new mayor tries to stop Rome's decline

Interesting. I would love to hear some comments from our Italian friends! P.S. I still love Rome.

That's a very interesting read, thanks Jerry. They certainly have some stuff to figure out, we'll hope for the best ;-))

Quirite, I definitely agree that the descriptions are a little dramatic. But I have seen people sleeping in the Vatican city under cardboard boxes every time I walk through late at night. I have never seen them listening to music or drinking boxed wine, only sleeping. And they don't bother me. And I think if there is a place in Rome where they can sleep undisturbed it SHOULD be in Vatican city. Would be a little hypocritical to kick them out.

If you are from Chicago that will not bother you. And being from Denver, we have our share homeless sleeping on the streets and in the parks. We were just in Rome last May for the fifth or sixth time and saw little of what he described. But I have never been out of the northside of Termini either. We always stay in the Termini area, often out around 10/11 pm with no unusual concerns. But I also have the tourist glasses on so I may be missing some of his issue or simply dismissing as being part of Rome. We frequently visit our sons in both Chicago and New York and there are times when I am more concerned about those cities than I am in Rome. We were especially careful in NY when one son was living on the lower east side. Much better now that he is on the upper west side.

A person who knows the city well can better see the warts and bruises than infrequent visitors so I do not doubt his general conclusions that Rome has a lot of problems. But at the moment I would quickly return tomorrow.

Rome to us on our first trip looked so dirty, and I dont mean old I mean dirty.
The homeless situation didnt bother us its part of life so we donated when we felt it was right to as we would in any city.
The attitude of Italians is what bothered us, they didnt seem to want to work, and we are reasonable people.
I asked a waiter to take a pic of us and he replied that he coudnt possibly take pics for every person that asked then he left.
funny for sure but this is reality in tis city.

an ice cream shop wanted 15euro for 2 ice creams
taxi drivers shocked us

the subway is beyond what can be a total dump

the city and the people need a make over

they can be honest and hard working and they can still be the wonderful type of Italians that we liked

and we did like Italy we are even going back we felt so at home there its like parts of Africa

Rome has been in decline since the fall of the Roman Empire but what a magnificent place it is. Don't take a German perspective too seriously as they have their own agenda regarding Southern Europe within the EEC.

what a load of hogwash

This is just over-the-top. It's interesting coming from a German-based newsgroup.

Italy has many, many problems... but these are long-term problems that haven't just started in the past few years. And frankly, no one person - especially the mayor of Rome - is going to solve all the problems in this city, or the country... Certainly not in one term!

I've lived in Rome for years and have many friends who still live there. We talk weekly by phone, Skype, email, etc. NO ONE is saying that the "end is near." Are there economic and social issues in Rome? Surely there are. But how would Rome compare to the major cities of the United States - New York, Chicago, Detroit, LA, and yes.. my current hometown, Atlanta. I live in downtown Atlanta, about 2 blocks from the CNN center and Centennial Park. You can't get any more central than that. And I daily see some of the same problems as mentioned in this article.

Part of the problem is expectations. People go to Rome on vacation to see the sites. This IS NOT Disneyworld. Rome is a vibrant, active, bustling CITY... and NOT just a tourist attraction. There are plenty of people who work and live in Rome that are not associated with the travel industry. And frankly, the concerns of the citizens of Rome (like the citizens of New York, Chicago, Detroit, LA, and Atlanta) need to be more focused on how they perceive their city.

Are there cleaner and more organized cities in Europe than Rome? Yes, I lived in Copenhagen - and much like Hamburg is (home base of the Speigel Group) - it was a beautiful and clean city. But CPH has their share of social issues that they are dealing with - Every major city does.

I've been hassled under the Eiffel Tower by vendors selling me goods.... and I'm sure you have too. And they play the same games when the Police arrive as the vendors do in Italy. This article was written from the viewpoint of a tourist. There are parts of Rome where you will find gypsy camps, trash piled up, etc... but no tourist will ever see these... and they weren't in this article. Every city has blemishes. There are parts of Rome I was uncomfortable in - but I doubt if any USA tourist will ever go there. And there are parts of cities here in the USA I might be uncomfortable in - because it's a different environment than I am accustomed. Do we expect all parts of our cities to be "welcoming?"

As far as the people of Rome... let's not generalize. I had neighbors who I rarely talked to, like any city. But when I took the time - and made the effort - these folks, who had been stand-offish, became some of our best friends. We did live one-block from the Vatican, and when you exited your building to head to work, you would often find the sidewalk blocked by 40-50 tourists getting off multiple buses. And yes, you can get frustrated when this happens every day, five-ten times a day - just like a waiter in a restaurant might get frustrated. Often, we'd stop and talk with folks but on some days, when you're tired and need to get somewhere -- it can be frustrating. I am sure that waiter - on other days - took thousands of photos and travelers are singing his praises.

I found my Italian friends to be a little-hard-to-get-to-know, but once we became friends, their commitment to you and their loyalty was unquestionable. After moving away, we would return every few months and walk into restaurants we ate at daily - where we formed friendships that I think will last a lifetime. The owners, their wives, their children ... would all gather at our table and multiple baci, baci! I don't remember ever being greeted like that when we returned to the USA?

So go - but go with your eyes open. Rome is worth the effort, despite some of the concerns (some valid, some not) mentioned in this article. I'd move back tomorrow... and welcome those buses outside my door (well, at least for a while!).

I just returned from my third trip to Rome last week. Although I would of course go back in a heartbeat, I am glad that this past visit was not my first one to the city. I would honestly have been disappointed. Although every time I have been to Rome has been during peak tourist season, I have to say that the "black market" economy is much more prevalent than it was even 1.5 years ago when I was there, to the extent that the vendors were quite disruptive at all major tourist sites. In addition, Piazza Navona was so visually cluttered by vendors, that it was very difficult to get a good photograph of my favorite piazza. I am glad that I didn't need to do the tourist circuit this time around, and spent the majority of time in less-frequented neighborhoods. The new mayor may want to consider a blanket prohibition of these vendors, or at least require permits that could feed needed revenue to the city. And, then, importantly, put a high priority on enforcement. I think the return on investment for that change would be significant. The city was also dirtier than my past two visits as well - I remarked that it was catching up to Bologna in this regard. And I know the city is trying - we consistently saw streetcleaners during our 10-day visit.

That being said, I'm still in love with Rome. I just hope that changes are made before my next visit there, as I don't want the city to lose its heart and character. And I want to reassure first-time visitors that it is still a world-class city, but to just exercise your patience around the major tourist sites.

Thanks for sharing.