Rome, A Great City in Size, But What About Quality?

Rome, A Great City in Size, But What About Quality?

A heated debate has erupted between actor, director and screenwriter Carlo Verdone and Rome’s current mayor Gianni Alemanno, after Verdone harshly criticized Woody Allen’s latest work “To Rome With Love” calling it an absurd totally unreal interpretation.  What triggered the mayor’s reaction was a recent article published by Daniel Psenny, French journalist for Le Monde newspaper hailing the Colosseum as Rome’s eternal symbol, and declaring the motor scooter, a la Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, as the best means of transportation for discovering its famed monuments. According to Le Monde, yes bicycles are more ecological, but a ride through the city on a Vespa is something magical. The Le Monde article goes on to mention what it considers to be the must-sees of the city including the Protestant Cemetery and of course the legendary Cinecitta’.

Psenny in a singular word analysis calls Verdone simply “depressed.” And the mayor is in agreement. Verdone however has not backed down on his stance, and continues to say that until the rules are enforced and the state of urban decay is addressed, Rome will continue to lose its world status. So far 18 neighborhood associations have joined support for his initiative to make Rome a great city once again.