L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2020 L'Italo-Americano W h e n current m a y o r o f R o m e Virginia Raggi was elected, she made it quite clear that banning botticelle was one of her aims. These traditio- nal horse-drawn carriages are as romantic as they are, alas, unjust. Throughout the years, episodes of animals abuse, of horses dying in the heat of summer while forced to work along the city's boi- l i n g h o t r o a d s , f i l l e d t h e p a g e s o f o u r n e w s p a p e r s with worrying regularity. Italy's animal rights associa- tions have been campaigning f o r y e a r s t o f i n a l l y b a n a practice considered by many u s e l e s s a n d i n h u m a n e . Daniele Draco, representa- t i v e o f t h e c a p i t a l ' s c i t y assembly and president of t h e C o m m i s s i o n e I V Ambiente Roma Capitale saluted the decision positi- v e l y : " b y a p p r o v i n g t h i s regulation, the city finally e n t e r s a n e w t i m e i n i t s history, one where the will of the administration is to safe- guard the rights and well being of our friends, the ani- mals." The document, created in collaboration with animal r i g h t s a s s o c i a t i o n s , w a s signed at the beginning of the month and wants to be a point of encounter between safeguarding animals' well being and the rights of the many families for whom bot- ticelle represent the main— if not sole — form of income. The idea is to ban botticelle from the streets and limit their activity to Rome's main p a r k s , V i l l a B o r g h e s e , V i l l a P a m p h i l j and the Parco degli Acquedotti, exclusively along itineraries s p e c i f i c a l l y d e s i g n e d b y equine experts to reduce at a minimum risks for the ani- mals. H o w e v e r , t h e s o l u t i o n seems to leave both animal rights activists and botticelle owners unhappy: the first consider the decision insuffi- cient, as they see the practice itself as a form of animal abuse, and have been calling for the full substitution of botticelle with electrically operated carts. Owners, on the other hand, are convin- ced that limiting their opera- tions to Roman parks will destroy their business. But what does the new ordinance of the Comune di Roma say? Horse-drawn botticelle can operate only on pre-esta- blished itineraries, all within s e l e c t e d p a r k s a n d g r e e n areas. Coachmen are prohi- bited from operating their carts when the temperature reaches or is above 30 C, in order to protect horses' life and health, and each tour cannot last more than 45 minutes. If any of these rules is broken, coachmen must pay a fine and may get their license suspended. Botticelle owners have the right to con- v e r t t h e i r l i c e n s e ( p u b l i c transport with animal-drawn means) into a different one that would allow them, if t h e y m e e t a l l n e c e s s a r y requirements, to become taxi drivers. R a g g i e x p l a i n s t h a t , "Limiting the use of botticel- le in our parks simply brings up to date a traditional servi- ce typical of our city, adap- ting it to a urban context that has profoundly changed in the past decades. Our parks offer an ideal scenario to keep the tradition of botticel- le alive, a scenario just as interesting from a touristic p o i n t o f v i e w , f i l l e d w i t h enchanting corners, in one of Europe's greenest capitals." B o t t i c e l l e o w n e r s a r e unhappy, convinced that the new regulations will cut their income and force them to seek other forms of employ- ment. They are also adamant that botticelle are integrant part of Rome's charm and heritage and that, for this reason, they should keep on operating across the city. While the worry of coach- men and botticelle owners is comprehensible, it is hard not to react strongly and asks questions when witnessing the sufferance of animals col- l a p s i n g o n t h e c o b b l e d streets of Rome, thirsty and tired, under the summer sun, all for allowing us tourists to view the city from a different angle and to have one more s t e r e o t y p e d s t o r y a b o u t R o m e t o t e l l o u r f r i e n d s when we get back home. Botticelle are a tradition of our capital and they can keep on being so, without causing harm to animals, as underli- ned by the plan to slowly substitute them with electri- cally operated carts. Animal rights activists, however, hope this decision will even- tually lead to the full aboli- t i o n o f t o u r i s t i c a n i m a l - d r a w n t r a n s p o r t a t i o n everywhere in Italy. The pre- sident of G a i a and L e g a Ambiente, Edgar Meyer said: "In light of the new policy, it's likely that many CHIARA D'ALESSIO coachmen decide to convert their license into a taxi one, thus further reducing the use and diffusion of botticelle in the capital. But we wait for a law, to be applied at national level, that finally abolishes tourist animal-drawn tran- sportation." Meyer calls for the gradual but unequivocal disappearance of botticelle and of all forms of touristic animal-drawn transportation around the country, especial- ly in our art cities: Palermo, Florence, Naples, Pisa, in all of these destinations, horses are exploited to offer city tours. But what will happen to the animals "retiring" from t h e s t r e e t s ? T h i s i s something that worries ani- mal rights activists across the country, who hope hor- ses' wellbeing will be guaran- teed through the constant and careful monitoring of the authorities in charge. Traditional botticelle in Rome: they'll soon be a thing of the past (Photo: Giocalde/Dreamstime) Time is up for botticelle, Rome's traditional horse-drawn carriages LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE

• Cover