cobbles and fountain, piazza navona ©antmoose
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The eternal city might not be so eternal after all, or at least it’s cobblestones are not. Rome is ringing in the new year with plans to resurface a large majority of cobblestoned ancient Roman roads.
The cobbled streets, known as sampietrini or ”˜St Peter’s little stones,’ have been nearly impossible for the Roman government to repair. In fact it’s said that only eight Italians are in fact trained to do the repairs.
Any traveler who has been to Rome knows that the cobblestone streets can be treacherous–especially in the rain. It is understandable that the city might want to make the ancient streets eaiser to manage for the disabled, the elderly and parents with strollers. However, these safety concerns were not the main concern of city officials concocting the plan. The Mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, cited that ‘walking easier for women wearing high heels’ was the main motivation for the plan.
That’s right, forget 500 years of history and the elderly, what is really important in Rome is making sure Italian woman can balance on their Salvatore Ferragamo heels.
Read more at the Daily Mail.