Rome is not lovin’ it and protests against McDonald’s
Rome is clearly not lovin’ it. Fast-food chains have no longer been welcome in the historic city centre since last Wednesday.
Number 4 in the rankings
Italy has more than 500 McDonald’s locations and ranks 4th in Europe (the Netherlands is #6 with 250). In the capital alone, there are more than 40 places where you can get a Big Mac meal. Plans to build a new location were already in place, but the hot-tempered Italians were, to put it mildly, not happy about them.
Banished
The approximately 800-square-metre McDonald’s would have been located in the middle of the historic district, right next to the Baths of Caracalla, not far from the Colosseum. After a major protest — ‘No burgers around Roman antiquities!’ — Minister of Culture Alberto Bonisoli called off the construction. ‘The wonders of Rome must remain protected,’ said the mayor of Rome.
Entirely justified, if you ask me; Rome already has more than 40 McDonald’s locations, including right next to famous historic sites such as the Piazza Navona, the Vatican and the Spanish Steps.
Rome’s first McDonald’s
This is not the first time Rome has expressed its disdain for McDonald’s, by the way. In 1986, the people of Rome also made their voices heard; this time against the opening of the city’s first McDonald’s. The protest was unsuccessful then; a McDonald’s opened near the Piazza di Spagna at the foot of the Spanish Steps.
Eating and drinking prohibited
Since the beginning of last year, it has also been forbidden to eat and drink while visiting Rome’s monuments. As is walking around scantily dressed and bathing in the fountains. Caught with chicken nuggets on the Spanish Steps? You could then be banished from Ancient Rome for 48 hours. Arriverderci.
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