L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 10 L'Italo-Americano I was having my first coffee watching the early morning news t o d a y a n d g u e s s what: Rome was in it, again for the wrong rea- sons. Apparently, the area around the Colosseum is c h o c k i n g i n l i t t e r a n d street vendors — operating more often than not without a license — are more nume- rous than the times I vowed t o s t o p e a t i n g c h o c o l a t e since than the beginning of 2020 ( I can guarantee you, that's a number in the three digits range). Italians and Italophiles know the country's beloved capital hasn't been doing too well recently, but still relied on the fact that, just like amor vincit omnia, maybe pulchritudo — and of that, Rome has aplenty — could, too. S o I s t a r t e d r e a d i n g around and it seems that, unfortunately, beauty may no longer be sufficient for The Eternal City to get all her sins forgiven. Foreign people living in Rome, for i n s t a n c e , h a v e n ' t b e e n enjoying their experience that much: according to the 2 0 1 9 E x p a t C i t y R a n k i n g , R o m e i s t h e second worst capital to live in in the world, with only Kuwait City doing worse. Expats find Rome has rather poor quality of life for being a c o u n t r y ' s c a p i t a l , s o m e t h i n g t h a t r e a l l y doesn't come as a surprise when you think about the lack of efficient public transport and the rubbi- sh crisis that turned some of the most picturesque and artistically important cor- ners of the city into a dum- pster. I n s p i t e o f o f f e r i n g mediocre services to its resi- d e n t s , R o m e i s a p r e t t y expensive city to live in, with r e n t s b e i n g t h e s e c o n d highest in Italy after Milan, but with salaries lower than those offered up North. A small apartment in the city centre would set you back about 1000 USD and that's without counting all other expenses. Let's move in the o u t s k i r t s , y o u s a y : s u r e , t h a t ' d b e a g r e a t i d e a , i f R o m e ' s p u b l i c t r a n s p o r t worked properly. Another research carried out by treated.com found R o m e t o b e o n e o f t h e u n h e a l t h i e s t c i t i e s i n Europe, as it ranked 42nd out of 46 capitals surveyed. T h e s u r v e y f o c u s e d o n a s e r i e s o f h e a l t h - r e l a t e d v a r i a b l e s , i n c l u d i n g g y m m e m b e r s h i p p r i c e s , l i f e expectancy, air and water quality, the overall percei- ved quality of life, the price of medical care and that of fruit and veg, the amount and quality of green spaces. The break down for Rome is pretty depressing: it appa- rently has dirty air and bad tasting water, a high Co2 emission index and is popu- l a t e d b y a n e n o r m o u s amount of lazy people, con- sidering that only 19.1% of t h e m w a l k s o r c y c l e s t o work. G r e e n p e a c e r a n k e d Rome among the cities in Europe with the worst traf- fic and air pollution, with another survey declaring it is the absolute worst city for non-Italians to move in. Poor Rome. She masked her problems well, at least to those visiting her only every now and then, but now all her sins have found her out. But maybe we should cut old Rome some slack. No c i t y i s p e r f e c t , a n d I wouldn't expect a place as busy as Rome to be. It's the capital of a big country and, w i t h i t s 2 . 9 m i l l i o n r e s i - dents, it's relatively large, although that's a pretty ave- rage number to American eyes. It's been standing for more than 2000 years and, to some, this could be in part the issue: the historical cen- t e r , o f t e n c o n g e s t e d w i t h traffic, wasn't created to host s o m a n y p e o p l e , n o r t o a c c o m m o d a t e s o m a n y m e a n s o f t r a n s p o r t . T h e metro would solve much of R o m e ' s t r a n s p o r t a t i o n issues, but there are only three lines, a continuous reason of criticism. What m a n y o f u s f o r g e t i s t h a t Rome is not only the city we see, she develops meters and m e t e r s u n d e r n e a t h t h e ground, layer upon layer of history, lives, traditions and art, quite literally making up t h e s o i l w h e r e w e w a l k : there are only three metro lines in Rome because engi- neers couldn't dig anywhere e l s e w i t h o u t d a m a g i n g a potential archaeological site. Rents are high, sure. But there are more expensive cities in Italy, first among them all Milan; if you take i n t o a c c o u n t E u r o p e a s whole, and the world, then Roman rents become pretty average: Paris, London, New York, San Francisco, Dublin are all more expensive than Rome. Today, it seems, Rome is a pretty difficult place to live in, but there are many peo- ple who wouldn't leave for any reason in the world and, in many a way, I agree with them. There are plenty of things I would put up with to live in a place I truly love, including stretching finances h e r e a n d t h e r e t o p a y a higher rent. O t h e r s , h o w e v e r , w e should all reflect upon: from inefficient public transports to filthy streets, from tourist trap restaurants — have you h e a r d a b o u t t h a t f o r e i g n couple charged 500 euro to eat a fish dinner in Rome city centre?— to our beloved N a s o n i n o t w o r k i n g . W e should reflect upon it becau- se they all spell the same w o r d s i n m y o p i n i o n : n e g l e c t . O u r b e a u t i f u l Rome is neglected in a way she doesn't deserve and that shouldn't happen. Neglected for far too long, with old and new administrations bla- ming one another for what hasn't been done and should have, yet with no serious ini- tiative taken to improve for real the status quo. R o m e , o u r b e a u t i f u l Rome is a victim, just like the people waiting too long for their bus or finding the rubbish bins opposite their h o m e f i l l e d t o b r i m a n d that's why I say Rome needs us not to abandon her, to keep loving her as much as we can, lest nothing of her remains for the next genera- tions to enjoy. Let's talk about Rome: is La Città Eterna still an amazing place to live? CHIARA D'ALESSIO Piazza Navona, in Rome (Photo: Dreamstime) LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE

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