum stay) on the other, with the exponential increase in non-hotel tourist accommodation in four years , going from 389 in 2019 to the current 1200, the city is risking losing its identity”, this is the beginning of a speech by the municipal councilor leader of the Democratic Party group Giulia Mazzarelli on tourist accommodation.
“The image of the historic center in particular is changing to such an extent – continues Giulia Mazzarelli – that the citizens of Siena themselves, looking around, are starting to not recognize the Siena in which they were born and raised. As reported by Sunia (the tenants’ union), renting a house in Siena at sustainable prices is now becoming a “mission impossible”. The measure taken by Councilor Papi on the agreed fee is partial and ineffective, as demonstrated by the results and the critical issues that have not yet been resolved in the slightest.
What is missing and what, as exponents of the Democratic Party, we have been highlighting for months now is a city project that stops thinking in a compartmental mode and instead manages to reconcile development with protection, differentiating functions and creating a solid production system with a long-term perspective.
We have seen in recent months how important actions in urban planning have been undertaken through the instrument of simplified variants to the operational plan and not with concerted and general planning, while with regard to the structural plan which should be approved by 29 January 2025, the administration it is not clear what he wants to do, what his vision of the city is, both from an urban planning and social, productive and cultural point of view.
When we talk about tourist, hotel and private rentals, in fact, it is not only the theme of tourism that is involved – adds Siena PD councilor Giulia Mazzarelli – but it is also about choices that concern urban planning and have an impact on the sphere social, cultural and economic aspects of the city. This thought, however, is far from the modus operandi of the right-wing council that governs our city, in which particular interest is privileged over the collective one, as these years of administration are fully demonstrating this.
The Fabio administration, in continuity with the previous one, chooses not to control the exponential growth of tourist rental apartments and also encourages the construction of ultra-luxury hotels, emptying the historic center of its essence. We do not recognize ourselves in this playground-style model, and we believe that the city must return to being also and above all about the citizens, about those who live there and those who work there; if for all these categories the inconveniences add up and the services decrease, the historic center will inevitably continue to depopulate and Siena will definitively lose the identity that has distinguished it for centuries.
The phenomenon in question, which certainly has reasons even outside the municipal perimeter, and must be included in a scenario of global transformations, should first of all be adequately understood and then governed and contrasted with all the means available; a proposal could be to provide tax relief on municipal taxes only for this type of rental contract with the aim of encouraging concessions for families and students.
Differentiating the type of investments and functions within the historic center of Siena, a UNESCO heritage site – concludes Giulia Mazzarelli in her speech on tourist accommodation – would also be vital to avoid a possible collapse of the entire system in the face of any future crises.
 speaks on the increase in tourist accommodation in Siena){kind=link}