After two years, Rome is not at all as clean as a village in Trentino, as Gualtieri promised

“In two years Rome will be as clean as a village in Trentino”, said the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieriduring an interview given to Rtl 102.5 on July 18, 2022. Well, exactly 24 months later, it certainly cannot be said that the mayor has kept his promise: no, the Capital is not as clean as a mountain village.

It is true, as we have acknowledged, that waste collection is not going through a rough patch as it regularly did in previous summers. Some progress has certainly been made. But it is equally true, thanks to the many construction sites that are affecting the Capital in view of the Jubilee, that in recent weeks there has been no shortage of inconvenience for citizens and tourists and some areas of the city, even central ones, are characterized by neglect and degradation.

In recent days, the mayor must also respond to the attacks on Cestò, the 18,000 new waste bins presented with great fanfare, which however appear to be at ‘seagull risk’. So much so that the city councilors of Italia Viva have presented an urgent motion to request their immediate removal: “They must be replaced. There is no doubt that they are ecological and made in compliance with anti-terrorism regulations, but it is equally clear that they must be modified or even redesigned so that no one is forced to witness the shameful scenes of recent days, with seagulls that, taking advantage of the large vertical openings along the entire perimeter, storm them and scatter waste everywhere”.

And, again, the report by Il Sole 24 Ore on the approval ratings of Italian mayors and governors did not help Mayor Gualtieri, with the mayor of Rome relegated to 78th place out of 80 mayors examined. Gualtieri obtained 45 percent approval, 5 percent less than in 2023 and a good 15 percentage points less than the day of his election. He is the mayor who lost the most points.