E. Telegraph: Rome faces Millennium chaos

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Rome faces Millennium chaos

By Julian Coman and Chris Endean, in Rome,

THE estimated 30 million pilgrims who are expected to visit Rome next year to celebrate the new Millennium will find the city in chaos.

Despite five years of elaborate planning, the city, which will host the Vatican's jubilee celebrations throughout the year 2000, will not be ready for the biggest party in its history. The Colosseum is covered in scaffolding, and hundreds of monuments, churches and archaeological sites are closed for restoration work. Ancient squares such as Campo di Fiore and Largo Argentina resemble giant building sites.

More worryingly for the throngs of visitors who will arrive by car, rail and air, the Eternal City's transport system is on the brink of collapse, two and a half months before its biggest test. Last week a combination of roadworks, strikes, failing technology and sheer incompetence succeeded in bringing the Italian capital to a complete standstill. Aircraft were grounded, trains diverted and cars gridlocked.

Nicola Sanitate, the president of Italy's consumers' association, said: "At this rate we are going to have to postpone the Millennium celebrations to 2025 and even then we might not be ready. What are the pilgrims going to make of this?" The association has sent an official complaint to Rome magistrates' court, stating that "the situation is like something out of the third world".

Rome's city council is at the centre of the row. Five years ago Francesco Rutelli, the mayor, promised that visitors to the Vatican's jubilee festivities would find a modernised "truly European place". A special government jubilee grant was awarded to the city council, and a host of projects were devised to help to accommodate the influx of visitors.

A new "archi-metro" line was planned under the Colosseum and the Foro Romano. It was never started. Seven new stations were planned for the Linea B metro line, but only two have been completed. The capital's overground railway system has deteriorated to a dangerous state. When a new multi-million-pound signalling system broke down last week, despite being heralded as the "most modern system in Europe", train drivers were told to use their own judgment before accelerating. Some even stopped between stations to allow passengers to escape the chaos.

Thousands of bemused commuters and tourists are being diverted to tiny suburban stations and told to find their own way into Rome. At Tiburtina station, milling crowds spilt over the narrow platform onto the tracks, causing further safety fears. The city's main airport, Fiumicino, also ground to a halt after running out of jet fuel. The airport authorities blamed an under-estimate of demand.

But Umberto Carpi, a government industry minister, said: "This kind of thing may happen to a 15-year-old with his moped, but not to the world's sixth most industrialised nation." Rome's roads are in an even worse state. The consumers' association is asking the city council for "stress money" for drivers who have to negotiate daily the miles of roadworks which disfigure the city centre and are months from completion.

Two new tunnels intended to divert traffic from the ancient and crumbling Appia Antica south of the city may have to be abandoned. One was so badly constructed that it was partially washed away by a thunderstorm a week after completion. The other is months behind schedule. The gridlock is worst in the city centre, where roadworks and construction sites around St Peter's Church have led to the diversion of traffic down Rome's labyrinthine backstreets.

A public transport strike last Friday, which hit buses, trams and local trains further inflamed Roman tempers. The transport unions are threatening further action into the new year in support of higher pay, but Pietro Larizza, the leader of the UIL, said: "We're discovering that there's no need for strikes to paralyse Rome's transport system."

The city council is unrepentant. One spokesman said: "Things are not that bad. Anyway tourists like chaos. Take the Swiss for example. They always complain that their cities are like morgues and they like a bit of chaos when they come to Rome."

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), October 17, 1999

Answers

NOW it finally hits me who we can squarely blame for this entire Y2K mess and all the spent gazillions--blame the Italians(Romans). See, if the West would have stuck with the old Roman numeral system, all we'd have to show for the year to come would be MM. It would be called Y2M (year of two M's). Curse that Fibonacci for introducing the Arabic number system into Europe in the 12th century. We were all getting along perfectly fine with abacuses, wampum, beads, and the Roman numbering system before that happened.

-- profit_of_doom (doom@helltopay.ca), October 17, 1999.

When in Rome ... get out.

30 million pilgrims and the place is not Y2K ready, not by a long shot; even the CIA warns about Italy!

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), October 17, 1999.


One spokesman said: "Things are not that bad. Anyway tourists like chaos.

