Rome, the capital city with potholes. But it's not the rain's fault. Every contract for road repairs was rigged (photo)

Potholes in the road caused by rain in Rome

Everyone can say that potholes in Rome are a fatality. A few days of rain are enough, and the city sinks. Mobile barriers and yellow and red plastic tape, indicating imminent danger along the road, are all there to prevent further damage and the risk of casualties. Meanwhile, walking or driving in some neighborhoods is impossible.

ALSO READ: Mayors don't like to fill potholes. And so the roads collapse...

ROAD MAINTENANCE ROME

How did it come to this? The answer comes from the judiciary, which has so far opened 33 investigations , with a flurry of arrests , in every neighborhood of the city. Everywhere, the tenders were rigged, with bribes ranging from 2 to 4 percent. Everywhere, through a long chain of complicity, asphalt was mixed with sand. For the period between 2012 and 2014 alone, the Court of Auditors has requested reimbursement of €450 from 16 officials guilty of turning a blind eye to such opaque work.

Today, with an 800-kilometer road network, it's very difficult to fix it after years of neglect. And the €90 million allocated so far by the city administration is truly too little. "We need a Marshall Plan to fix Rome's potholes," warns Margherita Gatta, the city's councilor for Public Works. She's right. And likely, as we've written on this website, the contributions of generous and committed citizens are also needed.

TO KNOW MORE: This is how Rome became a city that thrives on corruption. This book tells the story.

Social Irony Asphalts Rome

Meanwhile, the cynical irony of the Romans is gaining traction online, as they've transformed their Swiss-cheese-like capital into a movie set. For films like The Big Hole. A chasm in the city of widespread lawlessness, in a region where corruption has become the primary industry. With business for everyone and damage for the citizens.

( Source: Il Messaggero )

THE EVILS OF ROME, CAPITAL OF CORRUPTION:

• Rome, the capital of potholes, a bribe for every construction site
• Parks violated by uncivilized citizens: the case of Villa Pamphili in Rome, 184 hectares of devastation.
• Atac, there's only one way to stop waste and give Romans decent buses: privatize it.
• The Waste of Rome, a Corrupt Capital in Need of Rebuilding (Mario Ajello)
• Fines in Rome: €1,5 billion in unpaid fines. Wasted money.