LOL! That is too much! Yup, tourist love being stuck in snarled traffic. They adore sleeping in railway stations, and pissing in the alley. What tour to Italy would be complete without enduring no running water or no electricity and ending up stinking like a polecat while the airport keeps telling you your tickets are no good, and your Amex is not accepted do to "computer problems". Where do I sign up?

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), October 17, 1999.


You think that's bad.

Check out the plans for Las Vegas this year, a desert town, in the middle of nowhere with precious little water, fiiled to more than capacity with a great seething mass of humanity. If the gas stations hose how will they get home. If the airport hoses...

No way san jose.

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), October 17, 1999.


Ciao Baby!

Yup, as some of you may have guessed, I live in sunny Italy....just an hour south of Rome. It is all too true, but don't limit it to Rome. Italy is NOT ready. Only 1-2% of the population has ever heard of Y2K. The attitude here is "va bene" (It's Okay). Nothing rattles these folks. Now, I doubt the tourists will have much of a fun time in Rome, but I'll hand it to the Italians, they really do know their workarounds. Frankly, I doubt I'll notice Y2k that much. NOTHING WORKS HERE ANYWAY! My power goes off at least once a week. The neighbors tap into the local city water with their own jack hammers to get free water. Everybody "borrows" from the city (reads steals). Nope, it will be real interesting come 1/1/2000.

I have a 1000 liter gas tank (bombola), a 1000 liter water tank (which I will disconnect from city water Dec. 31) and a katadyn water filter on the way. Hope that is enough.

The navy community here will pull together and hopefully, we will all get through this somehow.

So think of me this millennium...in one of the most sought after places by DGI's on the planet.....As a GI, I am not happy, but can do nothing about it. Hubby must work to feed us and the job is here.

sigh....ciao amici!

-- Ynott (Ynott@incorruptible.com), October 17, 1999.



Ciao baby!

Do you mud wrestle?

You guys will do OK but it won't be a picnic, let's hope the Pope has a little influence on events :)

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), October 17, 1999.


* * * 19991017 Sunday

Hmmm... Ya know, all these Y2K galas may not be a bad idea, after all. Think of it. All the DGIs & DWGIs will be conveniently stranded, together, at these events.

Maybe the GI's won't have to worry that much about middle class Y2K marauders!

One Y2K "silver lining" in the approaching "storm" clouds.

Regards, Bob Mangus

* * *

-- Robert Mangus (rmangus1@yahoo.com), October 17, 1999.


I've just remediated the Y2K problem
on this forum. Going back to old Roman.
-- spider (spider0@usa.net), October XVII, MCMXCIX




-- spider (spider0@usa.net), October 17, 1999.


Swiss towns are like a morgue? I wonder how they feel about less than rich, American middle aged women with many animals coming on over to settle? A simple but charming cottage on the outskirts of a city would do nicely.

-- Paula (chowbabe@pacbell.net), October 17, 1999.

I've only been to Rome three times, but the original post sounds just like the three times I've been there. There's ALWAYS been scaffolding around stuff. Stuff has ALWAYS been closed for repairs. The elevators didn't work where I stayed, there was NO hot water, although I had to pay for even a cold shower, and there was NO heat. Not once, mind you, but THREE times I experienced this.

It's a strange, yet curious place. Traffic is relentless. One can't cross a busy street in Rome by looking both ways and watching for a break. If drivers see you looking, they won't stop. You must close your eyes, step into the street and walk across. All cars stop for you when you demonstrate this foolishness. Also, motorbikes abound there. The constant drone of these "vehicles" leads one to wonder if they have a bee in their ear.

No offense intended to gypsies, but even in normal travel seasons, they make quite a killing off tourists in Rome. Children approach unsuspecting victims with a newspaper in hand to distract attention from the other children that are removing your passport from your pocket. Not to fear, however; your passport will be "found" a few blocks down and sold back to you. [laughter]

So why do I keep going back? The PEOPLE. They're GREAT! I remember an older man who I stopped on the street to get directions to a department store. I don't remember how to spell department store in Italian, but it sounds something like Megazeena. My Italian was too rudimentary for the man so he actually took his hand and PULLED the syllables out of my mouth...MegaZEENA! [more laughter] We met lots of great people there and talked through the night in different languages in our hostel's community room. Those who knew only one language were interpreted for the others in another. Those who knew that one interpreted for those who knew only yet another. The world got together on those three trips, and smiles and hugs were part of "calling it a morning."

-- Anita (notgiving@anymore.com), October 17, 1999.



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